Fake spark plugs in Kenya.
The sale of counterfeit spark plugs in Kenya is a menace, and it’s on the rise.
Personally, I have walked into random shops and asked for spark plugs. The spark plugs I was given from all these shops were fake plugs. But a normal person will not know. I know, because I’m a professional.
I’m going to outline some of the indicators of fake spark plugs that maybe you can check out for.
One of course, is the pricing. If for example, you’re getting iridium spark plugs for very cheap price, this is an indicator of a fake spark plug because iridium is an expensive metal and does not come cheap.
Another thing to look out for is poor printing on the spark plug, look out for the terminal, a glossy terminal, that’s an indicator of fake plug. Sometimes you see poor finishing on the housing (metal part). Look out for thread quality. Sometimes the material is easy to scratch on the fake one. Maybe the quality of the white porcelain.
These are just some of the indicators and you need to be a professional to notice. The problem is counterfeit companies are getting really smart and it becomes extremely difficult to distinguish between a fake and a genuine plug. Only real way to know if you have genuine plugs is to buy from a trusted dealer. So next time, skip your local Juakali mechanic and look for the professionals!
In Kenya, we are told that idiom plugs will last 10,000 kilometers. This is not the case; genuine iridium spark plugs last up to 100,000 kilometers. Here in Kenya because of the hot weather, they last approximately 50 -80,000 kilometers.
Looking for FK16PR11 plugs