Tech Stuff

Parts Scams

A recent issue of Sacred Octagon, the bi-monthly journal of the New England M.G. T Register (yes, it is spelled M.G. with periods on the cover of the magazine) had a warning for counterfeit NGK spark plugs in the Technical Topics section. Seeing that, I thought ‘that is old, I remember reading about that years ago’. And sure, when you Google ‘counterfeit NGK spark plugs’ you get hits from as far back as 2006 and, surprisingly, also from 2020 and even 2021. All of the hits talk about how to spot a fake NGK and how it differs from a genuine NGK. And many times it shows this illustration which clearly shows what to look for. There is even a site from Japan, where NGK is headquartered, showing this visual, highlighting the four key indicators. There is not a lot of information about the potential difference in performance, quality, or longevity of the fake plugs, but I guess that if you pay for a real NGK you are entitled to a real NGK.

A WARNING Sir, -- We should like, through the courtesy of your columns, to warn M.G. owners against an individual who is apparently going about the country claiming to be one of our Testers, and offering to obtain spare parts for M.G. cars at a cheaper rate than getting them through normal channels. If the victim becomes at all interested in any particular parts,he then, a day or two later, receives a wire stating that the parts are ready and asking for the money to be wired to a Poste Restante address in London. The address he gives in Abingdon, in attempt to establish his bona fides, is a bogus one. According to the information we have received, this particular man speaks with a pronounced Scotch accent, he has red hair, and has one or two front teeth missing. Hoping this information will be the means of preventing any other owners being victimized. I am, Yours, etc., CECIL KIMBER, Director & General Manager, The M.G. Car Company, Abingdon-on-Thames.

Coincidentally, somebody posted the clipping on the MGA Forum of The MG Experience website. Published in Motorsport from September 1935, Cecil Kimber, the founder, and director & general manager of MG, warned, in no uncertain terms, against a person offering “spare parts for M.G. cars at a cheaper rate than getting them through normal channels”. Sounds a lot like getting NGK spark plugs from another company than NGK, doesn’t it? Apparently, not much has changed in 85 years.

Based on Cecil Kimber’s description of the charlatan, the MGA forum poster suggested that it could have been Alfred E. Neuman, the mascot from MAD Magazine and included this photo.


EDITOR NOTE:
Because of this humorous twist to the story, I went to the online archives of Motorsport to ensure that it was not a made-up story. And although that particular page is not visible, the full text of the story is; author and authenticity confirmed and indeed published in September of 1935.

~~ Reinout Vogt