Buying parts from sellers on ebay

[PaulsSS]

DON"T, most everything on ebay such as Spark Plugs Coils Sensors etc advertised as AC Delco are fake chinese knock offs. Go to a parts store and pay a little more for real parts. Don't say to yourself but it looks real, could cost you big if something goes way wrong using these parts. Ebay doesn't care and will do nothing to stop the fraud that at this point is way over the top.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Yep, this has been an ongoing thing, just because they look right, they are not. Parts store or dealer for ANY electronic, ignition parts. Have seen way too many posts about the "fake" stuff on ebay and folks getting messed over. Spend the money and get the REAL parts you need and you won't have a problem.

[InFiD3ViL]

A couple years ago I bought an 8 pack of 41-110 ACDelco plugs from Amazon that I am nearly certain were fakes. They looked like the real deal, but the electrodes wore down almost completely in 15k miles.
Since I couldn't be sure (Chinese are fantastic counterfeiters!), I bought a set of NGKs from my parts store instead and never had an issue.

Certain parts I will only buy at parts stores now.

[RupertPupkin]

I’ve bought multiple parts from eBay.. I always check the seller feedback/reviews.

[Rock-It Man]

If it sounds too good to be true...

[PaulsSS]

The fake plugs are actually easy to tell if you have a real plug to compare it to. The blue script on the fake plugs is too blue and larger. I got scammed on a set of plugs too, didn't even make 10 miles. 1st time I got on it all the electrodes melted and the PCM went nuts. Every light in the instrument panel came on. I was at a complete loss as to why at 1st. I figured all I did was change plugs so I pulled a few to see no electrodes. I was pretty freaked out but luckily nothing was damaged in the engine. Now I'm shopping for new coils but not online, I looked a little on ebay but all I seen were ac-delco knock offs. When you check out the sellers country of origin and it says china don't do it. They even use the real part numbers but at least on the coils they are at the wrong place. I know what the real stuff looks like. Actually I couldn't find any real coils or plugs on ebay in the 10 mins or so I was looking. Terrible!

[InFiD3ViL]

Originally Posted by PaulsSS

The fake plugs are actually easy to tell if you have a real plug to compare it to. The blue script on the fake plugs is too blue and larger. I got scammed on a set of plugs too, didn't even make 10 miles. 1st time I got on it all the electrodes melted and the PCM went nuts. Every light in the instrument panel came on. I was at a complete loss as to why at 1st. I figured all I did was change plugs so I pulled a few to see no electrodes. I was pretty freaked out but luckily nothing was damaged in the engine. Now I'm shopping for new coils but not online, I looked a little on ebay but all I seen were ac-delco knock offs. When you check out the sellers country of origin and it says china don't do it. They even use the real part numbers but at least on the coils they are at the wrong place. I know what the real stuff looks like. Actually I couldn't find any real coils or plugs on ebay in the 10 mins or so I was looking. Terrible!

Yeah, it's insane. These days there are clones of literally everything. Worst part is they have flooded the market, making it difficult to find legit replacements without having to weed through hundreds of crappy quality parts.

[acutron42]

This thread is a great example on why this forum & members are the best. I almost bought a set of plugs on Amazon last night as my local part stores are out of stock. Today I will order a set from the dealership.

Thank you all for saving me a big headache!!!

[George-CZ]

Originally Posted by PaulsSS

DON"T, most everything on ebay such as Spark Plugs Coils Sensors etc advertised as AC Delco are fake chinese knock offs. Go to a parts store and pay a little more for real parts. Don't say to yourself but it looks real, could cost you big if something goes way wrong using these parts. Ebay doesn't care and will do nothing to stop the fraud that at this point is way over the top.

I don't think that's quite true.
It's about what you buy. Not where you buy it.

Even on E-bay can get decent things. But of course they are at different prices.

[PaulsSS]

Good luck with that, I looked for real coils and plugs for quite a bit and couldn't find any legit ones. Local Autozone has lifetime warranty on the coils and good reviews + I know they are real. Amazon is a crap shoot too but at least Amazon stands behind what gets sold. Ebay knows most all this stuff is fake but does nothing about it. On those fake plugs I bought Ebay refused giving a refund or shutting the seller down. I went to my CC company and got the money back. CC company told me they deal with this daily with Ebay.

[Badbubba]

Been fortunate with buying parts off Ebay, even spark plugs and coil overs. Except for a cam position sensor that only lasted a year. I'll check the seller, reviews and quantity of transactions. Camaro parts only come from reputable vendors and manufacturer's sites. And a lot of items come from Autozone or Napa.

[hawkyV8]

Originally Posted by PaulsSS

DON"T, most everything on ebay such as Spark Plugs Coils Sensors etc advertised as AC Delco are fake chinese knock offs. Go to a parts store and pay a little more for real parts. Don't say to yourself but it looks real, could cost you big if something goes way wrong using these parts. Ebay doesn't care and will do nothing to stop the fraud that at this point is way over the top.

PREACH!!! All of the above is 100% accurate. I know this from firsthand experience.


I rebuilt my LS3 over the winter. All top notch parts from reputable suppliers. EXCEPT ONE. I got my lifters off ebay. The little voice in my head was telling me to stay away but I got sucked in with the promise of genuine parts and pictures of the lifters and their AC Delco packaging.
My valvetrain began making noise about 600 miles after the build. Long story short, I had 3 lifters chew up the cam and send metal chunks to all parts of the motor. So I had to start over from the beginning.


I have learned my lesson. My initial $50 savings turned into another $1800 in new parts and not being able to drive my car for the whole spring.

[PaulsSS]

Dam thats a tough learn there. I needed lifters a while back for a LS1 and ALMOST bought a set from Advance Auto of all places, Because they had Melling brand in stock. Guy behind the counter warned me not to buy them. He told me they had a bunch of returns on them and doubted they were really Melling lifters. I searched the reviews and sure enough they were failing after just a few miles left and right!

[Car Nation Videos]

I don’t know man...I bought some coil packs and plug wires for my grand marquis and it fixed my issues. It was idling rough and breaking up on top end. I knew the parts were knock offs but I didn’t care bc I only paid $600 for my mercury.