Did you know that over 50% of the Brembo kits advertised and sold in the Philippines are not truly Brembo? And that does not even count caliper covers - which are all counterfeit. There are even sellers don't know they are selling fakes, so even if they have good reputations, or are considered "trusted" sellers, it does not mean they only sell genuine parts. And of course, there are sellers who knowingly deceive customers. Often, these fake Brembo kits are almost as expensive as the real thing, costing between P100,000-150,000, and sometimes more. The sad reality is that it is up to car enthusiasts to take steps to protect themselves.
A very common question is to ask how you can differentiate a fake kit from a real one, but sadly, some kits are difficult to identify unless you are an expert on braking systems. Brembo themselves have a guide on how to prevent getting scammed, either by unscrupulous shops or shops that don't know the difference. It's a simple, five-step guide, but for some, even that is too complicated. To help, we have developed an easy, two-step system to verify if a Brembo kit being sold is genuine.
Step 1: Use the Brembo Check mobile app
Starting 2021, all Brembo high performance products have a QR code on the packaging or on the product itself (usually the caliper), which you can scan with the free Brembo Check mobile app. Once scanned, it will tell you if the product is a genuine Brembo product or not.
If you have a product that was produced between 2017 to 2021, you may instead have the Brembo Original card. This card contains an ID and an PIN number, which can be checked on the Brembo website to validate the product's authenticity. The card is kept inside a small plastic case, which is sealed. If the seller can show you the case, tell them you will buy the kit if the Brembo website accepts the ID number and PIN. Also, this Brembo Genuine Card acts as your warranty card. Without it, you cannot make any Brembo warranty claims.
Step 2: Contact the AutoPerformance Ph help desk.
As the exclusive distributor of Brembo in the Philippines, the technical personnel of AutoPerformance Ph is trained to assist you with any technical questions you may have, including validating if a product is genuine Brembo. Simply send photos of the kit in question via email or Facebook messenger
In some cases, it is easy to tell. For example, Brembo has NEVER made a big brake kit for the Toyota Fortuner or Hi Lux. In fact, Brembo does not have products for most popular Japanese SUVs and pickups (if you see products like this, they are immediately suspect). Our staff can quickly cross-reference the vehicle application to Brembo’s database and immediately let you know if it matches Brembo’s product offering.
In other cases, the components used do not match with Brembo's products, and the AutoPerformance Ph team can send these photos to Brembo’s engineering department to validate.
There are other ways to check for fakes, also, such as downloading the free Brembo Catalog and checking if the specifications match (this can be found in the Brembo website, or you can request a free digital copy from AutoPerformance Ph). But we highly recommend looking for the Brembo Genuine Card, or checking in with AutoPerformance Ph. You can contact AutoPerformance Ph through their Facebook page or via email at info@autoperformanceph.com.