WARNING: many fraudulent Hub/Bearing sellers!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by MrPete, Feb 18, 2023.

  1. MrPete

    MrPete Active Member

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    I bought an "OEM Koyo" front Hub/Bearing on eBay.
    Had a gut sense to check carefully... and noticed a few things:
    • Packaging appears to be official Koyo
    • insulation inside seemed a bit haphazard
    • The actual hub is different in two ways
      • It has NO markings. The original has "Koyo" and a part number etched in the steel
      • It has a plastic ring between the bearing and the hub. The original doesn't
    Asked the seller about this. They made a few claims in return:
    • We buy direct from Koyo. This absolutely is the OEM part, the latest version
    • Any difference is because this one is newer. It will be the same if you purchase from a Toyota dealer.
    I called Koyo North America (JTEKT). They had a different take:
    • We never sell to third parties. We only sell to manufacturers
    • All Koyo hub/bearings DO have "Koyo" and the part number etched
    • You were likely sold a Chinese counterfeit
    • We recently changed our outer packaging. Most likely someone has sold a lot of the old boxes to counterfeiters.
    I have now examined a number of photos on eBay of "Koyo OEM" hubs/bearings. MANY show no markings. (A real one has the name and P/N inside the ABS/Speed magnetic ring on one end. Quite visible.
    Real: 2023-02-16 17.04.21.jpg
    Fake: 2023-02-16 17.03.26.jpg

    I've reported the seller I purchased from. Buyer beware!
     
    #1 MrPete, Feb 18, 2023
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  2. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Not even to legitimate auto parts outfits? That's a little strange.
     
    #2 CR94, Feb 18, 2023
  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Found your problem.
     
    #3 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Feb 19, 2023
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Well I've got non OEM hubs on two z Corolla engine vehicles parked right here on my property that I've driven for over $300,000 miles and I put the hub bearings on and the lower ball joints end links and all of that I haven't seen any problems The cars haven't been parked or not been used because of any wheel rolling or turning related issues so far I've used non top of the line grade replacement hub bearings on my earlier 85 to 93 Corollas and Toyota celicas. As far as I know with no problems some of the celica's had 3S GE beams engines in them and were quite powerful and could destroy front end parts that weren't up to snuff at times. Of course this was all a few years ago by the looks of some manufacturing processes today and what's being shipped over and brought over is quite a bit different I wouldn't be looking to have any plastic rings on my front hub bearings or in my front hub assemblies even then being made out of aluminum plastic doesn't seem like it would belong in there now some kind of fiber or aluminum composite maybe even carbon possibly but just flat out white plastic or that type of material I'm thinking not so much but what do I know.
     
    #4 Tombukt2, Feb 19, 2023
  5. MrPete

    MrPete Active Member

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    I have no problem with non-OEM parts. In fact, that's what I ordered as a replacement.
    What makes this bad is they are claimed to be Koyo OEM... but are not!

    According to Koyo, there's NO legitimate 3rd party source for them.

    Here's an interesting web site for what appears to be an industry-wide issue: WBA Stop fake bearings
     
    #5 MrPete, Feb 19, 2023
  6. MrPete

    MrPete Active Member

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    How about same issue on Amazon, and quite probably on partsgeek as well :)
     
    #6 MrPete, Feb 19, 2023
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  7. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    It's ramping it's all over the world and web there's a fake of everything It almost seems hysterical that people would go through this I mean everything you can imagine there's a fake of hello Kitty stuff things like that pokémon fakes their cartoons and anime for god's sake but they're fakes.
     
    #7 Tombukt2, Feb 19, 2023
  8. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I've seen enough fakes on Amazon that I no longer buy auto parts there either. Partsgeek is a new one on me, never used them. Thanks for the warning!

    For what it's worth I've never had a problem with the stuff from Rock Auto. Their shipping charges feel high but they're really just the old normal.
     
    #8 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Feb 19, 2023
  9. MrPete

    MrPete Active Member

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    Buying non-OEM parts is a new one for me in general. I have a high end ASE-cert mechanic friend who recommended both Rock Auto and Parts Geek...
    • I have now bought quite a few items from Rock Auto. I truly love doing business with them.
    • Parts Geek seemed quite similar. I would guess that they simply are not being careful with their sources. Many of their parts are identical to Rock Auto.
    But this is a great example and lesson learned:
    • Parts Geek sells a "Koyo" hub (almost bought it from them!) ... while Rock Auto does not.
    • At the time, I thought "oh, Parts Geek just has different sources. I'm glad I have the option of getting this from them."
    • Now I'm thinking "be careful about what parts you buy from whom. Not all is what it's claimed to be."
    I know that's true in the computer industry (my main expertise)...and now I'm learning the same lessons in auto parts. Frustrating to be sure, because it's hard to know what is real, and what is actually good/bad quality.
     
    #9 MrPete, Feb 19, 2023
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