Non-genuine may break rules: Toyota

Toyota Australia has warned that the fitting of non-genuine parts and accessories to a vehicle may mean it no longer complies with Australian Design Rules (ADR) and may therefore risk the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users.
"The lack of regulatory policing for non-genuine products means their design quality and integrity are complete unknowns," says the senior manager of Toyota Australia's Customer Services Division, Tony Bottacin.
Toyota Australia says bullbars -- one of the most popular of all accessories -- are a tyIt points out that the majority of aftermarket bullbars have not been subject to on-vehicle frontal collision testing and may not be SRS Air-bag compatible, meaning that the issue of occupant safety may not have been properly addressed.
In contrast, as a major manufacturer, Toyota Australia ensures that every component and accessory is developed, so when fitted, the vehicle remains compliant with the ADRs.
Toyota Australia has also invested millions of dollars to develop the Responder Mounting System for Toyota Genuine bullbars to ensure that its SRS Air-bags deploy correctly in the event of a frontal collision.
Bottacin said consumers should be wary of so-called "non-genuine parts" used by some smash repairers.
These copies of Toyota genuine parts may not reflect genuine quality because corners have been cut in the design and production process.
"Non-genuine parts may be made of material that is thinner or of poorer quality, the fit and finish may be rougher, and most importantly, when they are fitted, the vehicle may not adhere to Australian Design Rules", said Bottacin.
Toyota Australia says motorists should remember the old adage "you get what you pay for" when buying components for their cars.
"You might save a few dollars on a set of imported alloy wheels, but you are losing out on the reassurance of expensive safety testing that goes into the development of Toyota genuine alloy wheels", said Bottacin.
Toyota's latest Genuine alloy wheels are heat-treated and manufactured and tested to exceed Australian standards.
All Toyota Genuine accessories are covered by a 3yr/ 100,000 Kms warranty when fitted at the time of new vehicle purchase.
Toyota Genuine accessories fitted after new vehicle delivery are covered by the balance of the new car warranty, or a 12-month, unlimited kilometre warranty -- whichever is greater.

Cheap paint imports: Clarification
An article titled 'Cheap paint imports damaging market' (Paint & Panel, July/August, 2002) was accompanied by a photograph of some containers, one of which, despite the label being blanked out, might have been recognisable as a De Beer hardener. This was an error, both on the part of the party that supplied the image and Paint & Panel for publishing it. For this we apologise.
De Beer, which has been marketing its wide range of products in Australia for more than seven years, has a presence in over 74 countries worldwide and is in no way involved in the 'dumping' of products into Australia which do not conform to Australian standards.
All De Beer products are labelled as per Australian requirements. All items conform to Australian standards, have full company details and points of contact. All raw materials used by De Beer comply with NICNAS requirements and all products are fully warranted to recognised quality repairers. Every De Beer end-user has material safety data sheets available through the company's colour retrieval program. The company is ISO accredited through Lloyds of London and is a member of the Australian Paint Manufacturers Federation.
The company has made significant investments to establish the De Beer brand in Australia for the long-term, and by keeping overheads at very low levels without compromising on quality and service, De Beer is able to offer a unique value-driven product range.