Tomei Parts Counterfeit Warning

[Bossman]

Direct copies of other people's designs is wrong, there is no way around it. Look at Autobahn's piping kits, the filters are direct copies of HKS and Trust. They don't even try to hide it!!
R&D costs for 20 year old cars are not gone, there are still new parts coming out for these cars.
And yes, I have zero counterfeit parts on my car. I would never put a copy part on my car.
It's just my opinion though, no one else has to agree with it!

It's illegal to infringe on someone's registered trademark or on an active patent, but if a patent has expired anyone can legally make, use, market or sell that invention. Autobahn's piping kits may look like HKS and Trust, but then Nismo's RB26DETT pipe kit looks a lot like HKS except for one less flex joint so who copied who? Like shadybeaverguy said, there are tons of "replica" body kits out there and I for one will have to admit that I have purchased a few reproduction parts because of price and/or availability or, would you believe, because of better material? Case point, Fujimura Auto Skyline hood lips, front lip and rear spoiler, don't they look like the Nismo counter parts except that they are made with fiberglass or CF? Yes, I know, the Chinese has copied them and they are on Ebay, but if I have a choice I would rather have a FRP spoiler and hood lip rather then some steel reinforced foam rubber that will expand and deform later because the steel backing starts to rust. Now how about their " Rear Rocket Flap", doesn't that look like a Tommy Kaira designed? It is a counterfeit even thought it doesn't have a Tommy Kaira badge? What about those FRP reproduction rear skirts/pod, mud flap extentions copies of OEM Nissan that are no longer available? I know a few members on the forum had asked about it and I also know who has a set on their BNR32.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's OK to copy someone's design with out the originator's permission nor that all copies are as good as the name brand original. I do recognize that there is a deception here but if there is no patent infringement or trademark violation then there is no "wrong" in making something that looks "a lot" like someone else's.

[M13]

So terrible.

The good thing is that the knock-off is so blatantly obvious.

Did anyone find this funny?

TOMEI on the left | | Fake copy on the right

You can see the screw at the bottom that seals the side pressure sensor hole is not properly sealed with the tape
The Tomei on the left has the white tape showing, where as the fake one on the right doesn’t.

LOL it's just teflon tape.

[Daryl @ RightDrive]

Daryl, I wouldn't say this is the latest threat. This problem has been on for about a year now. They are just finally publishing details. Why so late...no clue.

Quite unfortunate. Id hate to be the one running that knock off regulator to later find out it starved a motor of fuel.

Yea, I heard about it awhile ago, but same thing, not sure why they took so long to report it and take pictures. I'd be pretty pissed if I had bought one!

[RSi]

I think people are really making too much from this.

My "Feast Car" came with a replica bodykit..... And it came from Japan.

Maybe the Japanese tuners need to learn how to compete? Do the R&D in Japan and manufacture in China where its cheaper, allowing them to compete on price?

[Daryl @ RightDrive]

Replica or similar designs are a fact of life, thats no too much of an issue, although I personally don't like them.

But did you see the pictures in the first post? They are a deliberate rip-off specifically designed to deceive people. People think they are buying a Tomei product when it's a total fake. That is completely wrong.

[RSi]

Yeah I checked out the pictures.... They look quite different dont they?

[quadracer111]

It depends what your buying when it comes to "replica" stuff. I just dont get why these companies that sell copies dont sell them under their own new name, then there wouldnt be an issue, there is only so many ways to make a catch can, ect. so you couldnt rag on them for copying someone else, thats like saying charmin copied superstores toilet paper design, well how many damn ways can you make tp? But the fact that they try to sell it as someone else's product is wrong.

[love_boost]

Replica or similar designs are a fact of life, thats no too much of an issue, although I personally don't like them.

But did you see the pictures in the first post? They are a deliberate rip-off specifically designed to deceive people. People think they are buying a Tomei product when it's a total fake. That is completely wrong.

yeah the bad part is that they have tomei stickers on them, if it was known as a whatever brand tomei replica or something then atleast you know what your getting, but now when you get this cheap knockoff thats supposedly a tomei product then you get a little mad, i use tomei for 90% of everything possible in my car, i get it from z tune so im sure none of it is replicated.

[DreadedFist]

If I was tomei, selling a $6,000 crankshaft for the rb26, I would also sell an Eagle Speciality Products spec crank under a different company name. Sell it for say, $1,400. They've done the R&D for the expensive one, and can make the cheap one in some chitty chinese factory like Eagle does. Use poorer materials, cheaper labour, and bam, you can suddenly compete with China, while still making money.

