Page 45 - Australasian paint & Panel Sep-Oct 2021

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IS A FORD BOXED PART CONSIDERED GENUINE?
More than one in two (62 per cent) of the parts purchased in a Test Buy Pro- gram were found to be counterfeit.
The investigations tested purchase batches from six separate import sup- pliers, selling car parts to the collision repair or mechanic trade, or directly to the public.
Intermingled with parallel and after- market parts, the counterfeits required examination by brand protection ex- perts to determine they were fraudulent. The 28 individual counterfeit parts iden- tified included oil filters, air filters, spark plugs, vehicle grilles and keys.
Each importer of the parts has been alerted by brand owners to the presence of counterfeit parts in their batches and advised to alert customers and cease im- port immediately.
It is yet to be determined if the import- ers are knowingly complicit. Ongoing le- gal proceedings preclude the disclosure of the suppliers’ identities.
Online listings of fakes continue to flourish. FCAI Genuine is Best member Toyota Australia reports seeking the take down of as many as 1,200 listings per month to protect drivers from counterfeits.
The convenience features include a Sur- round View Monitor, Remote Engine Start, Remote Smart Parking Assist, and a Smart Power Tailgate.
An extensive standard SmartSenseTM safety suite in NEXO includes Forward Col- lision Avoidance Assist, Driver Attention Warning and a radar-based Blind-Spot Col- lision Avoidance Assist (BCA-R) system.
There are also Lane Keeping Assist , Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA) and Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop & Go.
JUST BECAUSE A PART COMES OUT OF A
Ford factory, if it is not for Australian specification, it may not be suitable. For example, if non-genuine components (or that designed for another region) such as bumper bars were fitted to an Australian vehicle, a response during a collision which was only hundredths of a second different, may result in airbag deploy- ment not occurring as designed, putting safety of occupants at risk. A great vis- ual of the results of mis-timed airbag deployment can be seen in the Honda Watermelon test: (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=QS6ywFGcLSk).
It can also affect the way the bumper fascia system responds to pedestrian protection since it is a highly tuned sys- tem that relies on correct materials and thicknesses being used to provide maxi- mum benefit in this type of impact.
Parallel importers source their parts from wherever they can globally, so there is no way of knowing exactly what you are getting.
Compounding this, is that counterfeit parts have been found amongst parallel imported parts.
This is why it is important to source your parts through the official channels (Australian Authorised Ford Dealers). Through other channels, you cannot be sure that you are getting the appropriate Ford genuine part. Is it worth the risk?
THE DIFFERENCE IS GENUINE
An investigation by Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) initiative Genuine is Best has revealed that dan- gerous counterfeit car parts are arriving in Australia, concealed in shipments of parallel and aftermarket vehicle parts.
HYDROGEN IS HERE
THE HYUNDAI NEXO FUEL CELL ELECTRIC
Vehicle (FCEV) has arrived – the first hydrogen-powered vehicle certified for sale in Australia.
Available now by special order for pri- vate customers and fleets, the zero- emission NEXO SUV is packed with comfort, convenience and Hyundai-first green technologies.
NEXO’s FCEV powertrain is the prod- uct of more than 20 years of research and development by Hyundai. Designed from the ground up as a production FCEV, NEXO showcases a series of innovations and refinements from Hyundai’s first-gen- eration mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the ix35 FCEV.
The official arrival of NEXO coincides with the opening of Australia’s first pub- lic hydrogen refueling station, in Can- berra, which provides the fuel for the de- ployment of the first 20 road-registered
NEXO FCEVs as government fleet vehi- cles for the national capital.
At the heart of NEXO is a long-range - 666km (WLTP) - zero-emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell powertrain featuring a 120kW, 395Nm electric motor drive and a lithium- ion polymer battery, with Shift by Wire gear selection and paddle shifter control for the regenerative braking system.
Hyundai’s Nexus is Australia’s first hydrogen powered vehicle.
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