Don't buy cheap injectors!!

[j-dawg]

Bought the $130 or so eBay cheapies sold as "OEM" by a million sellers (https://www.ebay.com/itm/142057081390). They're not OEM. Car ran like trash on em, had to crank for ages to start, sometimes could smell fuel, sometimes engine heated up from burning lean. Eventually this killed an O2 sensor.

I was in denial for months, but finally bit the bullet and got a used set out of an S60R for around $100 (vs about $250 for a set of brand new 440cc injectors from reliable sources). Pretty sure these are authentic as they've clearly been used for a long time and I don't think these fail often. They are clearly different parts - there are small differences in the body molding that make it clear. See images below. Now the car runs great in ways I didn't even realize it was running poorly before. Feels like a whole new car. I should add that the fakes felt fine for a bit but quickly went south, and I assumed I had a leaky intake gasket or hose or something. Nope.

Either buy your injectors from a reputable source or buy parts that are clearly used for better odds of getting it right. All the eBay sellers with a full set of brand new units for half price don't have the real deal and your car won't run right on them.

[kallekula]

I've seen youtube videos of what the spray pattern looks from those chinese ebay injectors. Yikes...

[j-dawg]

Looking closer at the eBay item I linked, that auction isn't actually called out as OEM, so i stand corrected on that. But I saw lots of similar listings that were.

I looked up one of those videos and the author pointed out that the knockoffs usually have two grooves for the fuel rail clip up top, where the genuine Bosch items have just one. That lets the fakes fit in other applications too. But the same video claims the fakes have no p/n molded in and my fakes do, so maybe the manufacturers are getting wise.

Anyway, don't be dumb like me. If something's consistently much more expensive new on FCP etc there's a reason. I could have spent $100 more on brand new Bosch injectors in the first place, but instead I got stuck paying $200 more to get used injectors and a replacement O2.

[erikv11]

These counterfeit parts are such a scourge. You almost can't buy anything Bosch unless it is used or from a retailer like FCP that doesn't get burned that often (even they can get fooled from time to time). The manufacturers should be punished hard. I know, they are not punished at all ...

[Clemens]

that's what we all get from companies producing cheaply in china for decades. behold the fruits of globalization...

sorry for you getting ripped off. it's really hard to buy quality items these days. most every manufacturer or reseller cheats somehow