How to distinguish a counterfeit shock absorber from a branded spare part

When buying a shock absorber of a major brand, the driver risks encountering a fake. It will last less than a branded product, and also does not provide an adequate level of comfort and safety. Avtopro specialists note that the driver does not need to be an expert in automotive matters in order to choose branded shock absorbers. It is enough to pay attention to a few important things.

Classification of shock absorbers

According to various estimates, from 10% to 30% of shock absorbers on the secondary market are fakes. The bigger the brand, the higher the chance to buy a low-quality product. When choosing a spare part, the driver specifies its applicability and is determined with the best type. Shock absorbers are as follows:

Maslyani Simple, reliable and soft shock absorbers prone to overheating;

Gas Differ in increased hardness;

Gas-oiled. The most expensive and complex in design. They show themselves well on almost any surface, providing a high level of comfort.

As noted by experienced drivers, oil shock absorbers with a large volume of working fluid are best suited for a city car. Due to their optimal stiffness, they "swallow" small bumps in the road, provide a high level of acoustic comfort and controllability. Gas-oil shock absorbers are a golden mean between oil and gas analogues. Oil shock absorbers should be taken by those who need high softness of the suspension.

How to recognize a fake

When choosing shock absorbers, you should check the packaging of the product, markings, and also pay attention to a number of small details. For example, on the quality of welds. In some cases, fakes have the wrong name: Shok Absorber instead of Shock Absorber (one letter difference). You should also pay attention to:

Manufacturer's logo, batch code, product article number and place of manufacture;

The quality of work with metal, the quality of painting, printing, reading the inscriptions embossed on the case;

Special security features: holograms, one-time codes and QR codes.

Any motorist knows that original and non-original components are produced. What is the difference?

The original ones are used when assembling a car at enterprises. Automobile companies do not produce spare parts, but order them from companies that manufacture automobile components. Companies can be in different countries of the world. They receive orders from automobile concerns for the development and production of components and parts for a certain brand of car. The same parts are produced by different factories, according to the parameters specified by the customer. Original parts are marked with the brand of the auto concern;

Non-original details. Manufacturers of auto parts deliver their products both to enterprises and to the secondary market. Non-original parts are aftermarket parts. In terms of quality, they do not differ from the original ones, but they are sold at a lower price. Such spare parts are marked with the manufacturer's mark.

Secondary market suppliers

Various products are presented on the secondary market. These are high-quality spare parts that can compete with original parts, and outright fakes of the lowest quality, which are dangerous to install on a vehicle.

Who are the aftermarket suppliers?

Factories producing auto spare parts, which supply products both to factories of concerns and to the secondary market;

Companies that do not have an agreement with car concerns, but construct parts based on original ones and mark them with their own badges;

Companies restoring spare parts;

Companies that provide packaging of parts from well-known manufacturers. These companies are not involved in production, only packaging;

Unknown companies that do not provide parts with identification marks and do not indicate on the packaging the materials from which they are made.

Depending on the manufacturer, the list of protective features will be different. For example, boxes with KYB shock absorbers must have a barcode, a sticker with product information. The shock absorbers themselves must also have inscriptions and the company's logo. Bilstein protects its products with QR codes and holograms. In the case of Sachs, the driver should check the names of the product lines, which are indicated on the packaging and shock absorbers.