Tag Archives: Counterfeit

Counterfeit TEIN Springs (Round 2)

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Well, maybe it’s more like Round 5 in the continuing saga of Counterfeit TEIN springs being put to market.

Several years back we made a notice for our dealers and customers that our lowering springs are being knocked off overseas. Well, it seems that someone new is out to do the same thing. Honestly, these counterfeiters getting better and better at making their springs look like ours, and getting labeling and packaging to look like pretty decent copies (but still not a perfect match).

Here are a few ways to identify the latest batch of counterfeits on market compared to authentic TEIN springs/packaging.

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Why the concern?

One of the more obvious reasons is safety. We put a lot of time and effort into our research and development. Materials used are just as important, and we take the extra steps to produce our SAE9254V and SWOSC-kv spring materials to provide years of service, problem-free. If someone decides to knock off our springs using a lesser grade material, your safety is at risk. The potential for a cheap coil spring to break is very high, especially if the material is not of sufficient quality or is not produced to reduce the fatigue characteristics of a spring.

Take a look at a counterfeit spring being put up against a TEIN spring in testing:

Also, while a spring may not look like much to have to engineer, you’d be wrong. Each and every well-known spring manufacturer has their own unique designs and each of them are protected by the manufacturer. If you compare our springs to a company such as Eibach or H&R, you will see that for a given application, the springs are not the same. It’s not that difficult to copy a spring design, which makes it easier for us to identify whether or not it is being modeled after one of our own springs (even if they use a completely different paint, color, and labeling).

Maybe I wouldn’t be so bothered if you were getting some fake Louis Vuitton or a fake Rolex, unless they were made using harmful chemicals/materials (honestly, anything fake still bothers me). But, the thought of a spring that was never really developed and tested out on the road? That’s a huge concern for us. Anything that bears our name, authentic or not, can tarnish our brand and reputation. We stand by our genuine products. If our springs were to fail, even outside of our 1 year spring sag & manufacturer’s defect warranty, it will still be corrected by us. That’s how important this matter is to us.

So, while there may be a great savings in terms of product cost, counterfeit springs may cost you more in the long run, up to and including your life. Don’t take the risk of a potential car accident that these untested products may cause.

If you are aware of counterfeit TEIN springs, please notify us immediately so we can get them off the market. Know what you’re purchasing and be sure to purchase from an authorized TEIN dealer.

TEIN USA

tel: 562-861-9161

email: tus_sales@tein.com

TEIN UnAuthorized Dealer Purchase Advisory

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Why is it important to consider purchasing through a TEIN Authorized Dealer? This type of question is commonly asked by consumers looking to purchase product from non-authorized TEIN dealers. The reason we strongly suggest this is to avoid any issues with both product authenticity as well as any potential warranty claim.

Product which is claimed to be warrantied will have to be sent back through the seller in which the purchase had been made through. The reason for this is that the products selling origin must be traced back to the initial sale to the TEIN Authorized Dealer, helping us to confirm this purchase and purchase date. This is not always as easy to do, as many Online Retailers tend to push off the customer to the manufacturer for claims processing.

This demonstrates the overall service these types of sellers are willing take on when they  “assist their customers”. It’s sad to see that many sellers claim to have “Customer Service” only to make a quick sale, or bring up their seller points.

EBAY POSTS

As we had mentioned both via blog posts and on our website, counterfeit TEIN products are still out there, whether they’re lowering springs or coilovers mimicking our product lines. At times the counterfeit can be distinguished by an image the seller uses, but certain counterfeits which look extremely similar usually need to be sent in for inspection.

Amazon Post

Purchasing through a TEIN Authorized Dealer assures you that the product is going to be a genuine TEIN item. Our authorized dealer will also be able to assist you with product installation and or technical support, and prompt assistance with claims as the records will be quick to access.

Counterfeit DEFI Gauges

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It has been brought to our attention that there are multiple counterfeit Defi gauges circulating the market.  Please be extra careful if you come across an unbelievable price for a new set of Defi gauges.

Counterfeit items are not manufactured to FCC standards. They can burn out your electrical system along with other potential problems.

We cannot stress enough to only purchase from TEIN authorized dealers. Visit the link below to locate the nearest dealer to you.

AUTHORIZED TEIN DEALER LIST

There may seem to be subtle differences between a counterfeit and authentic Defi gauge, components, and its packaging. They’re subtle enough to go unnoticed. Again, they may look original. But, under a keen eye, you can notice the differences. Below are some pictures courtesy of Defi. Please take a close look the these pictures. Also below is a link to Defi’s website detailing more counterfeit vs original photos.

DEFI AUTHENTIC VS. COUNTERFEIT

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The Return Of Counterfeit TEIN

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Earlier this year I posted a blog about counterfeit TEIN products.  It looks like there may be more out there than what we thought. We recently  received another damper for a potential overhaul repair. After a closer look at the design we confirmed this damper was also a counterfeit. We contacted the damper’s owner and informed him that his coilover kit was a just a copy of ours.  The customer was shocked and disappointed to hear he purchased a counterfeit coilover system.

Looks pretty standard compared to a TEIN damper from the side.

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This view from the top shows the piston shaft looking down towards the ring nut. We don’t put a seal such as you see hear that states “Warranty VOID if seal broken”

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Although the black coating may look similar to our ZT coating, it is in fact just a black paint.

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Again, we highly recommend our customers to only purchase from TEIN authorized dealers. Avoid purchasing on eBay, as you may very well be the next victim to purchase a counterfeit coilover system. Please visit the link provided below to locate the nearest TEIN authorized dealer to you.

http://www.tein.com/dealer_list/index.html

 

Look Out For Counterfeit TEIN!!

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We recently received a single damper for a potential overhaul repair that stood out like a sore thumb. After a thorough inspection it was determined we received a counterfeit TEIN product. Now, this isn’t the first time to have happened. A few years back we had a similar  situation.

We were saddened to hear the customer was convinced he purchased an authentic TEIN product through eBay.  Goes to show that’s how greedy some people can be- to manufacture a counterfeit item with low grade material and put peoples’ lives at risk. Please take a close look at the images below.

 

 

Word of advice!! Only purchase TEIN product from an authorized TEIN dealer. Please visit the link provided below to help with locating the nearest dealer to you.

http://www.tein.com/dealer_list/index.html

Counterfeit.. Defi & Coilovers!?

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We have recently become aware of counterfeit items going around. In past years we have known of counterfeit lowering springs being distributed, but have not seen much lately. We received a few emails to our general tech and customer service email address from customers questioning if they should purchase a specific product.

The following two pictures were from a customer who searched “Defi” on Ebay and found these gauges as the cheapest listings (under $25 each).

This is not a product of Defi. The seller did not list all the features and did not provide any other detailed pictures.

The next two pictures were from a customer checking out a RX7 forum and were confused if these were real.

The seller was claiming that these were our TEIN Super Drift Coilovers made for the FC RX7 going for $800.00 brand new.

If you have any questions or concerns about purchasing a product that may or may not be an Authentic TEIN product, feel free to email us at tus_sales@tein.com so we can verify. The safest route of purchasing TEIN products is through any of our authorized dealers from our Dealer List.