Industry demonstrates aftermarket parts risk

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz Australia and General Motors Holden (GMH), has today urged Australian motorist to think carefully about the fitment of aftermarket alloy wheels, saying the safety of the driver, passengers and pedestrians is at risk.

The plea comes after 'imitation' alloy wheels purchased online disintegrated on impact with a pot-hole at GMH's Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria. Back-to-back testing with the genuine product showed an immediate and dramatic failure of the fake wheel. In contrast, the factory alloy showed no visible damage.

A Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 fitted individually with two aftermarket and two genuine wheels on the driver's side was driven across Lang Lang's famous 'pothole number three' at 50km/h.

The wheel impact at straight-ahead showed extreme tyre deformation moments before each of the wheels impacted with the pot-hole's edge, the factory wheel transmitting force to the suspension while the aftermarket rim immediately fractured, sending a shard of metal approximately 100mm long metres into the roadside verge.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the demonstration proves motorists' safety – and that of the general public – is at very real risk from the fitment of aftermarket wheels.

"The genuine wheels performed safely under the same test and didn't receive any visible damage, while the fake wheels disintegrated at 50km/h," he stated.

"This occurred in separate tests, one in which the point of impact was close to the spoke and one where the point of impact was midway between the spokes. Under the same tests, the genuine wheels sustained no visible damage.

"To make matters worse, when the fake wheels broke apart, sharp metal shards were flung off and landed many metres away, potentially putting passers-by at risk," he surmised.

Mercedes-Benz joined forces with GMH in representing more than a dozen manufacturers in proving the recommendation. In attendance for the controlled test was Mercedes-Benz senior engineer for engineering, certification and testing, Timothy Clarke, who said the relative low-speed of the wheels' disintegration was very concerning.

"Travelling at 50km/h is a real-world speed, and you can easily see people encountering this situation," he remarked.

"A piece of [wheel] rim breaking away is not only dangerous for the people in the car, but also for those on the side of the road considering how far the [fractured] piece flew. Based on those sort of results, I wouldn't want to put those rims on my car."

Manufacturer representatives gathered for today's press conference were unanimous in condemning the fitment of wheels not compliant with Australian Standards.

Several spokespeople commented not only on the potential for a more significant accident at highway speeds, but also on the responsibility of dealerships that on-sell vehicles fitted with non-genuine parts.

"It's concerning that we could face a situation where a vehicle is traded-in and on-sold with aftermarket wheels such as these," said one manufacturer representative who did not wish to be named.

"We instruct our dealers to check the markings inside the wheel, but also to cross-reference the wheel fitted with our database information to ensure the vehicle was sold with the size and style of wheel fitted at trade-in. If the wheel doesn't match, we'd urge that it's replaced with the genuine article."

Obviously cost is a relevant issue in this argument, and although most in attendance were spruiking the "what price would you put on safety?" message, it's apparent the replacement of wheels in this situation could indeed prove expensive.

Mercedes-Benz senior manager of public relations, product and corporate communications and FCAI delegate and committee chair, David McCarthy, said the shocking proof of getting what you pay for is of very real concern.

"Depending on where you buy them, you could get a set of fake wheels for around $1000 and that's probably somewhere between 25 and 30 per cent of the cost of the genuine [set of wheels]," McCarthy said.

"The comment I would make to those people [purchasing and fitting non-genuine alloy wheels] is 'what price can you put on your safety and the safety of others around you?'. There is a danger out there that if you're not using genuine parts then ask yourself 'what is it that you are using? And what does that mean in terms of safety?'"

Mr Weber concluded by urging motorists to consider the affect wheels have on safety before fitting wheels other than those recommended and sold by the manufacturer.

"Wheels are such a popular part for consumers to replace, whether it's to make their car look sportier or to personalise it. But what people need to remember is that while different wheels change the look [of the car], they could also change the car's safety performance," he stated.

"We are urging Australians – please don't risk it. It might be tempting to buy a set of cheap imitation wheels, but don't be conned – it's not worth it," he implored.

"The only way you can be totally sure you're getting genuine parts is to buy through the vehicle maker's authorised supply chain."

The FCAI 'expose' comes just days after the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) described the industry's 'genuine is best' campaign as a sales slogan and called for urgent talks with the federal government to reign in what it says is vehicle manufacturer's "arrogant approach with software and the data it produces".

The AAAA's call comes following the much-publicised 'dieselgate' scandal in which Volkswagen admitted to cheating the diesel emissions tests of more than 11 million vehicles globally.

AAAA executive director Stuart Charity said there was concern within the association that vehicle manufacturers are only issuing information they wish the general public to know, and only when it suits them to do so.

"Technology now allows car companies to communicate with their vehicles on the road or while sitting in your garage," Charity explained. "This ability of car companies to totally control all 'black box' elements of today's sophisticated computer-managed vehicles is evidenced by this latest scandal.

"This cheat on consumers and the environment makes a mockery of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' new 'genuine is best' catchphrase designed to attack aftermarket service, repair and parts suppliers," he continued.

"If car-makers cheat when they build the car, will they do the same through their dealers' service and repair operations? This 'genuine is best' spin promoted by vehicle manufacturers is now seen for what it is: a sales slogan."

Charity said the Volkswagen scandal, as well as the growing number of vehicle recalls, should prompt government to intervene, and called for stronger penalties for non-compliance.

"The current VW computer software cheat was only discovered by chance," Charity added. "Recalls by car-makers are now commonplace and have forced governments to introduce stiffer regulations and penalties. In 2013, VW recalled 2.6 million vehicles due to problems that could occur in the gearbox.

"This 2015 global VW recall will inconvenience more than four times as many trusting car owners, who thought they were driving a more environmentally friendly vehicle. The Australian government must accept the reality of the global market place... vehicle data is a critical consumer and environmental issue.

"The AAAA wants the government to put in place robust regulations to ensure that all matters relating to vehicle data are open and honest," he concluded.