Parts warning

9 May 2008

Counterfeit wheel bearings pose threat to UK market, warns Motaquip

A FLOOD of counterfeit wheel bearings are pouring into the UK and posing a threat to motorists, parts supplier Motaquip has warned.

It says tests on counterfeit bearings show that total failure (which can result in the loss of a wheel) occurred after 1,200 cycles instead of the 97,000 cycles required by manufacturer standards.

The company says threats are posed by wheel bearing kits, often from the Far East, which fail to meet OE quality as well as counterfeit wheel bearings which may fail prematurely.

Motaquip says this is because many of these kits feature ball bearings, rather than newer taper roller technology.

Counterfeit products fitted with a poor quality magnetic encoder can even induce a malfunction in cars’ ABS and ESP systems, according to Motaquip.

The company has already found that some of these counterfeit products, made in the Far East for Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda applications have found there way into the UK aftermarket.

Peter Allen, Motaquip’s product manager, said counterfeit parts posed problems for everyone in the industry.

“Modern wheel bearings and their kits are specifically designed to be stronger and more technically advanced than traditional bearings, to cope with the performance demands of the modern vehicle,” said Peter.

“Unfortunately, these imports are not up to the job. My advice to factors and independent garages is to check the source of your supply to ensure that your wheel bearings are matching OE quality.”

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