Ok so should I worry about mine? ^^

 

I deleted a post - I saw your post about different manufacturers and revision. Maybe the difference in font and depth of etch/imprint is due to a revision. The imprint is on both, although the stock one has smaller font and is set deeper.

 

I don't know, but i bought my tune-up kit on eBay for around $245 and the shipping is free. I had mine installed by a local rotary mechanic and so far, no major issues whatsoever. I'm not sure who's the vendor you bought it from, but mine is almost similar to yours...

 

It might be a revision difference. But my gut says it's not due to that. If you go through "Knock off beware" warning pages from vendors out there detailing the differences you can spot between their genuine product and the knock off, things like that are often top of the list.


Not any more than normal coils. If they are knock offs, you will probably get a shorter than normal lifespan from them, but until then they should function fine.

My last set i got from Advance Auto Parts online, $192 with free 2 day shipping for 4 coils, 4 plugs, 4 wires. It's one reason I don't really understand why people go to ebay where they have to play guessing games about the seller's reputability. Granted, I work for Advance Auto (well, they acquired my employer at the corporate level) so I have some assurance there. No, my employee discount isn't what I'm using. Their online deals aren't eligible for employee discount, but usually beat it anyway.

 

So sensitive,

Thanks for the pics but the numbers may or may not mean anything, I will have to check the various oem coils in the garage and see. Regardless of what you think about the coils, you obviously installed them improperly and if they did not connect properly then you should have addressed that during the installation. If you did get them to click and they still malfunctioned then lesson learned, don't buy eBay coils. But other than a slightly bent pin different clip Stantion thingamajiggy, they look alright.

 

Something is definitely fishy here. I am intrigued and will do some research. I am currently selling mostly the C version from Japan but when next I get N3H1-18-100B or N3H1-18-100B 9U I will inspect every detail. All of mine come from Mazda and are priced with low profit to compete. I really do not know where some of these people get their stuff and whether they have begun selling imitation goods.

Paul.

 

Yeap mine are the same.



Also my originals have an A at the end of the number.

 

Hello Parkpy,
What happened is very very **** for you.
I want to thank you that you warned me (us) and took all the trouble (and patience) to share it with me (us).
Thanks and best regards,
Ruud

 

I sincerely apologize for my post coming off that way, as that was not my intention. My post was not in any way meant to attack you, rather it was simply meant to pass along information that may (or may not) be applicable given the situation (done so for the sake of completeness and therefore the benefit of anyone reading this thread, as well to add information that may or may not benefit your situation). Clearly your situation and mine differ in a vast number of ways; the biggest being that your coils were causing misfires and subsequent cat problems whereas mine are not (to my knowledge at least).

While it may not seem like it (which I do admit is entirely my fault for not being clear in my original post - something I will be sure that I address in my future posts), I appreciate your attempt to shine light on this potential issue. I consider all information regarding our beloved RX8's to be of great value, regardless of if someone chooses to buy their coils from eBay, Mazda, one of the other reputable sources or any other source.

In my opinion, you clearly do appear to be in the right; as evidenced by the pictures you have posted, the testament of the mazda dealer and the interest you have peaked in knock-off coils on this board and its supporting parts distributors.


EDIT: While it may seem that the skepticism found on the RX8 forums borders on paranoia at times, I believe that it is likely a GOOD thing overall (yes, it can be very frustrating at times). The boards here are far more inclined to seek evidence, rather than accept something at face value (with the number of myths about the rotary engine, it's easy to see why such an attitude has become the norm, and yes it does boarder on hostility at times). In doing so we decrease our chances of committing type 1 error - which in my eyes is worth the corresponding increased risk of committing type 2 error because we are "protected" (for lack of a better word) from type 2 error by what mazda has written in the service manual/owner's manual for this car.

 

Well...i did look around on other websites that sells the tune-up kit, and i find the prices higher than the one on eBay, and i did look at Advance Auto Parts too, and if i recall, the price was over $300 for all three. Not sure about the price you got, but i think you have friends working with Advance Auto Parts and they gave you a employee discount code or whatever...lol

 

There are always really good discount codes for advance auto parts if you google or use slickdeals.net. $50 off $125 has happened for example

 

I have a very keen eye for catching counterfeit consumer products, to me, based on the pictures you provided above looks legit.

And again, here are Advanced Auto Codes copied from alnielson and paimon.sorir's posts.
Note that motor oil and other exclusions apply. The coupons (which do not stack):

20% off sitewide via code "P20"
$10 off orders of $30 or more; $25 off $70 or more; $40 off $110 or more via code "A124"
$20 off $50 or more via code "ES123"
$30 off $90 or more via code "HUGE30"
$40 off $100 or more via code "TRT41" "DOW19"
$50 off $175 or more via code "HUGE50"

 

Okay. Studied the pictures further. Those are NOT GENUINE MAZDA. I sold a set of N3H1-18-100B 9U yesterday and they are designed like your original, not like the ones you got from the ebay seller. I've come up with several differences: Look at how round the casting is above where the connector goes. The Mazda version has distinct 3 angles. I've observed a casting character mark on all those I have here as well, including originals from 2004. I will have more 'Version C' from Japan by Monday but I'm sure they also have it. The ramp angle and table length (My terminology) of the connector protrusion has always been the same and these counterfeits are not the same. The wrong version has a steep ramp and long table. Who knows where they are coming from and how the boxes look so perfect. Is the seller working at a Mazda dealer, collecting the boxes or is it an overseas scam with fake boxes as well? Who knows.

