Hauliers that use independent garages for repairs are increasingly risking their vehicles being fitted with substandard counterfeit parts, according to the world's largest think tank. A report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) cites a US Federal Trade Commission claim that counterfeiting costs the global automotive parts industry $12bn a year.
In a survey by OECD researchers, a major automotive manufacturer claims that 5% of all vehicle parts sold in the
EU are fakes, rising to 30% of all parts sold in some Middle Eastern and Asian markets. The bulk of these counterfeit parts are said to come from China.
The use of independent repair shops is likely to grow in the EU following the end of block exemption as the European Commission forces manufacturers to release technical information. As a result the proportion of fake spares is likely to grow, the OECD warns, because thousands of mainly small repair firms "are amenable to using non-genuine parts if these are cheaper and thought to be reasonable substitutes".
It adds: "The use of fake brake pads, hydraulic hoses, engine and chassis parts, suspension and steering components and air-bag mechanisms could seriously impair the safety of vehicles. This could lead to crashes which in turn may lead to injury and loss of life."
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