[AtomixMK3]

I wanted to warn those of you who have seen ads on Craigslist for the LA area for "Genuine" Ross-Tech cables. This Guy has been known to use one of two stories as an excuse for wanting to get rid of the cable. One of which is his brother and him were going to be distributors for California and Ross-Tech sent it to him as a sample that he is not supposed to sell. The other is he owns a shop and used it but apparently doesnt need it anymore. He has pulled the wool over the eyes of atleast two of your fellow enthusiasts, myself included so far and I have no doubt there are others. We almost caught him tonight however he just barely got away. Please flag his posts if you see them to prevent him from ripping more people off. The fakes he sells are pretty close to the genuine cable you only notice the difference when they are side by side yet they are indeed fakes we have contacted Ross-Tech and they have verified it below. He is a white male about 6ft tall and drives a Reflex Silver MK5 Jetta TDI with oxidized headlights. We managed to snag a picture of his plate before he took off.

Remember we know what you look like and drive that includes the little buddy you had follow you in the black TT.

If you have purchased a cable from this guy try and get your money back. All of the cables are the exact same POS if you can get your money back save up and buy the real deal from either Ross-Tech or one of their Official distributors found below.

"Sorry, but that serial number is from an illegally pirated "Clone" of our product. Needless to say, we will not provide any support. You should return it to whomever you bought it from and demand a full refund. If no refund is forthcoming, you should take the matter up with your payment processor and/or law enforcement authorities.

Real ones are available directly from us:
http://store.ross-tech.com/shop/cat/IC.html

... or from any of our authorized resellers:
http://www.ross-tech.com/distributors.html

Sincerely,

-Uwe-"

 

[Uwe]

U.S.C Title 17 § 1201 · Circumvention of copyright protection systems
(a) Violations Regarding Circumvention of Technological Measures.
(2) No person shall manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide, or otherwise traffic in any technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof, that—
(A) is primarily designed or produced for the purpose of circumventing a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title

U.S.C Title 17 § 1204 · Criminal offenses and penalties
(a) In General -- Any person who violates section 1201 or 1202 willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain—
(1) shall be fined not more than $500,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both, for the first offense; and
(2) shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both, for any subsequent offense.

Complete text here: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap12.pdf

-Uwe-

 

[AtomixMK3]

Here is a comparison of the counterfeit this guy and many others are distributing to a Genuine Ross-Tech Hex+Can interface. Please use this as an example so you know what to look for when buying a second hand cable.

*Barcode Sticker* (Not Pictured)

The first thing you should look for is a white bar code sticker on the side of the case. I believe this is put in place for two reasons. To act as a warranty sticker so people don't open up the interface and tinker with it and probably to keep track of it in the event it needs to be serviced. **If it does not have a sticker I personally would not buy it - Ask me how I know :banghead:**

*Screws* (Green)
The Genuine Ross-Tech interface has silver torx screws while the Chinese crap has black phillips screws. - This should be the the easiest thing to spot aside from the sticker on the side.

*Grip Pattern* (Red)
The grip pattern on the Genuine Ross-Tech interface is staggered while the fake cables pattern is a triangle.

*LED* (Purple)
The LED on the Genuine Ross-Tech interface sticks out of the case a bit while the fake cables LED is recessed into the case

*OBD-II Plug* (Blue)
The plug is installed backwards on the fake cable and is flimsy unlike the Genuine counterpart.

*Sticker* (Green)
If you take a look at the 4th line it should have HCxxxxx Rev.X as it does on the real deal. The counterfeit cable only has the revision - Rev.B in my case.

I hope this information is beneficial to other those of you looking to purchase a cable.

 

[V8Star]

Good info to know :thumbup:

It is always safe to buy from Ross Tech, you don't have to second guess anything, and it is worth every penny.

 

[AtomixMK3]

Good info to know :thumbup:

It is always safe to buy from Ross Tech, you don't have to second guess anything, and it is worth every penny.

Exactly we have one at work and it is indeed worth every penny. After a few scans it has paid for itself but not in this case. :banghead:

 

[CC U L8TR]

what a sleaze bag! hope karma kicks him in the nutts.

 

[MarkusWolf]

Just like in the pictures, the same Ross Tech (fake), from Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Westwood, Long Beach, Camarillo, etc. He sure gets around.


http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/pts/2887113445.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ptd/2880796806.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/pts/2856043326.html

http://ventura.craigslist.org/pts/2856037233.html

 

[AtomixMK3]

I really doubt he travels all over the area due to the fact the both the initial meeting and where we almost caught him was Philippe's off Alameda St. The other member who purchased a cable from him met him in Santa Monica most likely the 3rd St Promenade as that was another place he had suggested. He is pretty slick he chooses spots that provide a clear view of all traffic coming and going as well as a pretty easy escape route. However evidence shows he has a habit of using the same spots each time so he probably frequents these areas on a regular basis either for food or shopping. Bottom line is steer clear of this dirt bag and only purchase a cable from a reputable forum member or official distributor.