The same goes for all the big Japanese comapnies. Start new companies under silly racing names similar to ss autochrome, or xspower, and then go after the ebay buyers with similarly priced parts. Provide the same poor craftsmenship, poorly fitting parts, and shitty customer service. Seeing as how people seem to keep buying all of this engine and even life critical parts on ebay, I don't see why the big JDM companies dont capitalize on that. They'd just have to keep it a big secret by hiding themselves through a series of fake companies and chinese factories.

Or maybe I am just a great big tard. Either way, they are going to continue to see profits decrease so long as people keep buying more reasonably priced parts elsewhere, even if those reasonably priced parts may be dangereous to their car or their person.

[RSi]

If I was tomei, selling a $6,000 crankshaft for the rb26, I would also sell an Eagle Speciality Products spec crank under a different company name. Sell it for say, $1,400. They've done the R&D for the expensive one, and can make the cheap one in some chitty chinese factory like Eagle does. Use poorer materials, cheaper labour, and bam, you can suddenly compete with China, while still making money.

The same goes for all the big Japanese comapnies. Start new companies under silly racing names similar to ss autochrome, or xspower, and then go after the ebay buyers with similarly priced parts. Provide the same poor craftsmenship, poorly fitting parts, and shitty customer service. Seeing as how people seem to keep buying all of this engine and even life critical parts on ebay, I don't see why the big JDM companies dont capitalize on that. They'd just have to keep it a big secret by hiding themselves through a series of fake companies and chinese factories.

Or maybe I am just a great big tard. Either way, they are going to continue to see profits decrease so long as people keep buying more reasonably priced parts elsewhere, even if those reasonably priced parts may be dangereous to their car or their person.

Agreed. Lets think about the 4 P's of sales and marketing. Price, Product, Place, Promotion.

Take the first 2 - Price and Product.

The Japanese tuners have the Product, but can no longer compete on Price.

The Chinese manufacturers can compete with price, but arguably some dont design their own product.

Therefore, to me a winning combination would be to take your japanese R&D which in many cases has been paid for LONG AGO (20 year old cars here) and manufacture in China to a lower price point, thus eliminating the pirates.

You can still sell your "JDM Tyte Baller" (or whatever kids are calling them these days) parts to the brand whore snobs out there, and generate a LOT of revenue selling parts to people who don't care as much.

I have seen this done with many companies in other industries.

Just my 2 cents and I think Im pretty much done with this thread now.

[M13]

Agreed. Lets think about the 4 P's of sales and marketing. Price, Product, Place, Promotion.

Take the first 2 - Price and Product.

The Japanese tuners have the Product, but can no longer compete on Price.

The Chinese manufacturers can compete with price, but arguably some dont design their own product.

Therefore, to me a winning combination would be to take your japanese R&D which in many cases has been paid for LONG AGO (20 year old cars here) and manufacture in China to a lower price point, thus eliminating the pirates.

You can still sell your "JDM Tyte Baller" (or whatever kids are calling them these days) parts to the brand whore snobs out there, and generate a LOT of revenue selling parts to people who don't care as much.

I have seen this done with many companies in other industries.

Just my 2 cents and I think Im pretty much done with this thread now.

Yeah it's called expanding the market.

[r3gill]

bottomline is you can't beat China. We can keep beating a dead horse forever but not many can afford to buy a $500 piece of tomei product where $100 part from China does the same thing. But for those who got the balls to spend then go for real JDM.

[NismoS-tune]

bottomline is you can't beat China. We can keep beating a dead horse forever but not many can afford to buy a $500 piece of tomei product where $100 part from China does the same thing. But for those who got the balls to spend then go for real JDM.

I like name dropping on items.

[RSi]

Id rather put money into one of my other cars....

[GTR-Dad]

bottomline is you can't beat China. We can keep beating a dead horse forever but not many can afford to buy a $500 piece of tomei product where $100 part from China does the same thing. But for those who got the balls to spend then go for real JDM.

I want to challenge the notion that a $100 Chinese knockoff does the same thing as a more expensive JDM part. Let's assume it's made to the same quality standards - a stretch, but Chinese quality IS improving - and look at the underlying issues that may not be immediately obvious to those who think of no one but themselves.

The injustice to technology developers has been well discussed here - although some still don't get it.

Another key issue to me is that human rights abuse and labour injustice in China are horribly common. I'd like everyone who seeks out cheap goods made off the backs the average Chinese factory worker to go work in one of those factories for, say, a year. And live in the places those workers live. And eat the food they eat. If you can still make your purchasing decisions based on price alone AND can look in the mirror without vomiting at what you see, then you should go back and work for $600/month - assuming you're skilled enough to get one of the really good jobs.

Things are changing in China. I think the recent wave of strikes at Chinese factories is the tip of the iceberg and we're going to see their labour costs increase, and the price advantage narrow.

Until then, just do the right thing.

Dan