Where do UK people buy their 4x4 accessories?
Discussion
G'Day.
As an expat now living in Australia, I've developed a rather strong passion for four-wheel-driving and now have a small business designing and selling accessories in Australia and New Zealand.
Once of my best selling products is for the new Ford Ranger and New Amarok and is small enough to reasonably consider shipping from Australia to the UK.
Down here we have a number of big brands (ARB, TJM, Opposite Lock etc.) that have stores all over the country, but what do 4WD owners do in the UK? IS is mostly online, are there physical stores, do people fit their own? I guess there's not a big range of 4x4 gear at Halfords?
Its been 12 years since I was in the UK and back then I had no interest in the 4x4 scene at all.
As an expat now living in Australia, I've developed a rather strong passion for four-wheel-driving and now have a small business designing and selling accessories in Australia and New Zealand.
Once of my best selling products is for the new Ford Ranger and New Amarok and is small enough to reasonably consider shipping from Australia to the UK.
Down here we have a number of big brands (ARB, TJM, Opposite Lock etc.) that have stores all over the country, but what do 4WD owners do in the UK? IS is mostly online, are there physical stores, do people fit their own? I guess there's not a big range of 4x4 gear at Halfords?
Its been 12 years since I was in the UK and back then I had no interest in the 4x4 scene at all.
As someone who owns a Hilux in the UK and loves the Aussie products, my truck is covered in ARB products, there are a few places where you can get certain branded products. I believe here are a couple of companies who have the UK market who supply pretty much supply all the ARB stuff even to smaller shops. No real stores that I have found, not like ARB dealerships or even 4wd Supacentre.
The biggest problem over here I think is the cost factor, basically whatever the cost is in dollars seems to just be converted to pounds when it lands here. We certainly don't seem to have any general lower value brands like Kings. But then the market over here isn't as big probably because Land Rovers are the most popular 4x4 in general, cheap aftermarket parts are readily available for them.
The biggest problem over here I think is the cost factor, basically whatever the cost is in dollars seems to just be converted to pounds when it lands here. We certainly don't seem to have any general lower value brands like Kings. But then the market over here isn't as big probably because Land Rovers are the most popular 4x4 in general, cheap aftermarket parts are readily available for them.
As said a handful of places, mainly online, one of which mainly concentrates on Toyotas, yes loads of stuff available for Landrovers.
Cost of fuel tax in this country it could easily cost you £200 round trip to visit such a shop for an item costing £50 and £10 to post.
There isn't the same popular with many offroading scene in Britain as elsewhere, we don't have free access to vast areas of land, there are pay and play areas but they tend to be hard core mud baths with the likelihood of vehicle damage so a good number of off road types keep an old 4x4 worth not very much for play, any work done on these tends to be with a hammer or welding things to help prevent further breakage and fitting mud terrain tyres, you wouldn't want to take a typical UK spec 4x4 costing upwards of £30k to pay and play sites often.
Bull bars are outlawed, and i'm one too sure how insurers would view even the fitting of proper alloy or steel bumpers in the place of worthless plastic ones, almost anything you added could be seen as modification leading to intense sucking of insurers teeth and you might be contravening construction ans use legislation too, and then you have the swathes of people who hate 4x4's here, even the mention of a bull bar will have their panties all twisted, if you should dare own a twin cab pick up you're one step up from lucifer to some.
Cost of fuel tax in this country it could easily cost you £200 round trip to visit such a shop for an item costing £50 and £10 to post.
There isn't the same popular with many offroading scene in Britain as elsewhere, we don't have free access to vast areas of land, there are pay and play areas but they tend to be hard core mud baths with the likelihood of vehicle damage so a good number of off road types keep an old 4x4 worth not very much for play, any work done on these tends to be with a hammer or welding things to help prevent further breakage and fitting mud terrain tyres, you wouldn't want to take a typical UK spec 4x4 costing upwards of £30k to pay and play sites often.
Bull bars are outlawed, and i'm one too sure how insurers would view even the fitting of proper alloy or steel bumpers in the place of worthless plastic ones, almost anything you added could be seen as modification leading to intense sucking of insurers teeth and you might be contravening construction ans use legislation too, and then you have the swathes of people who hate 4x4's here, even the mention of a bull bar will have their panties all twisted, if you should dare own a twin cab pick up you're one step up from lucifer to some.
