Consumers cautioned of counterfeit Black Rhino wheels
JOBURG – Consumers cautioned on dangerous poor quality counterfeit Black Rhino wheels following a massive crackdown of sellers in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Threads Unlimited, a division of TiAuto Investments and South Africa’s authorised distributor of Black Rhino range 4×4 wheels, cautions consumers to be wary of dangerously poor-quality counterfeit Black Rhino wheels following a massive clampdown on sellers.
Together with the police’s Commercial Crime Unity, local authorities and industry experts, a number of sites in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were raided and an undisclosed number of counterfeit wheels were seized.
According to TiAuto CEO Alex Taplin, if the price of the wheels seems too good to be true, it probably is. “We cannot emphasise enough how very dangerous these counterfeit wheels are. Testing has revealed them to be of deeply inferior quality and incapable of carrying the loads for which they are supposedly rated. Worse still, some models are barely capable of carrying the vehicle’s unloaded weight,” he said.
Taplin added that the physical integrity of the wheels was compromised due to ‘sub-par engineering’ which included a reduction in the quality of materials needed in the structure of the wheel.
“Make no mistake, these wheels will fail and when they do the consequences could be catastrophic. We urge vehicle owners to do their due diligence and only purchase Black Rhino wheels from Tiger Wheel and Tyre and other reputable retailers.”
According to Treads Unlimited, it may be difficult for the untrained eye to differentiate between a genuine and counterfeit Black Rhino wheel. As a result, the company is offering owners of Black Rhino wheels a freewheel inspection at any Tiger Wheel and Tyre fitment centre countrywide.
“Here, technicians will inspect the wheels by removing them from the vehicle for a full inspection and thus determine if they are genuine or counterfeit. The inspection process will take about 15 minutes – a small time investment for motorists to ensure they aren’t endangering their own or the lives of fellow road users, by driving on substandard wheels,” the distributor noted.
“While neither Treads Unlimited, TiAuto or any of its subsidiaries, have had any hand in the importation or distribution of these dangerous fake wheels, we nevertheless feel compelled to do whatever necessary to advise, educate and even incentivise consumers to get safe again,” Taplin added.
Treads Unlimited would like to offer a reward of R5 000, in the form of a product voucher, to anyone with information that leads to the seizure of counterfeit Black Rhino wheels and/or the arrest of individuals involved in the import, distribution or sale of such wheels.
Email your tip-offs to Werner Fourie at wernerf@tiauto.co.za
Details: Treads Unlimited 011 822 1680
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