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Participants trying to identify the fake from the genuine parts...
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As a responsible company up to its social responsibilities, Toyota Ghana has launched a programme to educate its customers and the general public on the dangers associated with the use of fake spare parts.
The Anti-counterfeit Education Campaign, dubbed “One Little Mistake, Big Trouble” was necessitated by the increasing influx of counterfeit parts unto the Ghana market, the sophistication and advancement of these products, customers’ ignorance of their existence and most importantly, the negative impacts these counterfeit Toyota parts have on customers’ vehicle performance and life span.
Toyota Ghana thus organise such educational campaigns to enlighten customers about the existence of these counterfeit Toyota parts on the market, the dangers they pose and the benefits of relying on Toyota genuine parts.
The campaign involves the production of publications, stickers, radio jingles, website banners, billboards, organisation of Garage customer incentive programmes, etc.
At the launch of this year’s campaign, the National Parts Manager of Toyota Ghana, Mr. Wilfred Atuobi, intimated that the fake parts producers have become so sophisticated in their trade that it is increasingly becoming extremely difficult to differentiate the genuine parts from the counterfeit ones. He further cautioned that non Genuine Spare Parts might be acceptable in appearance but the quality of hidden internal components may be totally ineffective.
Some of the most commonly imitated parts, Mr. Atuobi said include Oil, Fuel and Air filters, Brake Pads, Drive Belts, Spark Plugs, Shock Absorbers, Mufflers, Clutch systems, Brake Fluids, Long Life Coolants, Body Parts, etc. He took them through some of the differences between genuine and fake parts and listed some of the dangers of using counterfeit parts as follows: short life span of engine (due to wear), frequent visits to the Workshop, uncomfortable driving conditions, safety and security of passenger and vehicle not guaranteed, high maintenance cost, to mention a few.
Launching the campaign, the MD of Toyota Ghana, Mr. Takahiko Takabayashi, said the event is in its third year and urged the public to purchase their parts from authorized distributors only to guarantee their genuineness, save some money and have peace of mind motoring.
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