Impact tests comparing a genuine GM Holden aluminum hood with counterfeit imports show the fakes are no replacement for the real thing.
Adelaide University’s Center for Automotive Safety Research conducted a test simulating a frontal collision with a child pedestrian at 25 mph (40 km/h) – a common speed limit in school zones in Australia – using the GM Holden part and phony substitutes.
The CASR Impact Lab, chosen because it has been conducting pedestrian protection tests for the Australian New Car Assessment Program since 2001, finds the real GM Holden hood performed better in every test and provided the best fit and finish.
The tests are part of a program by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries to subject genuine and non-genuine parts to the same tests to show the importance of using new, factory-approved parts for optimum safety, aesthetics and performance.
The head-form test found the GM Holden aluminum hood fitted to a Commodore sedan performed better in every complex test than a fake steel replacement. The genuine hood absorbed impact more evenly. Neither the hood nor the head-form-test device – a 7.7-lb. (3.5-kg) steel ball – made contact with hard engine objects beneath, a major cause of pedestrian injury.
FCAI CEO Tony Weber, who leads a “Genuine is Best” awareness campaign, says it is a small, but telling result.
“I can say that as a parent, the safest result is the best one,” Weber says in a statement.
With the safety tests in its pocket, FCAI again is calling for greater controls on the use of non-genuine components in vehicle repairs.
“The test was conducted at the same speed as the limit in many school zones and the weight of the head-form device was calibrated to simulate the head of a child,” Weber says. “I fear what would happen at a higher speed.”
The CASR tests also revealed an alarming additional danger the test team did not expect: the GM Holden hood strut is not capable of supporting the substantially heavier fake steel hood.
“The fake steel bonnet (hood) was twice as heavy as the genuine panel, and that meant every time the steel bonnet was lifted it would crash down again after just a few seconds,” Weber says.
“The safety implications for any repair person, for example a roadside service mechanic, are obvious.”
Weber says while fit-and-finish was not part of the test, visual inspection revealed a poor fit and finish along the fender, around the lights and across the grille.
“No one would accept such a terrible fit and finish after a repair, but parts like this are offered for sale here in Australia,” he says. “The counterfeit was so badly made you could almost fit a finger into the panel gap.”
