As you all know by now, I absolutely can’t stand fake ass/knock-off parts. Wheels of course are my biggest complaint but if you got them, hey all good, it’s not my car. Personally I just don’t like it. Wheels and their designs are being knocked-off left and right and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. I may not care much for Rotas and Konig and what not but again, if you want to rock that shit, that’s cool. You buy what you can afford. It’s not my car. My thing is when people try to rock the real stickers on the fake wheels and try to front like they’re real. Branding something as authentic when it’s not is just wrong and frankly, it’s a bitch ass move. I’ve even caught some people up on occasion at meets and shows and the like and I have absolutely no problem calling them out on it. Same thing goes for seats. Fake Recaros, Bride, etc. It’s easy to spot and you will get caught.
The worse thing about faking the funk and making people think it’s real is the deception. People spend their hard earned money on these items sometimes not having any idea that they’re fake and that shit is just plain wrong. It’s basically robbery. Not only are they buying fake shit, but these people have absolutely no idea whether or not they’re safe to have. You know they have fake Takata harnesses out there floating around and a lot cheaper than the real deal. What if someone bought that shit and thought it was real? Who knows what that shit is made out of and whether or not it works? What if someone were using that and got into an accident and the cam lock suddenly fails and breaks? Someone could die from that shit or be seriously injured. They’re SAFETY harnesses. The fake shit could kill you.
Tein is also one of the companies that has apparently been caught in the cross hairs of counterfeiting. There are fake Tein S-Tech springs floating around and people are trying to make a quick buck off these, all the while sacrificing the safety of the customer and others on the road. Who knows what these fake S-Techs are made of…they could potentially fail as well and cause irreparable damage.
I was honestly a little shocked when I heard about the Tein counterfeits. Afterall, we grew up in a time when many quality parts were hard to source. We just worried about how to get enough money to buy them and whether or not they were available. Nowadays shit is so easy to get a hold of that people are making copies of everything and there is so much of it floating around that no one has any idea whether or not it’s legit. It’s a sad sight to see that the industry has come to this…
When I got word of this news today, man…I couldn’t believe it. I probably shouldn’t be shocked since fake shit is everywhere now but to see ASR subframe braces getting knocked-off…..WOW. Really? Someone actually has the nerve to make copies of these things?
This is what was posted on the JHPUSA Blog recently…
Buyer Warning! Fake ASR Subframe Braces on the Loose!
It’s a real shame that knock off companies are on the rise lately. The latest company to fall victim of the copycat plague is ASR. There is a company/person within the San Gabriel Valley that is producing fake black and silver (and soon to be purple) EG/DC2 ASR subframe braces within the last 5 months. This person was selling them via Craigslist Los Angeles and to a number of local import performance shops. This ballsy individual has copied the first version ASR EG/DC2 subframe brace (which is no longer in production) in hopes of deceiving unknowing individuals and making a quick buck.Because we are a dealer for ASR on top of being good friends with the owner, we took some time to share with you how to tell Fake vs. Legit. Below you will find comparison photos that show distinct differences between real and fake.
We hope this will educate the masses and prevent this copycat in making any more money than he/she has already made. To ensure you are purchasing 100% authentic American made ASR products buy legit ASR product, please only purchase ASR products from an ASR authorized dealer such as JHPUSA.
#1 Dead giveaway – PACKAGING:
Fake ASR brace comes packaged in a generic white box. FAIL.
Legit version is packaged in a genuine ASR brown box with printed “ASR A-SPEC RACING” logo. WIN.
#2 Dead giveaway – GLOSSY FINISH:
Fake version has a glossy uneven brushed finish and is made from unknown material and strength. Safety is a big concern if material used is unknown as it may fail under certain stressful conditions. The finish looks pretty bad in real life too; looks as if the manufacturer made finishing touches by hand and not by machine. FAIL.Legit version has a clean and flawless flat brushed finish and is made from 6061 T6 aluminum from Keiser or Alcoa. WIN.
#3 Dead giveaway – MOUNTING HARDWARE:
Fake version has low 8.8 grade nuts & bolts. Using 8.8 grade bolts on load bearing suspension components can potentially be very dangerous . FAIL.
Legit version has a high 10.9 grade nuts & bolts, which are excellent for load bearing suspension components. WIN.
#4 Dead giveaway – EDGES:
Fake version has straight cut edging. FAIL.
Legit version has rounded edging. WIN.
#5 Dead giveaway – MOUNTING BRACKETS & BACK PLATE:
Fake version has anodized black brackets that are pinned to the brace. The back plates are also anodized black and are unevenly cut that will cause improper fitment and installation. FAIL.
Legit version has non-colored brackets that bolt onto brace. The backing plate is cut evenly and will ensure proper fitment upon installation. WIN.
Again, to ensure you are purchasing legitimate ASR products only buy from an ASR authorized dealer such as JHPUSA!
Grade 8.8 bolts on a suspension piece that’s under load? No thanks…Imagine if that shit gave out and you lost control of your car and wrecked it…you could kill yourself and anyone else on the road. That shit could just come apart while you were driving. Let’s all remember that your suspension is under heavy load. Who knows what these things are made out of. What if they’re using cheap ass aluminum on something that is supposed to be constructed out of 6061 T6 aluminum? Please, don’t try to save a few bucks on this bullshit and put everyone at risk on the road.
