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| Saturday, June 17, 2000 |
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By H. Kishie Singh WHILE shopping for some nuts and bolts in the motor market, I met a man who was buying the front suspension and steering for his car. Obviously, his car had a serious front end collision . The suspension and steering had to be replaced. Both steering and suspension are critical components of your car. The suspension will hold you to the ground and the steering will take your car around corners or keep it going straight. One of the spares the man was buying was worth Rs 750 and was an original component. After bargaining the man bought a desi part, saving himself about Rs 300 and compromising his own safety and that of his passengers. The car would be road worthy but it would be an unsafe car. The material used would be substandard and the spurious parts would not meet the manufacturers specifications. Such parts are nearly junk, and he paid good money for them. |
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The car he was buying them for was an expensive new model and would be capable of a top speed of 140 km an hour. At that speed you need to keep the car exactly where you want it. Steering is crucial. A loose steering will have your car wandering all over the road. You don’t afford that at high speeds. It is important to have the car glued to the road. This is where the suspension has to be perfect. A recharged shock-absorber may not perform to the manufacturers’ demands. Aloose steering coupled with a faulty shock absorber would spell doom on the highway. To save a few hundred rupees someone had put his entire family in jeopardy. Spurious auto parts make for a whopping 37.5 per cent sales in the component market. A recent survey by ACMA — the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India — says that the centre looses Rs 300 crore on the revenue that this illegal and unscrupulous trade generates. The state governments loose another Rs 165 crore as revenue. This desi component market started to flourish when the Amby and Premier products were on the road. The name of the game was to keep the car barely road worthy for the least amount of money. Those cars were expected to break down, thanks to the spurious parts being used. By using original equipment you can preserve the performance and looks of your car. Think how important it is to have you car looking good with a performance to match. Perhaps the most diabolical aspect of counterfeit parts is the safety factor. Since it is an illegal trade there is no quality control. In any case the idea is to make a quick buck, too bad if there is a death somewhere along the way. Only you, the consumer, can ensure your own safety and that of your family and your car. Just as you wouldn’t feed your pet dog junk food, don't fit your car with spurious parts. Treat your car like your pet and fit it with proper parts i.e. original equipment. Happy Motoring! |
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