Hope that helps.

Paul.

 

Well, then someone should report those auctions.

 

Indeed, in my opinion the coils/boxes showed by parkpy are not original.
Some examples of "deviations"
1) Part of the serial number stamped on the OEM coil (the 1355) has "low" 5's, whereas the showed ones have "high" 5's.
2) The trade mark Mazda, which is printed in blue on the original OEM boxes show amongst others the next difference with the the showed box, if we look more close to the Z of MAZDA:
- Both upper and lower white horizontal stripes connecting the angled middle white stripe are not connected but have each a very small blue gap.
-With the original box these gaps are perfectly parallel, whereas the showed boxes have blue gaps that are not parallel but are widening upwards (upper stripe) and widening downwards (lower stripe).
There are a lot more deviations which come up after serious study of all details.

 

Good info Paul. Thanks.

I'll add the pics and warnings to the new owner's thread.


Reporting the listings to ebay may not get very far. From my last job we found that ebay only liked to listen to the original manufacturer when it came to counterfeit complaints. Reporting to Mazda might not get far, but it's worth a shot.

 

Ruud,

You are absolutely correct about the boxes as well. The Z is the easy indicator. Mazda has a clean sharp perfect Z, also all the letters are tighter together in the original vs fakes. The M and the top of the A as well as the D and the A after it.

Paul.

 

i think you guys are going a little overboard in trying to figure this out. they appear to be aftermarket replacements which were dumped into OE boxes and sold as OE units, i wouldn't deny that is still fraud.

but i've never had any issues with the aftermarket units so far, you just have to use a little caution that they are plugged in properly and securely. i've used Airtex and Echlin coils before and they work just fine, and the markings look to be similar to those in this case so they are probably one of those 2 manufactures.

i would send them back for a refund and give negative feedback because he was being a dick, regardless if he knew what he was doing was fraudulent(sometimes sellers simply do not know and their suppliers are the ones being fraudulent).

 

How is this overboard? We have never put together useful ignition coil identifying details for the good of the RX-8 community. If people think they are buying OEM, I think I'd like to show them how to tell the difference so they don't get conned or overcharged. This is for the good of many, not just the OP. As far as the boxes go, as a seller I'm intrigued to understand the mind and strategies of competitors including the thieves. The boxes are not Mazda so the hoax is probably from outside the US where the whole thing may have been hatched and put together VERY cheap.

Here is OEM again: N3H1-18-100B 9U.

Paul.

 

for me it seemed to go a little overboard where it was assumed that the boxes were knockoffs as well. these parts aren't HKS or Apexi, they're OEM and relatively cheap, not even much more than the aftermarket replacements that warrant such actions.

perhaps i'm wrong but it goes to show how hard people will go to make a buck or 2 if that is really what's going on here, not like they're making a grip of money on them like knockoff blowoff valves or wastegates or anything. it just seems odd, a little too odd that someone is taking $30 coils and having knockoff packaging made to sell them for $35.

 

I have seen cases where e.g. Chinese factories that lost their previous assignments would do something similar for a period. It's not unlikely that they "photoshopped" the box design and adjusted generic coils to look like OEM Mazda, but without the QC.

It sounds ridicilous to us, but they can make those parts incredibly cheap. And if you think it's ridicilous they do this with coils... they do this with shoes, t-shirts, for 30 years now. Many normal people can't tell difference between genuine Nike and fake Nike.

 

Thank you guys, so much for looking into this deeper.

In the end my lesson is that I should have bought from someone reputable. In fact, I had been watching (on ebay, hit the watch button) MazMart's coils/plug wires/spark plug set for days, but decided to cheap out. Well, this mistake cost me $600. Lesson learned.

I hope all of you take the advice here, regarding buying from someone like Paul at Mazmart, or from a national parts store like Autozone.

I will update this thread once I get word from the ebay seller about what they will do as far as a resolution. Maybe the seller honestly doesn't know he is selling non Genuine Mazda parts, as he claims. And yes, the ebay listing was for "GENUINE MAZDA COILS - ****NOT AFTERMARKET COILS****"

 

I purchased the same bundle of products as parkpy did from a fleabay seller in Massachusetts.

After installing, my CEL and misfire issue was gone...BUT....I noticed that the coilpacks did NOT want to 'click' in either. I was able to get mine to 'click' into the connector but in the process the connector wires were being pressed out of the back of the connector housing due to the pressure from misalignment.

I haven't noticed any performance issues thus far and just took a 230 mile trip last weekend and pulled 19.xx mpg under 'spirited and enthusiastic' driving conditions.

Having said that, I will NEVER EVER buy maintenance items from fleabay again. I like the comfort of knowing when I'm purchasing the real-deal and willing to pay more for it.

 

maybe if you still have the boxes, we can send photos to Mazda North America Brand Protection. I already have, and they want to dig in deeper, but I haven't given them the ebay seller's username yet.

I want to hear back from the ebay seller.

 

the seller would like to refund me $170 for the coils, as I kept the spark plugs and wires.

I want to let him know that I think he may be selling counterfeit goods. I don't know if I should just accept the money?