Counterfeiting is often regarded as a victimless “soft” crime, however recent estimates suggest the annual cost of counterfeiting to the automotive industry has now reached £28 billion.
In order to protect our customers and our brand, BMW Brand Protection teams work closely with customs, law enforcement, detective agencies and law firms to tackle the growing issue of counterfeit items such as spare parts, accessories and lifestyle merchandise. A shocking 58 per cent of all counterfeit car parts are purchased online which at first appear to be a bargain, yet often prove to be an inferior quality imitation, presenting potentially serious risk and consequence.
Genuine BMW parts are thoroughly tested in the toughest of conditions, a wheel one of the most stressed components on a car, bearing the weight of the car and impact from the road. Over a 15-minute journey, with an average speed of 30mph a wheel could revolve 6,300 times which means they are working hard, even during the most relaxing journeys. The quality of counterfeit wheels varies significantly from wheel to wheel. Whilst a counterfeit wheel can look identical to a BMW design, it often performs differently and will not be tested to the same stringent procedure BMW follows, if it is tested at all.
