Any problems with the spark plugs have a bad effect on engine performance, ranging from starting problems to complete failure, for example, from detonation. Candles that have expired must be replaced with new ones, the choice of which is difficult today due to fakes and counterfeits. Let's look at the example of NGK candles, what to look for when buying them.
We start with a thorough examination of the packaging
On the real packaging, a shadow is clearly visible behind the image of the candle, the letters NGK are located closer to the top of the box, and the word “Premium” is farther away from the bottom of the package compared to the box in which the fake is located.
The original box is not as shiny as the fake one, which also has paint peeling off on the corners. Also, on fakes the letters are dark red, while on the originals they are bright red. It is noticeable that on the fake packaging there are some color transitions missing on the words “LASER” and “IRIDIUM”.
On the real packaging, the word “Premium” is enclosed between lines with a gradient brightness, which is not present on the fake. It also says “made in Japan”, while the original says “assembled in the USA” and has EAC symbols.
It can be seen that on the fake box the warning triangle has rounded corners and is not painted, while on the original it has sharp corners and is orange. It is also clear that the fake is lower in height, the edges and corners are less clearly defined, and there are deflections.
The counterfeit packaging is made of cheap gray cardboard. If you look through the light, you can see the seal through the real packaging, which is not visible on the fake.
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Comparison of parts of original and counterfeit candles
On real candles, the electrodes are covered with a transparent plastic cap, while fake ones are covered with a cardboard cap.
The contact tip on the original spark plug rests on the ceramic insulator with a narrowed edge, while on the fake it is flat.
The hole on top of the tip of the original is small and located exactly in the center; in fakes it is offset and has a metallic sheen. The ceramic insulator on the original is pure white, while on the fake it is grayish with spots.
On genuine spark plugs, the base of the ceramic insulator has a white powdery coating from the factory, which is not present on counterfeit spark plugs.
The letters and signs printed on the ceramic part are also different. On fakes they are dark blue, on real candles they are light blue. There is also a noticeable difference in the reflection of light by the ceramics under the signs: in fakes the reflections are uneven and broken, while in the original they are uniform and smooth.
The metal body of the fakes is more shiny, but dirty and as if scratched. The original has a uniform and clean surface. It has the batch number stamped on one of the faces of the nut, which is not the case with fakes.
The sealing washer on the original is thin and conical, on the fake it is round. The carvings on the original reflect light slightly differently. The bend of the side electrode is smoother, while that of the fake is angular.
The spot under the side electrode of a real spark plug is recessed, while that of a fake spark plug is convex. The counterfeit ceramic insulator of the central electrode is grayish-dirty, in contrast to the pure white of the original.
On real spark plugs, the central electrode is thin (0.82 mm) and the tip is almost burgundy; on fake spark plugs, it is thick (1.05 mm). The original has a central electrode with a copper rod; fake spark plugs do not have copper.
Sometimes fakes are made of very high quality, however, they will not work well because they do not contain iridium, platinum and copper. Therefore, the resource of fakes is limited to 12 thousand kilometers. For the original it reaches 180 thousand km.
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