Counterfeit Alloy Wheels Fail In Local FCAI Tests

Unknown quality standards were one of the key objections raised by the local automotive industry to the Federal Government’s now-dead plan to allow more parallel imports of second-hand vehicles to Australia.

Proof has now arrived in the form of counterfeit alloy wheels which have failed even some elementary tests conducted by the Federal Chamber Of Automotive Industries’ (FCAI) ‘Genuine Is Best’ campaign.

Using the comprehensive test roads at Holden’s proving ground in Lang Lang, Victoria, the fake wheels shattered when driven over a pot-hole at a speed of 50km/h – the limit in many Australian suburbs.

The benchmark alloy wheels used in the test – from Mercedes-Benz - showed no after-effects despite repeated journeys over the same pot-hole.

Further laboratory tests of the fake wheels confirmed faults in the manufacturing process.

Safety