BMW Group Middle East is warning consumers of the dangers of using counterfeit automotive spare parts flooding into the UAE and other Middle East markets.
The automotive parts industry in the GCC was reported to be worth $8.85bn in 2012, 30% of which were counterfeit. Meanwhile, a separate report has revealed that counterfeit products in the UAE account for 12.5% of the country's $3.8bn automobile spare parts market.

The Saudi Arabian Customs Department has also claimed that fake vehicle parts account for around half of all road accidents in the Kingdom while in the Sultanate of Oman, 45% of recent road fatalities can be attributed to vehicles running on unsafe or counterfeit spares parts3. These are just some of the alarming findings that have prompted BMW Group Middle East to launch a regional campaign to raise awareness of the existence and negative impact of using counterfeit spare parts.

Due to the perceived high expense, motorists are sometimes migrating to independent workshops or other service providers who offer copies of the original part at a lower cost. Often, these parts are unsafe for long-term use and pose a greater danger to health and safety. They also affect the vehicle's original condition, decrease its value and in some cases, increase the car's fuel consumption.

BMW original parts are put through the rigors of extreme crash and lab tests. They have a high reliability because of the high quality materials used in their build. The various individual components are designed and perfectly harmonized to work well with each other. The additional value is that many of the parts are maintenance free.

BMW Group Middle East is tackling the issue in the region head on via a public awareness campaign to highlight the differences between fake and genuine spare parts. The integrated media, advertising and PR campaign will focus on three areas: safety, value retention and sustainability, and will include a print campaign, online communication and displays in importer showrooms to showcase examples of original and fake spare parts for consumers to see the differences firsthand.

"The influx of counterfeit automobile parts in the region has been a growing problem because of the high customer demand. Customers often seek out a short term savings without knowledge of the adverse long-term implications it has on their vehicle, which ultimately ends up costing them more," said Rudolf Spann, After Sales Director, BMW Group Middle East. "Consumer awareness is therefore key and must be a sustained and united effort. We all have a role to play - the government, automotive companies and consumer protection bodies. The more people who understand the dangers behind using fake products and see the benefits of purchasing original parts, the less likely they are to suffer severe or even fatal road traffic injuries and lose value on their car. As part of our commitment to the improvement of road safety and exceptional service standards and products, we are launching this campaign to encourage everyone to purchase original parts, every time."

The benefits of BMW Original Parts fall into three categories - Safety, Value Retention and Sustainability: Original BMW parts are subject to the same high quality standards as BMW vehicles, so customers can depend on them when it matters. The precision and high-quality construction of each part also guarantees that all components in a BMW work together perfectly for optimum performance and maximum safety.

Each BMW part has been designed and manufactured to fit with the exact requirements of each vehicle for optimum longevity. Using original BMW parts therefore preserves the vehicle's original condition and keeps its value without compromising on quality. In addition, every original BMW part comes with a two-year warranty.

In terms of Sustainability, the use of BMW original parts aids in reducing fuel consumption as well as pollutant emissions. It also helps in the reduction of raw material usage because 60 per cent of the parts can be reused at the end of their lifetime.

According to the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association, counterfeiting of automotive parts is a 12 billion US dollar global industry. A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) highlighted the Middle East as a central market for global trade in fake automotive parts, which is growing at an estimated rate of 9-11 percent a year.

"The additional threat that this industry poses is on the economy as a whole. According to the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, counterfeiting of automobile parts has resulted in a loss of 750,000 jobs globally. With the automobile industry set to grow at a projected 10% a year, the issue of counterfeit parts need to be addressed by both automotive companies and consumers," added Rudolf Spann.

In the USA, the counterfeit parts market is approximately $3bn. The big draw for counterfeit parts is the difference in price which is estimated to be between 20 - 30%. In the region fast moving parts like brake pads, filters and spark plugs are usually most susceptible to counterfeiting, with the bulk of them being manufactured in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Korea.

BMW Group Middle East and its importers are committed to vehicle safety, value retention and safety of their customers. They continue to work with consumer protection groups to highlight the serious nature of using fake parts.