Scania asks: Are fake parts worth it?

Replacement service and repair parts come in many packages. And while non-Genuine Scania parts might fit OK, will they last as long, will they perform reliably, and will they in fact be good value for money?

Scania Australia National Parts Logistics and Inventory Manager, Matt Pol, understands the arguments on both sides, having had a long career in the heavy vehicle aftermarket. He says that at the end of the day you get what you pay for.

“There’s no logical, coherent case for a truck operator to buy the cheapest non-genuine replacement part,” he says.

“Nobody buying the cheapest part expects it to last as long as a Genuine replacement part. They don’t expect it to perform as well or better than the Genuine part. They’re just looking for a short-term low-cost solution to a problem.

“But the reality is, you must connect the dots and work out how much money a cheap part can cost you when it fails, and leaves you stranded or with a potentially unroadworthy vehicle. What is the cost of a defect notice because a cheap bulb has failed or a brake part has worn prematurely? What is the cost of a late delivery or a day off the road because a cheap chassis part fails in service?” he asks.

“You really do have to factor these costs into any decision to go for the cheapest available part,” he says. “The economics of replacement parts is fairly straightforward. The cheap ones are designed to look like they can do the job, but they can’t possibly compete with a Genuine part in terms of material quality, precision machining, assembly, quality control or durability. It is just not possible,” Matt says.

“This is why we are now running a Genuine Parts campaign, to raise awareness in a friendly and humorous way to draw attention to the fact that while you could create your own Mona Lisa via paint-by-numbers, it wouldn’t be as good as the original. And the same goes for a pulley stamped with SPAMIA or a filter branded SKANIA. When we say: ‘Genuine is Best’, it’s because it is,” he says.

“Why would you risk your business reputation with your customers for the sake of a small cash saving on a reproduction part when you can have the Genuine article? In many cases, also, the Genuine Scania replacement part is competitively priced against non-genuine replacements and can be fitted at a Scania workshop by our company-trained technicians, which means owner drivers can spend their weekends relaxing rather than fixing.

“It doesn’t cost as much as you think to keep your Scania 100% Scania, but it might cost you a whole lot more when a cheap replacement part lets you down. And who wants the phone call from a driver in the middle of the night saying he has broken down miles from help?” he says.

“It’s just not worth the risk,” Matt says.