A snorkel that lets water in is about as useful as a left-handed screwdriver. Now if light can get out, water can get in. I have personally seen one of these snorkels shine like a disco ball when held up to the light. If a plastic mould isn’t cleaned correctly before and after use, small holes will appear in the plastic surface thanks to those remaining impurities. The most concerning aspect of generic snorkels, is the actual moulding technique. Mounting hardware is made from a grade of metal that resembles recycled soft drink cans, and if they don’t snap first they will rust – ask me how I found out. Fitting templates are often wrong or simply not included which makes installation an absolute nightmare. Meaning they fade, and become brittle after sitting in the sun for even a short period of time. By purchasing an unknown and untested product, you could be putting your engine in a potentially lethal situation.Īs an observation, the cheaper no-name snorkels I’ve seen are made from extremely thin material, which has little to no consideration for UV stability. Sure, a snorkel might just look like a piece of plastic bolted to the side of your truck, but it serves a valuable purpose. Here, production of things such as machinery, plastics and electronics attracts business from the likes of OEMs like Toyota, Honda and Nissan. More specifically in Guangzhou ETDZ on the eastern side, where you will find Zengcheng Industrial Manufacturing Zone near the auto industrial base. So while not all manufacturing is conducted here, it would be a safe bet to assume a majority of these four-wheel drive accessories are being produced in in Guangzhou. GUANGZHOU ETDZ (Economic and Technological Development Zone) GUANGZHOU HIDZ (High Tech Industrial Development Zone) The city is broken into four zones that dictate the roles of the manufacturing plants: There are approximately forty key manufacturing sectors in China with thirty-four of them reported to be based in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong. Which is why we thought it was high time to take a closer look at the story behind badge-engineered four-wheel drive products.Ĭhina contains quite literally thousands of industrial areas. It’s all about making informed decisions as a consumer. That’s not to say there aren’t bargains out there, and sometimes you don’t need the best of everything. The expression ‘the poor man buys twice’ rings true, if something seems too good to be true it often is. These accessories are manufactured with two things in mind – how much will they cost to make, and how much profit can they be sold for. Sure, these accessories might be cheaper to buy, but what will they cost you in the long run? Have they had any real world testing conducted before going to market? And are they made with Australian conditions in mind? You’re dreaming! And this is the reason we have seen many new four-wheel drive companies pop up in the last few years, offering products that claim to be high quality while ‘passing the savings on to the consumer’. Winches, snorkels, roof racks even imitation air lockers can be snapped up if you know where to look. In fact, you might swear that you’ve seen them for sale at your local 4X4 show. Ever heard of a website called ? If not, maybe have a closer look and you will notice there are plenty of familiar looking four-wheel drive accessories being sold.
Sure, you might think it only applies to Beats headphones and North Face jackets, but knock-offs have hit the 4X4 world front-and-centre, and it’s easier than ever to get your hands on these questionable products. No one would ever question the Chinese work ethic – but when it comes to such matters as creativity, ingenuity and international copyright law, they’re perhaps not the best.Ĭhina is notorious for being the knock-off capital of the world.
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