Power transmission specialist ContiTech, says potential buyers need to be aware that when purchasing sensitive components online, everything is not always what it seems and sometimes the consequences of a purchase can be disastrous.
The company says that when buying from unknown sources online, the quality, age and condition of the supposed bargain product, can differ significantly from the quality, which customers receive from official ContiTech partners. ContiTech General Manager Marketing Service, Markus Pirsch says, "The dealers with whom we work guarantee that products are of OE quality. A particularly cheap price, online on the other hand, can prove expensive, if the belt fails because it has become porous as a result of incorrect storage or creasing, that can cause huge damage to the vehicle.”
In recent months, an increasing number of parts have surfaced which have turned out to be low quality counterfeits. Mark says, "One customer, for example, ordered a timing belt kit plus water pump. The supplier left him believing it was a ContiTech product, but on opening the box it quickly became clear that something wasn’t right. Wrong packaging, incorrect labelling and parts with significant quality shortcomings revealed the kit to be a fake.”
The advice from ContiTech is to buy with confidence from official distribution partners, who have the expertise and knowledge to store and supply correctly.