‘I wouldn’t trust brakes from any third party vendor’: Mechanic warns against buying parts from Amazon after customer supplied own brake pads
Auto mechanic shops don't necessarily have the greatest reputation among consumers. Many drivers say they were either sold a bunch of services that weren't necessary or were price gouged.
However, a few auto techs have shared common con jobs to watch out for. These include sage words of advice when purchasing "critical" car parts.
The Daily Dot previously covered a mechanic's horror story where someone messed up their transmission by installing a knock-off part.
Should you buy car parts on Amazon?
In a recent post, Redditor @Aromatic_Return_2699 shared a photograph to the r/Justrolledintotheshop sub, an online community centering around all things automotive service. The picture depicts a brake pad that looks like it's been carved out of wood. It's been painted in a way, presumably, to replicate the EBC (English Brake Company) "greenstuff" performance brake pads. These are designed for "lighter sports sedans and hot hatches."
The pads the customer brought to be installed didn't seem like they were supposed to be inside any car, the poster said.
They wrote in the title, "Customer requested we install his own supplied parts he got from Amazon." A search for "green and pink brake pads ebc" on the popular online retailer yields several results with some options as low as $76 for four pads.
The Redditor wrote that the customer demanded the brake pads be installed on their vehicle despite looking "cheap" and knock-off-ish. Upon installation, he said the brake pads made a lot of noises that didn't go away after the "break-in" period.
"Customer didn’t want to upgrade to better quality parts because he thought it was unfair we were going to charge labor again," they wrote. "Maybe don’t buy sh--, maybe buy quality and pay for the job once."
The worry over counterfeit EBC brakes is one that many gear heads have shared online. One Stack Exchange poster shared images of EBC brake pads in a forum, which resulted in correspondence from an EBC brake company representative. They shared their input of the picture telling them that the pads certainly seemed like the genuine article.
Posts like these are a best-case scenario for the investigation of possible knock-off items. They also offer a clear path for wary consumers to follow if they're worried the part they may buy is a knockoff. This is especially important regarding a vehicle part that could mean the difference between life and death.
Commenters warn against knockoffs
Redditors were shocked that anyone would take a look at these brakes and think it was OK to use on their car.
One user penned, "The things I don't f-- around with by buying cheap parts include steering, braking, suspension, and tires."
Some folks commented on the brakes being a poor imitation of the EBC: "They look fake though (not legit EBC Greenstuff), I do t remember the paint job being this sh*tty."
Another concurred, writing, "Definitely fake, the break in material on EBC is much rougher looking and has lettering stamped on it. I installed a set of yellowstuff on my car last week."
One person said due to the popularity of online retailers like Amazon, curbing counterfeiters is a tall order.
"If it's on Amazon and someone is willing to spend decent money on it, it's getting more difficult every day not to buy something counterfeit," they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to EBC and Amazon via email and @Aromatic_Return_2699 via Reddit direct message.
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