Dar es Salaam. Vehicle owners in Tanzania are spending up to four times more on maintenance costs due to an indomitable influx of counterfeit and substandard auto parts into the domestic market.
Counterfeit car parts are to blame for frequent vehicle breakdowns and have increased car maintenance costs.
The difficulty in distinguishing genuine parts from fakes, mainly due to lack of awareness, has led to further frustration among motorists, who are now calling on the authorities to intervene urgently.
Victims of dirty dealing also attribute the situation to the laxity and lack of control of spare parts imported from some Asian countries.
“The situation is alarming; this is the third time this year that they have changed my brake pads and shoes. It’s really frustrating. It is so unfortunate that the authorities do not see this, there is virtually no regulation of the spare parts business and there is no one to protect us consumers,” says a vehicle owner, Deogratius Kamugisha.
Aftermarket operators are said to be taking advantage of unsuspecting customers to sell them fake parts masquerading as genuine parts.
Motorists and vehicle technicians have admitted that today it is really difficult to buy a genuine clutch repair kit, spark plugs, bearings, suspension, lubricants and even tires from parts stores across the country.
FCC Director General William Erio said they have not received official complaints from product brand owners related to fake replacement parts for the agency to act on.
Erio, who is also the chief inspector of anti-counterfeiting goods, said: “The commission takes into account three things when identifying fake products; the name of the country of origin, the name of the brand and the ‘manufacturer’s address. If a product doesn’t have these things, it’s a clear sign that it’s been tampered with.”
“If we find that a product does not have these elements during the inspection at ports and borders, we sanction it or collaborate with the police to file a criminal case against the agent,” he said.
He said people should understand that fake or substandard products are harmful to people and the economy as a whole, saying the illegal business is denying the government revenue and will leave consumers to buy products that they are not value for money.
“I advise customers to stop using the idea of copycats and only buy parts from authorized dealers. In reality, the cheap products were even more expensive because they had a short lifespan and could easily damage vehicles,” he said.
He asked spare parts manufacturers to come forward and report any complaints of fake parts so that the authorities can take action.
The managing director of motor vehicle repair and maintenance company Evolution Motors, Alex Evodius, said the situation was alarming, adding that dodgy traders looking for a quick buck were importing parts en masse. poor quality from an Asian country (name withheld) and were selling them to unsuspecting customers.
“This problem is really serious. The local market has been subdued by… (name an Asian country). After realizing they can’t sell fake parts to Japan or the UK, that country has turned to sub-Saharan Africa as a base to sell substandard auto parts,” he says.
According to Mr. Evodius, the problem is exacerbated by dodgy auto parts stores and backyard garage operators, not parts manufacturers as many tend to believe.
“The problem is compounded by us Tanzanians who prefer to take our cars to backyard garages and unqualified mechanics and avoid professional and well-established garages to service their cars. He says vehicle owners they don’t get value for money when buying replacement parts because the market is flooded with less standard ones,” he says.
“We are talking about someone who, for example, owns a car and pockets Sh5 million in salary. This person will not be able to make an additional investment as their money ends up in the frequent maintenance and upkeep of the his car, which he blames on the defective spare parts.”
An auto mechanic changes spare parts. The quality of spare parts imported from some Asian nations is a growing source of concern. PHOTO | CARD
He has proposed that the government form an agency to regulate the spare parts industry, which earns the country billions of shillings in taxes and employment.
“The government should regulate this business. Not all Toms, Dicks and Harrys can do this business. Everyone who maintains cars and sells parts should be regulated and pay taxes,” he says.
It has also proposed that the Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronic Services Agency (Temesa) be empowered to become a full-fledged agency that will also regulate auto maintenance and spare parts companies.
A vehicle mechanic in Mwenge area, Seif Mponda, said vehicle spare parts shops have mastered substandard spare parts.
He said apart from shortening the lifespan, the use of substandard spare parts has increased vehicle maintenance costs and led to frustration among car owners.
Mponda added that sometimes the mechanics are the ones who influence the existence of fake spare parts because they do not want to tell the truth to their customers.
“I advise owners that if you don’t trust the technicians, don’t take the car.”
Mr Mponda admitted that mechanics were partly to blame for the thriving substandard spare parts business because they do not tell their customers the truth. “I advise owners not to take their cars to mechanics they don’t trust.”
What parts dealers say
An auto spare parts dealer in Kariakoo, Abdulkarim Mohamed, blamed the free market economic system and lack of control for the influx of substandard spare parts into the domestic market.
“Sometimes the substandard auto parts business is driven by the demands of car owners who prefer cheap products, and shop owners don’t tell them the truth because they are focused on getting money.
“We ask the authorities to protect us and our customers. Sometimes it is not easy to distinguish genuine products from counterfeit or inferior products because they look similar,” he said.
It urges the FCC and the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) to launch a massive campaign to educate consumers on why they should prefer genuine parts and how they can distinguish them from substandard parts.
“Sometimes a customer comes to my store and once I tell them the price, they will complain and mention other stores that sell the same product at a very cheap price without knowing that they might be buying quality or fake parts,” he said.
A car owner, Mrs Rehema Mkinga, says the FCC must redouble its efforts to control fake spare parts.
“I have never faced such a challenge; I drive a Nissan brand and its parts are a bit expensive and not available everywhere like Toyota, but a friend of mine recently bought fake brake pads which she had to replace in no time,” he said.
