FAKE NGK spark plugs

[Trackrash]

Anyone come across this? Apparantly there are some Chinese fake NGK plugs out there.
PLUG STUDIO / NGK

[shadowjack1]

Never even heard of this. Thanks for the heads up.

[MBAtarga]

I've heard of it in the recent past but just don't recall from where. Not sure if it was Pelican or elsewhere.

[Jonny042]

It's gettting harder and harder to be sure of what you are buying. For sure it's a problem, but I have a hard time believing that a spark plug could cause the sort of damage shown in the video.

[stownsen914]

Sparkplugs are precision devices that it’s easy to take for granted. Put poorly made ones in a high performance engine, it’s not hard to image detonation ruining a piston, or even metal pieces falling off into your engine and messing things up really fast.

[Trackrash]

You know, it is very hard for me to believe there is some company in China actually creating fakes.

More likely the factory that makes NGKs is selling seconds or rejects. But that is just a guess.

Has anyone had a NGK fail?

My last set of NGKs had a gasket that was not like any I remember on their plugs I had used before. Now I need to pull one and check it.

Is it just the iridium plugs that may be fakes?

[manbridge 74]

Iridiums are probably sub-contractor made which NGK then labels.

An interesting factoid about Porsche plugs is that they are same as regular Bosch/Beru except for one thing. They come with a three digit code from which the date can be determined. So a guy could see by date look up if at a previous vehicle service and last plug change was due, if they were indeed changed.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

It's gettting harder and harder to be sure of what you are buying. For sure it's a problem, but I have a hard time believing that a spark plug could cause the sort of damage shown in the video.

Same as sourcing genuine spark plugs with the wrong heat range. Fairly easy to create detonation and piston melt.

Sherwood

[Jonny042]

I didn't think of that. And I should have!! Thanks.

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Same as sourcing genuine spark plugs with the wrong heat range. Fairly easy to create detonation and piston melt.

Sherwood

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by stownsen914

Sparkplugs are precision devices that it’s easy to take for granted. Put poorly made ones in a high performance engine, it’s not hard to image detonation ruining a piston, or even metal pieces falling off into your engine and messing things up really fast.

See above. You're absolutely right.

[Gordo2]

Originally Posted by Trackrash

You know, it is very hard for me to believe there is some company in China actually creating fakes.

Sorry Trackrash - don't mean to dispute, but if there's money to be made making counterfeit products, to include auto parts - there's probably a Chinese company producing it.

Here's a similar article regarding China autoparts manufacturers caught pumping out counterfeit Toyota parts (stuff like filters etc.) https://www.datadotdna.com/au/chinese-raid-captures-counterfeit-car-parts-destined-for-australia/

Copyright infringement, movie piracy, stolen intellectual property... is real and very problematic. The computer / IT industry is racked with it (knock off Cisco products etc.).

Gordo

[Fergie]

Yes there are fake NKG iridium plugs. I also own a Honda ridgeline and the NKG plugs are 15 each. Some folks on their form were complaining about receiving cheaper plugs from Amazon that just did not look right

[Marc Bixen]

While at SEMA a couple of years ago, we went through the "China" corridor, I was with a friend, Indy, prototype, ex- Gurney AAR engineer. He also was director of international motorsports for Brembo. We walk past a booth and these guys are soo brazen they were showing copies of Brembo products, not just copies, but all the way down to the Brembo AND Porsche trade marks, you know the triangle with the P. So we got the guys business card, took it to the main hall, where Brembo Italy was, and next thing, the guys had been asked to leave SEMA and all his goods were confiscated. ANY QUESTIONS?
Also,Bosch plugs, originally made in Germany, then Brazil, how about India? Last week I opened a case of WR7DC+, "Made in Russia". Ohhh boy!