A WARNING.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1919, Page 7

A WARNING.

THE UNBLUSHING IMITATOR AND HIS MOTORING VICTIMS Much hag been said by advocates of fair trade on the evil* of substitution. Strenuous effort has, in the last few years, been directed towards discouraging and preventing this evil. In spite of the rapid advancement which has been made, this great practice has taken on a new form in the manufacture and distribution of imitation parts for repairs and replacement on automobiles and cycles. Sales of certain well-known makes of cars have mounted well up into the hundreds of thousands. Here the pirates find a rich field for their operations. That they are taking advantage of it is a well-known fact. On every hand dealers and distributors are found offering imitation repair parts for this or that make of, car. Especially is this the case with imitation parts and accessories for one very well-known make of car in New Zealand. Seldom, if ever, does a dealer who sells a certain make of car offer substitute parts for replacement. . But other dealers and distributors do, and they are directly imposing a hardship upon the car user, for oftentimes the installation of an imitation part impairs the running qualities of the car and the owner is likely to put the blame on the car instead of the substitute part.

The manufacturers of tueko parts are out to pirate the parts business. Price is their only sales argument. They assume no responsibility—their only aim is to make something that looks like the genuine and sells for less. Their methods of manufacture do not permit of accuracy. If they did, prices would of necessity be higher than those of the original manufacturers. The average car owner knows very little about the parts which constitute the various accessories on his car. When his imitation part does give way, he often blames—quite unjustly —the original manufacturer. However, "it is better to be sure than sorry," and the motorist who buys replacements for the car or motorcycle he uses, should in every case be particular in securing the genuine product of the original manufacturer. In many cases these are stamped with tho trade-mark of the maker; bnt not always. The safest way is to buy only from the agent for the particular car in question, and to ask for a guarantee of genuineness.