If you’re looking for Lexus parts or indeed spares for any luxury make then you will naturally be concerned at the continued growth in the market for counterfeit car parts. Anyone needing repairs carried out on their cars needs to be more vigilant than ever before to make sure every bit of their car is what it claims to be.

The first study to draw attention to the issue came at the end of the last century. In 1999 Trading Standards launched a study into the counterfeit car parts industry which it said had grown from three million pound in 1994 to just over 300 billion. It was a remarkable rise sparked in part by the surge of car ownership in emerging countries such as India.

This market that has grown and evolved rapidly. Spares manufactured from base metals or inferior materials put drivers at very real risk. Worse still they increasingly come with logos and bear all the outward appearance of the genuine article. They can look so convincing and, combined with the rock bottom price, (often up to half that of the manufacturer’s value) they can seem extremely tempting. Even experienced mechanics have been taken in.

The problem is even more serious when buying used cars. In these instances you do not always have full service histories. You have no way of knowing for certain what has been used for the car.

So how do you know that spare Lexus parts are what they claim to be?

For the manufacturers the answer is simple. You should always use a dealer or an approved specialist. That way you can be sure the parts are manufactured to original equipment (OE) standard and will serve you well. If you’re looking for Lexus parts, for example, the manufacturer will always recommend you only buy the genuine article.

That has obvious benefits for them and owners are often cynical that the company simply finds ways to extract more money from them throughout the course of the car’s life. However, this service does provide a certain level of reassurance and that can have a significant impact on the eventual resale price.

So, if you’re looking for Lexus GS parts, don’t be tempted by bargain prices. Remember, if something looks too good to be true it probably is. The secret is to do your research and stick with a provider you trust completely. It may cost more in the short term, but in the long run the benefits will be obvious.