I actually went and looked around on Craigslist to see if I can find any of these but I guess the JHP post spooked whoever was selling these fakes. I did however, spot a couple of them on Ebay. Remember guys, buy from credible sources aka Authorized ASR dealers.
Here’s a link to a fake ASR piece…
$50 brand new? Uhh….
99 cents for this one…$18 shipping. Someone should buy this thing just cuz so we can show everybody how fake that shit is…
Don’t get caught up in the hype. Save up and buy real shit. And make sure you buy from legitimate sources. You’re putting yourself as well as everyone else in danger when you drive with unsafe, counterfeit parts….
That is just sad.
damn what the hell….these don’t even cost much to begin with
I got a real ASR the coating is a dead give away but some guys are so desperate they’ll ignore all the signs that it’s fake and buy it anyway. That shit is dangerous though!
Whoever owns the ASR name needs to complain to EBAY and they will pull the auctions.
brian g
WOW!.. what a low blow to ASR.
What I really don’t get, is why do these companies or individuals go to such efforts to fake something?
The amount of time and effort spent researching, measuring, copying and eventually*, manufacturing these copy parts, could be much better spent developing their own designs, rather than jumping on the back and possibly destroying somebody else’s hard earned name and reputation.
(*I’m omitting prototyping or testing, as the above seems to prove that neither were done)
Obviously for something such as a subframe base, different company’s designs wouldn’t be all that different from each other.
I can’t see how it would’ve been that much more difficult to design something for themselves, as opposed to knocking off somebody else’s work.
How much would it cost them to hire somebody to come up with a design?
Not a lot. Hell, i’m a student designer, i’d do it for free just to prove a point.
How much would it cost them to do some analysis on the parts they produce?
Not a lot; sure it takes time to get the C.A.D model correct, but F.E.A (finite element analysis) software isn’t expensive, it even comes as part of solidworks these days!
(Shit, if its even that expensive, they could pirate it…they seem to have no problem stealing from one industry, they’re not gonna start getting picky now)
How much would it cost them to do some quality control?
Not a lot. Get the simple stuff right and the rest will follow.
By simple stuff I mean making sure that brackets don’t mount on an edge and even getting the brushed finish correct, which can be easily achieved by using two bits of wood and a sanding block.
These costs do add up, but they can be reimbursed through setting a price that actually reflects the product that is being sold.
They might even build a good reputation for themselves, make a deserved amount of money and not have to fly so close to the sun regarding legality.
Would it not be nicer for them to try build an honest company than to scrape by, relying on the ignorance of your customers?
I’m not just talking about small fish like the guy/company producing the fake ASR braces, company’s like Rota have a worldwide infrastructure, manufacturing capability and probably have quite a high turn over each year.
Would it not be possible for them at one point, to take some of this money and put into designing their own product,
rather than ripping off somebody else’s work?
My apologies for the rant and I by no means intend any offense towards people who buy Rotas or other copied parts, the blame rests at the feet of the companies, not the individuals who in most other cases, are the ones keeping this industry alive.
Paul
i was not surprised that counterfeiting was being done with products from overseas (i.e. j’s racing, tein, etc) but to have an american made product replicated is just insane. it’s getting ridiculous now…
We shouldn´t never play with our safety… In fact the best thing is buy parts from authorized dealers.
there are also fake beak tie bars on c-list/ebay, probably the same guy.
Charlston Ong is the creator, designer, etc of the ASR subframe brace and a very good friend of mine. I am sure he is aware this is happening. But I’ll shoot him this article.
Good shit Joey.
Wow, unfuckinbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My beaks bar was like less than $130 from Marcus at heeltoe.. I can’t believe people would actually take the time to knock this shit off. Like he said above, It doesn’t even cost that much anyways.
Man, I have one of these on my car, and I’m glad I know I have the real stuff. I don’t want my own personal safety be attributed to fake parts. I’ll only buy from the ones I trust, and even then I’ll still make sure to do some research. Thanks for the post!
as someone who races i can tell you when it comes to vital parts of the car you need to buy from authorized dealers. be carefull buying things used also.
check out this skunk2 manifold clone.. http://cms.skunk2.com/id/467/Pro-Series-Intake-Manifold-Clone-Alert/
just got an email that theres skunk2 intake mani’s being cloned now too.
http://cms.skunk2.com/id/467/Pro-Series-Intake-Manifold-Clone-Alert/
Giant fail for the fake things stupid
i bout one of the fake ones off of eBay and it works great… why pay more for something that does the same thing… i got the one with out the asr logo cause i don’t want to fake the funk. i have a civic hatch i track and im using this to brace my jdm 23mm sway bar so far 2 trips to the streets of willow and 4 autocross sessions and im doing great! i know coping stuff is not cool with everyone but why pay more for the asr one? i actually sold my original for $200 and bought 2 fake ones… one for the hatch and one for my integra. all the fails on this page are not even proven the quality of the fake is just as good as the original. that my 2 cents hate if you want but maybe the asr brace is an over priced piece of aluminum… i rather spend that money on my engine or something more functional like a hondata ecu or a tein flex system… the seller on ebay sells them cheap
look it up on ebay