Replacement front bumpers

Somebody reversed into our 2006 Defender and it needs a new front bumper.
The end caps are fine.
I called Land Rover and the price is a massive £200+VAT

However Craddocks sell new ones for £55 with free postage....1/5th the price of Land Rover dealer!
And they are powder coated.

Are the Craddocks ones alright, as in the same thickness of steel, reasonable quality, fit properly etc?

As it seems a hell of a lot cheaper for what looks like the same part.

You can get a 4mm folded steel one for less than £55


steels only going to be something like 2mm max on standard I think as I've got one in the shed and it definitely isn't 3mm!

lightning said:

Somebody reversed into our 2006 Defender and it needs a new front bumper.
The end caps are fine.
I called Land Rover and the price is a massive £200+VAT

However Craddocks sell new ones for £55 with free postage....1/5th the price of Land Rover dealer!
And they are powder coated.

Are the Craddocks ones alright, as in the same thickness of steel, reasonable quality, fit properly etc?

As it seems a hell of a lot cheaper for what looks like the same part.

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yes it will work fine and look the same

All you are doing is comparing a genuine part with an aftermarket one, most parts suppliers will offer you the genuine option but nine times out of ten (or is that ninety nine times out of a hundred?) people will take the OE or aftermarket one because it is (significantly) cheaper. The JC one will be the same one sold by all the other parts suppliers.

Right thanks for the advice l will buy the Craddocks one then.

If they reversed into your vehicle get a genuine one and get them to pay - assuming you know who it was obviously!

Get the aftermarket one, make them pay for genuine, pocket the difference

The guy reversed into our Defender after he got stuck in the middle of a junction and had to reverse. Just by chance there was another Defender behind ours and the guy (driving a van) saw that one in his mirrors but not ours, so he says.
If l can get a new bumper for £55 it is not worth the hassle, his insurance company want to take it away for repair even though it is a ten minute job to replace. Plus the fact he could change his story and claim my wife drove into him, nobody stopped so there were no witnesses.
I would have hoped the other Defender might have stopped but my wife said they just overtook and drove off.

Your call but it could be said that you are reducing the value of your vehicle by fitting pattern parts when you come to sell it?

Will anybody notice a pattern front bumper?

That was my original thought, is it a like for like replacement for the original. Is it going to be noticeable as a pattern part when fitted?

Depends on the quality, may have skimped on the finish and could rust quicker, alternately could be better than genuine?

I will speak to Craddocks in the morning.

Black sheep offroad do a heavy duty bumper made from 6mm steel for £40 + vat

AlbertDefender90 said:

Black sheep offroad do a heavy duty bumper made from 6mm steel for £40 + vat

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I have one of Clive's HD bumpers. Anyone reversing in to it will write their motor off long before it bends. Much stronger than the standard one and looks exactly the same except its 6mm thick steel.

OK that might be the one to fit then, and it is even cheaper.

A bumper is a bumper, a thicker steel one is better. There are plenty about at nice prices and they will all fit without a problem. Just don't pay 200 for one!!

Quality side of things, they should be fine and I very much doubt it'd affect the value of the car. If the finish isnt as good and it begins to rust in a few years time then it'll probably only be blending in with the rest of the landrover. Its not anything a bit of satin black paint cant tidy anyway.

AlbertDefender90 said:

Black sheep offroad do a heavy duty bumper made from 6mm steel for £40 + vat

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I don't think clives doing them anymore, I was talking about them a wee while back and he mentioned he'd stopped making them. Shame as I would have liked one

Kwakerman said:

Your call but it could be said that you are reducing the value of your vehicle by fitting pattern parts when you come to sell it?

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What utter tosh....in my humble opinion, once fitted you will never notice.

the_wolf said:

I don't think clives doing them anymore, I was talking about them a wee while back and he mentioned he'd stopped making them. Shame as I would have liked one

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They are still advertising them on their website.

lightning said:

They are still advertising them on their website.

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Nope I spoke to him only a couple if weeks ago and he confirmed that this was no longer supplied.