Surrey Off-Road Specialists Limited

Surrey Off-Road News

Between service safety checks

In the current financial climate, it’s becoming increasingly more expensive to run the average 4x4. This is leading to people stretching their service intervals out on vehicles no longer under warranty, in an effort to economise.

Whilst the modern engineering and lubricants are capable of going for longer between services, the safety aspect of servicing is also being overlooked.

We do not advocate stretching or skipping services as the service is intended to keep an eye on everything and prevent any safety or reliability issues from occurring. However, we also appreciate that times are hard and some compromises need to be made.

To that end we have introduced a between service checkover, to ensure that the safety and reliability aspects do not get overlooked, without stretching the wallet too badly.

The checkover takes approximately 1.25 hours and can be done whilst you wait. We will check all the oils and fluid levels. Steering joints and wheel bearings. Front and rear brake components and tyre pressures and tread depth. Lights, wiper blades and Drive belts. Drive line joints and Suspension components.

The basic checkover costs £75.00 + VAT. A Total of £88.13.

We will flag up any problems or potential future problems and discuss them with you.

Any additional work, parts, oils etc will be discussed with the customer and charged in addition to the checkover

This way you can spread the costs a little, without running the risk of driving a dangerous vehicle.


4x4 News

Fuel Price rises hit 4x4 sales

"After years of boom, the wheels are finally coming off the smart set's love affair with 4x4s. Sales of the gas-guzzling off-road and sports utility vehicles have slumped as the price of filling up a fuel tank has soared" The Independent, Friday 6th June. Just one of the Newspaper Headlines this month. Is this necessarily bad news for the 4x4 enthusiast? Accordinging to the The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 4x4 registrations fell by 18% in May compared with this time last year but, over the last year they've have been rising, BBC Thursday 5th June. "Gas-guzzling" 4x4's is of course a bit of a generalisation, there are plenty of 2WD cars that offer worse fuel economy. In fact, some 4x4's are quiet frugal, a modern Toyota Hilux diesel can return in the region of 40 MPG. Back to the question, is this bad news for the 4x4 community? Not necessarily. There are some amazing deals to be had on new and nearly new 4x4's at the dealers at the moment (£20K off a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee anyone?). There are some good deals to be had on the older vehicles too. Grab yourself a bargain and you'll have plenty of money left over to modify and put fuel in it. Yes, we know, fuel is expensive (and its not just in the UK, the Australian's are complaining too) but, if your 4x4 isn't your everyday car...

Here at Surrey Off-Road we love 4x4's and the older ones particlularly: We have over 15 years of experience in modification and servicing of four wheel drives. We've even put together a 'Between Service Safety Check' package which is also ideal for someone considering purchasing a used vehicle.

Outback Challenge Morocco 2008

"The 2008 version of the Outback Challenge, organized by Mr. Patrice Ryder from Outback Import, France, took place from April 23rd to May 5th in Morocco. Total of 15 teams from six different countries conquered the Moroccan Desert with their special 4WD vehicles. Vehicles specially built for such an event with increased height suspension, different shock absorbers, winches, tires, lights, etc, almost a complete competition vehicle." Read more at marathonrally.com

For more details of this great event: http://www.outback-challenge.com

New, lighter, Engel Portable Fridge / Freezer

Engel have introduced a new model; the Eclipse 38 Litre. Featuring a polypropolene casing, Tri-Voltage input (12/24VDC and 240AC) and low power consumption (0.5 to 2.75A), Ideal for camping or overland trips. See engelaustralia.com.au for more details.