Tough call
A lot of things have a tough time off-road, and a mobile phone is one such product. How many iPhones do you see with broken screens? If you need a phone outside, in a working environment, why not consider a JCB Toughphone. These original phones were launched in 2010 and now there’s a JCB Pro-Smart which features an Android 2.3 handset with full app capability, a 3.2inch HVGA touchscreen. It’s tough and waterproof and dustproof; probably won’t work if you bury it in the mud and drive over it, but it’s certainly going to survive a working day better than most. For more information about the JCB Toughphone range visit www.jcbphone.co.uk
Don’t know about you, but it’s easy to be a little cautious of any product that’s called Smart, but these new pick-up truck tops are exactly that. It’s a new brand to the UK pick-up market and it’s available from Up-Country Autoproducts. The Smart Arctic glazed hardtop is a great looking pick-up truck top that comes complete with roof rails as standard, sliding side windows, heated screen and lighting. Pick-up truck tops do often look particularly ‘add-on’ and clumsy, but this range has a much more authentic look. Check out the Up-Country website and you will see they are good value too. The Arctic glazed top is available for the Ford Ranger T6, Isuzu D-Max 12+, Nissan Navara D40, Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi L200 long bed and the VW Amarok. For more details go to: 
Britool Expert has added ten new wrench sets and 54 individual wrenches to its excellent mid-price tool range. Forged in chrome vanadium steel these wrenches are tough and suitable for the home DIY mechanic. Standard combination, double open-ended combination, offset and racheting wrenches are all available in the Britool Expert range. Available at many motoring factor outlets, you can also visit 
Given the weather in mid-January, it’s good to see another manufacturer is offering a winter tyre package this year. Interestingly, there was a full page ‘winter tyre’ feature in The Guardian recently, pointing out that much more should be done to raise the profile of winter tyre benefits. Appropriate, therefore, that we have heard from Suzuki and Toyota and now Audi who is offering winter tyre packages across its entire range. These packages do range from £799 to a wincing £3,659 – but then this does include some rather sexy wheels as well. The offer does include tyres only. To complement the winter tyre programme, Audi Centres are also offering customers a ‘tyre hotel’ service to tyres when they are not needed. For just £120 including VAT, tyres will be stored for 12 months in Audi branded wheel bags. Audi drivers can find more information by www.audi.co.uk/owners-area/winter-tyres.html. For other owners, check with your dealer what offers are available, or go to Kwik Fit as there are special winter tyre offers at many centres – unless they have all sold out, rather like sliced bread in most southern suburban supermarkets this January!
Vehicles often look surprisingly tatty when seemingly insignificant nuts and bolts start to rust. The pins that hinge the fresh ait vents on the front of a Land Rover are one such item. You can now improve this with stainless steel hinge pins and nuts from the guys behind the Defender Demister. These shiny pins will improve the look of your Land Rover and available at only £15.95 Including VAT and delivery (UK), £17.95 (Europe) £19.95(ROW). They are available at 
Looking for better traction and more suspension control? Summit Racing has a variety of new products to offer just that, including the Yukon Gear and Zip Locker, which allows you to go from an open differential to fully lockable by flipping a switch. These lockers are built for both on and off-road use and work using air pressure to offer a variable locking action. If you are looking for this kind of diff control, check out the Summit Racing website, but beware – you’ll be bewitched by the enormous variety of performance products on show! Go to 
At the end of last year we heard about Varra, a British company with a new range of ‘plug in’ tuning modules. With offices in Australia, India and Russia, Varra has a website offering full details of suitable applications for the UK Market. The company claims to have tuning modules available for around 3000 diesel vehicles, with a petrol version being launched later this spring. These modules work by altering the fuelling at certain rpm levels, thereby changing the power delivery; either for more power, or better economy. The Varra module can be manually adjusted, and fitted can be a DIY process, although fitting agents are available. Products have a two-year warranty. For more details about whether your vehicle is suitable, call 0845 838 1417 or you can email them on 
It seems that this corrosion protection product was developed through the American space race! Based on the fact that space vehicles do take something of a battering when in use, and then end up unceremoniously splashing down in corrosive salt water (!) we now have Nyalic, which can help preserve your 4×4’s wheels! Basically it’s a polymeric resin that coats the wheel and will protect against corrosive chemicals – like road salt – as well as other nasty muck like brake dust. It’s a water clear ultra thin resin that you coat the wheels with and is claimed to then offer ‘many years’ protection, is UV resistant and will not flake or peel. Given the cost of alloy wheels on 4x4s these days, it seems a rather good idea. A Nyalic Automotive Kit gives 6.5sqm of coverage, enough for a vehicle, and costs £34.99 (inc VAT), plus postage and packing by mail order, online from 
Auto Styling has a series of special winter offers for quality floor mats for most 4×4 vehicles. Well worth buying decent mats at this time of the year. The mats range from Truckman tailored mats from only £23.95, heavy-duty universal mats, to tailored fitted mats at £70.22. To learn which are the best mats for your vehicle, contact 0845 644 4704. Or to buy online, check out 
Bad snow in the UK makes a lot of people think more about how we can clear not only roads, but airports, schools, hospitals; anywhere that we need to get to! It seems the guys at Polaris have had similar thoughts and now are inviting The Boss to the UK. This doesn’t mean another Bruce Springsteen concert, as Boss snowploughs have been available for Polaris ATVs for some years. The equipment will be available in the UK through Farmquip. Teamed with a Polaris Ranger Diesel, Boss snowploughs offer a great combination for the most extreme terrain and conditions, all with in-cab control. Of course, once you have cleared a road, the next step is the gritter. The Boss TGS 800 tailgate spreader can easily be attached to the rear of a Polaris. The rotary ‘paddle action’ can spread rock salt, grit, sand and other de-icing materials. You would certainly think that the combination of Polaris and The Boss would offer cost-effective all-round winter maintenance, highly suitable to contractors, local authorities, small estates, hospitals, and airports. Polaris Britain can be contacted on 0800 915 6720, or check out: 
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