5 ways to unmask brakes being sold for your car that are not Brembo originals

3/23/2016

The Brembo inscription does not guarantee that the product is official: here are all of the tips to figure out when you've got a fake on your hands.

Everybody wants them, everybody is asking for them: Brembo brakes have millions of admirers all over the world. Precisely because they are much-loved among the most competent drivers, the Brembo systems for automobiles are sometimes copied by counterfeiters who affix the Brembo brand on their products.

However, the imitations are mainly limited to the aesthetics because these manufacturers are not capable of reproducing the performance quality of the Brembo systems. The problem is that the unknowing purchasers only notice this when they begin to use them: only then do they realise that they have been tricked, but in the meantime the vendor has vanished.

To prevent any of you from having this same unfortunate experience, here are five tips to help you distinguish an original Brembo product from a fake.

1) Anti-counterfeiting QR Code

The first clue and also the most reliable one you have a fake Brembo product on your hands is the fact there is no Brembo Check QR Code. Brembo products (both car and motorcycle ones) always have a QR Code affixed directly to the product or the box and by using the Brembo Check app, you can simply and quickly certify that the products are original ones.

If the product does not have a QR Code or an anti-counterfeiting card (previous method), you may be dealing with a fake product.

With Brembo Check installed on your mobile device, all you have to do is use your smartphone to scan the unique QR Code on the label which can easily be found on the purchased component or the box to know if the Brembo product is original or not.

More information on how the Brembo Check APP works can be found here.

2) Sale of Calipers Alone

If someone tries to sell you Brembo car calipers alone, without the other kit components, you are definitely dealing with a fake. Indeed, Brembo never sells car calipers separate from the other kit elements (comprising discs, calipers, adapter clamps and pads).
Counterfeiters, on the other hand, often sell the calipers alone, something that the Brembo sales programmes have never even thought about doing because it considers it inappropriate to sell the car calipers separate from the other components of the braking system, like the discs and the adapter clamps.

The aesthetics of the calipers might deceive you because they are similar in appearance to the original, yet the technical specifications do not correspond at all to those of Brembo calipers. In other cases, the counterfeiters recycle Brembo original equipment calipers or original equipment spare parts that have been repainted. In this situation as well we find ourselves in front of a potentially dangerous product. The caliper, while a Brembo product, was made for use as an OE component for a specific vehicle and is not suitable for mounting on another car because it presents the risk that the technical specifications between the caliper and the car are not correct.

3) The Cost

If a product passed off as Brembo is sold at a price that is decidedly too low compared to the price exercised by other vendors for the same type of product, ask yourself why it has been discounted. It could be a warning of an attempt to sell a fake: it is less expensive because it is shoddy and the Brembo brand was affixed on it fraudulently. If in doubt, ask the salesperson the reason for the unusual discount.

Obviously, you must bear the type of sales channel in mind. In certain situations, on-line vendors, for example, are likely to offer more competitive prices than traditional vendors for the same Brembo original products.

4) The Distributor

When you purchase a braking component, always confirm the identity of the salesperson and his business. In other words, if you have any doubts, make sure the vendor is a customer of an Official Brembo Distributor. To do so, contact the Brembo Distributor in your country by telephone and ask for a reference for the vendor who is selling you the product.

The complete list of Official Brembo Distributors can be found at www.brembo.com/it/auto/uso-sportivo/distributori. If the Brembo Distributor has never heard of him, change vendor.

5) The Catalogue

Sometimes braking components are introduced on the market that have never been produced by Brembo.

Indeed, Brembo does not produce braking system upgrades for all vehicles, but only for some models and only after having carefully designed and tested them.

If you have any doubts, you can consult the application list on the Brembo website that lists all of the car models for which Brembo produces braking system upgrades.

If you don't see your car on this list, then the component that they want to sell you is most likely a fake, or a mix of parts brought together in an inappropriate manner.

Everything that Brembo produces is in the catalogue, without exception.

Also in this case, to remove any doubts you may have, double-check with the Brembo Distributor in your country.