Warning about Franken drives (Asus BW-16D1HT) – counterfeit new goods & deleted reviews | Members help members

brennmeister2026 · 2026-05-11T21:54:34.793000Z

Hello everyone, I would like to warn the community about technically manipulated Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray burners; unfortunately, eBay does nothing to delete such listings or is too slow to do so. These are currently being offered as "new goods" with production dates from 2022, 2023, or even 2024/2025.In fact, they are often so-called "Franken-drives": ancient hardware in a case with a fake sticker.How to recognize the fakes:Case embossing: The delivered counterfeits often have the old case embossing "MBX6".Genuine drives from current production have a smooth surface with X embossing. You can see a visual comparison here on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcbuilding/comments/18wxk4s/how_do_i_connect_asus_bw_16d1ht_to_my_pc/this is what the current new drives look like. Firmware & chipset:The drive identifies itself internally with firmware 1.01 (about 10 years old).Genuine modern models use firmware 3.xx such as 3.10 or 3.11.There are also drives with firmware 3.01 and 3.02; these are also genuine modern models and are MakeMKV - UHD compatible.Under Windows 11, the old hardware often leads to error code 39. Serial number:A check with ASUS showed that the hardware was already out of warranty in 2017, even though the label claims "2022," which I also told the seller. Background info:The problem is known and documented in specialist circles (e.g. MakeMKV): https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=179124 My case (eBay case no. 5379010778):Although eBay decided the case in my favor and ASUS confirmed the counterfeit for me, there are two critical points: Deletion of the warning:My negative review with pictures, which was supposed to warn other buyers about the counterfeit and the ASUS confirmation, was deleted by eBay. Resale:The device was immediately relisted as "new" after I returned it (delivery on 09.05.2026); I included the warranty check and the ASUS confirmation with the return to the seller, and I also reported this listing to eBay, yet the Franken-drive was sold again the very next day. As can be seen in the attached screenshot of the ASUS warranty check, the serial number belongs to a device whose warranty expired on 06.06.2017 – despite the '2022' sticker on the case.The fact that the warranty was also registered for the USA ("Warranty Territory: USA") additionally suggests gray imports or old stock from overseas that were "freshened up" here with new stickers.In this picture you can see the counterfeit on the left and a current drive on the right. I find it highly concerning that despite clear technical evidence and a positive case decision, the warnings and the review for other buyers are being removed. When buying this model, pay close attention to the embossing, to what the case looks like compared to the drive, be sure to have photos sent to you before buying, and check the firmware if you have bought a drive after all!

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Warning about Franken drives (Asus BW-16D1HT) – counterfeit new goods & deleted reviews | Members help members | eBay Germany