Once you’ve got a useless bullbar, nothing says bush-bashing bogan quite as loud as fitting a snorkel to one’s 4X4, the better to enhance its capabilities for those extreme trips to the shops, or dropping the brats off at school. #’Straya! Snorkels are a joke, 99.9 per cent of the time. Here’s why.

Podcast (audio-only version, for listening in the car, etc.): https://anchor.fm/autoexpert

Save thousands on any new car (Australia-only): https://autoexpert.com.au/contact

AutoExpert discount roadside assistance package:
https://247roadservices.com.au/autoex...

Did you like this report? You can help support the channel, securely via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...

The only epistemologically objective justification I can see for fitting a snorkel is: you want to drive through rooly, rooly deep water without destroying the engine. Meaning water deeper than the official wading depth of the vehicle. It’s in the handbook, dude.

The aftermarket industry - so keen to tell you it won’t affect the warranty. But I’d suggest if you fit a snorkel, drive into deep water and hydro-lock your engine … forget all about a warranty claim from the carmaker.

They’ll simply say: Kindly refer to page 453 - wading depth. You exceeded it, dude. That’ll be $22,000 including fitting and GST. Will that be cash, or defibrillator?

You might be able to come after the aftermarket dudes - but you’d have to prove the product was defective, or the installation was. Good luck with that. Ultimately it could prove to be a pretty expensive creek crossing.

The one advantage of having the dealer fit a genuine snorkel is that, for consumer law purposes, you’ll be coming after the dealer for warranty and/or consumer law issues. You won’t have two competing parties, each trying desperately to brush you off onto the other.

As fr the claims about cooler air, or less dusty air, or additional performance from the so-called ram-air effect, in my view they're either insignificant, or outright rubbish.

I get it if you want a fashion accessory (that's what most snorkels are) but let's not be convincing ourselves these other effects are worthwhile.