Cheap ebay snorkel warning

[MuckyPup]

Don't start thinking I'm a rivet counter or brand name victim, I'm not. If it works it gets the job.
However, there are currently some cheap snorkles on eBay, cheaper than I could make a stainless one for so I took a chance.
The plastic doesn't seem bad, tough but not brittle.
The moulding quality doesn't seem bad but the top is too big for the scoop.
The moulded in rivnuts seem ok.
The scoop feels as brittle as hell, I don't see it lasting.
The fasteners are ok, mostly an unknown grade of stainless but seem ok apart from the top mount bracket screws which are black self tappers.......
And finally, the template........
You would do better by blind guessing. The main hole is 20mm too high and the mounting holes between 10 / 15mm too high, low, left or right of where they should be.
Be warned, £80 is cheap for a cruiser snorkel but to my mind what they should cost, however in this case the cost does represent the quality.

 

[Red Oktober]

I've got a cheap £60 Malaysian snorkel on mine .... and it has already been through the wars ... the head/grill is still in one piece. .... the template was a "safari" template which was pin perfect. ...

I guess that you pays your money and takes a chance on weather you get a quality item or not. not everything that's cheap is carp

 

[Ecoman]

I bought a cheap Malaysian snorkel. Yes the head was brittle and I had to repair it (the plastic weld started to fail) within a few months but the repair has held and its still going strong 4 years later. The moulding of the main body was slightly out but works fitted OK. My biggest hurdle was the poor template but a bit of work tracing the back of the snorkel and then transplanting the holes onto the template and jobs a good un. One hole was about 3mm out but a small file and problem sorted.

 

[AndyCook]

Just get a safari one
It fits and it isnt cr@p

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Graham]

I've got a cheap £60 Malaysian snorkel on mine .... and it has already been through the wars ... the head/grill is still in one piece. .... the template was a "safari" template which was pin perfect. ...

I guess that you pays your money and takes a chance on weather you get a quality item or not. not everything that's cheap is carp

.
Mine also a Safari replica.
Probably been on about 5 years now.

Looks no different now, then when West Coast 4x4 crew, fitted it for me.

Gra

 

[Ecoman]

Looks no different now, then when West Coast 4x4 crew, fitted it for me.

Did you get the Ironman snorkel or was it unbranded like mine?

 

[Graham]

Did you get the Ironman snorkel or was it unbranded like mine?

.
It was a Safari replica, I picked up when I was in China.
Just didn't say "Safari" on it, and was about 10% of Safari price.

I believe they are made in the same factory, with exactly the same material, etc.

Gra

 

[Ecoman]

Yup that's the same as mine. However I did compare mine to a safari one and it seems that they have 3 bolts holding the snorkel body to the a pillar and not 2 like on mine. The rest is exactly the same. I thought that for £80 plus customs it was worth a gamble. I would certainly buy another if the need arose

 

[Saulens4x4]

I have mounted cheap one last week, I have been warned by friends not to believe the template, it was not easy drill the holes in right places, but i made it, i had to disassemble the whole front right corner of my cruiser

 

[Ecoman]

If I may make a suggestion to anyone who has one of these kits. I can thoroughly recommend you throw away the big black circlip that holds the top on and get yourself down to your local chandlers and but a marine grade stainless one. The black circlip supplied with the kit will start to rust about 3 nanoseconds after fitting. 3 months on an it will be nigh on impossible to remove it

 

[MuckyPup]

This one did actually come with stainless worm drive clamps, no actual grade on them but what the hell eh? It's budget.
Suits me fine, but I'd understand other people being hacked off....

 

[Red Oktober]

here is mine .... complete with black jubilee clip that has not rusted yet

 

[Ecoman]

Lucky bugger Red

 

[warrenpfo]

Every one still happy as I have £100 to spend on a snorkel and it seems cheap is the way to go if they still lasting??

 

[stumog]

warren Dont pay £100 for 1 i sent the chap a offer of £60 and he accepted it. mines is fine happy with it.

 

[warrenpfo]

Thanks, all I'm saying is I have a £100 to spend but I'm happy to spend less if they good.

 

[dyladams]

A question I always have is if / when the snorkel breaks, can you easily replace the cheap snorkel with another one or even upgrade to a safari snorkel?

 

[Ecoman]

You can upgrade to a better one but it will mean drilling new holes in the A pillar. The ones in the wing will be hidden by the snorkel body no issues there.

Mine is still on from getting fitted 4 years ago and it still looks great. The repair I did on the top scoop has held. I certainly wont be upgrading in the near future that's for sure

 

[Brett]

I've got a cheap £60 Malaysian snorkel on mine .... and it has already been through the wars ... the head/grill is still in one piece. .... the template was a "safari" template which was pin perfect. ...

I guess that you pays your money and takes a chance on weather you get a quality item or not. not everything that's cheap is carp

Carl,

I've got one ready to fit that looks identical to yours, I got it from ebay seller (4wd-expeditions), post#1 has given me horrors about cutting a hole 2" too low, was hoping yours is the same as mine to offer some reassurance before getting busy with the starret!

Thanks

 

[MuckyPup]

Cgiven me horrors about cutting a hole 2" too low,

It was 20mm out, not 2" ! The snorkel body covers up a multitude of adjustment sins........