Cheap A/C imports – are they worth the risk?

Hands up anyone who has ever wondered what differences there are between A/C products from leading automotive component suppliers and imported, unbranded products? These imports are generally anonymous or not very well known, available at market prices which are sometimes 40 – 50 per cent lower and can often – on the surface at least – appear to be very similar to the original parts from top manufacturers. But what risks are factors and mechanics taking if they choose to use cheaper, imported parts? DENSO’s technical expert Alan Povey, shares his thoughts.

“Over the last few years, the volume of imports from emerging countries – particularly China – has risen sharply. From an aesthetic point of view, these components look similar to genuine DENSO branded products. However, what might seem like a competitively priced, average quality component at first glance, very often hides a different situation beneath the surface. This problem is most acute in the Air Conditioning Compressor market.
“The most obvious difference, and the one that should set alarm bells ringing, is the cost. We know that the bulk of the cost of thermal products comes from the top-quality materials used, as well as from the costs incurred in research and development, new technologies, continual innovation and spearhead production plants. Knowing this, it seems obvious that corners must have been cut when creating unbranded products
“We’re not talking about a cotton T-shirt or handbag here. These are components to which we often entrust our comfort and indeed our safety when we’re in the car. And we are all aware of the potential risks of an engine component failing while we are driving on the motorway – so why take the risk?

“The overriding message from DENSO is; don’t confuse cheap and low-quality products with value for money. Buying and fitting them could be a false economy. The low-quality compressors simply do not operate to the same high standards of performance, quality and durability of OE original and OE equivalent parts and could soon fail. The money saved by the end user could also be cancelled out by higher fuel consumption, emissions, noise, discomfort and safety issues. For the distributor and mechanic, just think of the cost of buying replacement parts should the low-quality Compressor fail – not to mention the damage to a businesses’ reputation from dis-satisfied customers.”