I'm not much into the scene myself, however one of my delightful neighbours is and he's got the standard Discovery 2 TD5 with a lift kit, snorkel and chunky tyres. The only other modifications appear to be stickers. I can't tell much about the quality of the install but it doesn't seem particularly high. There's a shop in Liverpool not far from me called LR Centre who were a massive dealer for Land Rover parts, modifications and installation but rumour has it they shut the garage part down recently. It'll be either places like this or eBay rubbish people buy and haphazardly throw on their vehicles.
Thanks for the input everyone - I assume it's a similar story for other European countries?
We have a couple of options to sell this to UK buyers:
1) Sell through our website and they have to wait ages for it to arrive.
2) Have a batch manufactured and boxed by a company I know in Buckinghamshire then get them distributed somehow. However with no real 4WD shops that plan may be a bit tricky without resorting to some kind of side-hustle/airtasker type person we don't know handling and shipping the products out.
I have a trip to the UK scheduled for my main job (the 4WD stuff is really just a hobby) in 2024 during which I can try and get a feel for things but it would be nice to try and get our foot in the door prior to that.
We have a couple of options to sell this to UK buyers:
1) Sell through our website and they have to wait ages for it to arrive.
2) Have a batch manufactured and boxed by a company I know in Buckinghamshire then get them distributed somehow. However with no real 4WD shops that plan may be a bit tricky without resorting to some kind of side-hustle/airtasker type person we don't know handling and shipping the products out.
I have a trip to the UK scheduled for my main job (the 4WD stuff is really just a hobby) in 2024 during which I can try and get a feel for things but it would be nice to try and get our foot in the door prior to that.
Its really hard getting stuff in Europe right now- i'm trying to kit out a 100 series landcuiser and i've imported loads of stuff from the states!
I'm currently looking for an Armax snorkel (not a normal safari one), a drop slide and a rear drawer system- the latter at £1.6k from ARB is the one i'm really struggling with! There is SO much kit i'd buy form Oz if i could......(sandgrabba floor mats for a start....)
I'm currently looking for an Armax snorkel (not a normal safari one), a drop slide and a rear drawer system- the latter at £1.6k from ARB is the one i'm really struggling with! There is SO much kit i'd buy form Oz if i could......(sandgrabba floor mats for a start....)
PugwasHDJ80 said:
Its really hard getting stuff in Europe right now- i'm trying to kit out a 100 series landcuiser and i've imported loads of stuff from the states!
I'm currently looking for an Armax snorkel (not a normal safari one), a drop slide and a rear drawer system- the latter at £1.6k from ARB is the one i'm really struggling with! There is SO much kit i'd buy form Oz if i could......(sandgrabba floor mats for a start....)
Slightly off topic but do you have any recs for places to order an ARB front bumper and a decent snorkel for an 80 Series in the UK?, they’re on my to do list this year after I’ve done some bodywork and refurbed the alloys, it’s just had a new exhaust system and full dinitrol treatment so might have to wait a couple of months!.I'm currently looking for an Armax snorkel (not a normal safari one), a drop slide and a rear drawer system- the latter at £1.6k from ARB is the one i'm really struggling with! There is SO much kit i'd buy form Oz if i could......(sandgrabba floor mats for a start....)
Also on the to do list is sorting out the slow windows, and the rear de mister.
The Toyota LandCruiser is a huge draw here in Oz for 4wders. Massive love for Toyota in Australia. Not as common in Oz. There's the Hilux mind.
Then Landrover is huge in the UK but not the same level of love for them here. The Defender wasn't available for decades here in the same way like back home in the UK. More of a niche love for them.
Jeep isn't massively loved and sells poorly in Australia. But the market in the UK probably would come from America for mods.
I have a Ranger 3.2 but really just for work.
There isn't the same 'use a 4wd for work and then go bush on the weekend' scene in the UK. Most trades use a van during the week which reduces the number of pick ups running around.
My old 1992 Defender 90 was looked after by a local Landrover specialist. I think there would be more of them than Ranger off-road specialists.
Then Landrover is huge in the UK but not the same level of love for them here. The Defender wasn't available for decades here in the same way like back home in the UK. More of a niche love for them.
Jeep isn't massively loved and sells poorly in Australia. But the market in the UK probably would come from America for mods.
I have a Ranger 3.2 but really just for work.
There isn't the same 'use a 4wd for work and then go bush on the weekend' scene in the UK. Most trades use a van during the week which reduces the number of pick ups running around.
My old 1992 Defender 90 was looked after by a local Landrover specialist. I think there would be more of them than Ranger off-road specialists.
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