I won’t pretend to justify knockoff parts. That’s just silly.
One thing I do know is that overseas manufacturers are becoming increasingly efficient at replicating things. As we Americans demand things cheaper and want them faster, a lot of good companies have taken a hit while battling knockoff competitors.
Originally, I was after a set of OEM style mud guards (I still am BTW). With little time to make or design my own, I settled for some Temu OTS specials.
When those arrived and didn’t fit as the seller claimed, I decided to take a forum member up on his recommendation.
There was a fairly well-known US brand that had come out with a cutting-edge design for the FL5. Yet, seemingly overnight, it had been knocked off. Not quite a 1:1, but at first glance, there were no noticeable visual differences.
Long story short, they arrived, fit well, and felt decently made. The drawback? The 1:1 ratio still comes up short, failing to protect the car from debris being flung up underneath it.
Back to square one.
I must now either create my own or wait for that company to come out with a revision. The real company. Given the state of the market, I’m sure it’ll be a while and a patent will likely precede production.
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