Headlight relay - counterfeit AC Delco being sold on Amazon?

[Chickenhawk]

I replaced my headlight relay with a new AC Delco 15016745 relay from Amazon trying to chase my headlights flickering issue. I also replaced the alternator with a new AC Delco unit and added the "big three" wiring upgrade.

Nothing so far has worked.

What i did find is that the headlight relay seemed to have some effect. It was worse with the new AC Delco, to the point I went back to the OEM module.

I then tried an Echlin AR6100 relay from NAPA and that seemed to improve it more (at least until recently.)

I was disappointed that the new AC Delco relay seemed to make it worse and it made me question if the relay was authentic or not. It came in an AC Delco plastic bag, with all the right labels on it, but I am still suspicious. Has anyone else experienced premature failure issues with AC Delco parts that may lead one to think it may be counterfeit parts?

Lest one think they can spot them, keep this in mind. A few years ago, a media expose of counterfeit airplane parts in the airline industry caused a massive inspection around the world, and counterfeit parts were found installed in nearly every airliner in the world ... including Air Force One.

 

[jsheahawk]

Fakes look pretty good these days, and Amazon is notorious for listing stuff on the seller's word...especially electronics. I wouldn't be surprised at all if yours was a fake. Was it suspiciously low priced?

 

[Chickenhawk]

It was only a few dollars cheaper than Rock Auto, but I noticed Amazon no longer carries that part from the supplier I used. It looks identical in every way though.

 

[jsheahawk]

It could have just been a bad relay, or it could have been counterfeit. I guess I'll always buy mine from the auto parts store.

 

[NJTB]

I ran into that many, many years ago with AC Delco BRAKES. Turned out the only way to tell the real from the fake was the way the glue was applied to the flap of the box.
Two dots of glue was AC Delco, one long smear was fake.

 

[Mooseman]

Anything is possible. ACDelco could have also changed supplier or manufacturer since a lot of time, they don't manufacture their own stuff.

 

[Chickenhawk]

True enough. Amazon Canada now carries that relay shipped direct from Amazon.ca, so I am hoping that will eliminate the possibility of counterfeit. Rock Auto is still cheapest, and they have always given me stellar service though.

And, last night, the NAPA AR6100 relay failed on me at night. Thankfully I was not driving down the highway when my headlights went out. I put in the OEM relay until I can order a new one. The NAPA one was not cheap. ($50 or so if I remember correctly.) I long ago threw out the receipt so a return is unlikely, and it makes me not want to trust the Echlin AR6100 relay anyway. It is scary when your headlights go out completely. (Highs still work of course.)

As far as headlight flickering, I have now been chasing this for a few years. There is no solution yet.

 

[Mooseman]

In a pinch, you can swap the headlight relay for the fan relay. It doesn't handle the same amount of amps so it should be in better shape. I grabbed a bunch of spares from junkers in the pick-a-part.