I would just like to let people know of my experiences with Derek from ABR 4WD
Accessories (www.sidewinder.com.au) when purchasing a Dual Battery Kit for my Prado.
Firstly about me...
I was interested in a dual battery setup for my Prado to run our car fridge on our trip around Australia. I am not very mechanically proficient or used to working with auto electrics. Nevertheless I like to research a bit about what I need so I found the Exploroz site pretty valuable.
I saw some of Derek's postings and advertisements on the ExplorOz website so I started emailing him on my requirements and sourcing further information from him. He was prompt with his replies and he seemed to be pretty helpful in letting me know what I needed. I was concerned about whether I would be able to personally fit the kit myself. Derek assured me it was easy for a novice to fit and that I would not have a problem. He also offered to supply a custom cable for the fridge and supplied images of how to install that additional
wiring. So far I was pretty happy with the service so I opted to purchase the kit paying just over $550 for the Battery Kit and custom cable for the fridge.
When the kit arrived it came with more detailed instructions on how to fit it to the Prado. I must admit I was pretty daunted by
the steps involved in relocating the power steering reservoir; the modifications to be made to the existing bracket and the hole to be drilled and sealed with silicone to help prevent the onset of rust. This may all be simple stuff to a regular mechanic or auto electrician - to a novice this was anything but. These adjustments to the power steering also raised a further concern on how these modifications would affect the vehicle warranty?
The official word from Toyota is...
Toyota Warranty will continue to apply to original components of the vehicle providing they have not been altered from the manufacturer's specification or impacted by the modifications. Also, the Toyota Warranty will continue to apply if your vehicle is fitted with Toyota Genuine Parts and
Accessories. However, any damage resulting from non-genuine modifications will not be covered.
The ABR battery kit parts are non-genuine modifications so this basically means that any problems with the power steering would be void under the warranty. This may not be a concern to some people - it was to me.
Now I was more fully informed of the installation procedure and warranty issues I contacted Derek asking whether I could return the kit and get a refund. None of the packaging had been opened and no attempt had been made at installation. After several emails to and through it basically boiled down to this.
If I wanted to fit the kit Derek was there to help; his recommendation was to engage an auto electrician if I did not feel confident enough (which I didn't). However there was no way Derek was offering any refund on the kit whatsoever. His stance was that he is a small outfit that cannot (or will not) offer refunds. He additionally felt that he could not resell a second hand kit (despite nothing being opened or used). He also argued that the kit was custom made for my Prado. This was not the case, it could be sold to any customer with a Prado - I was willing to concede that the additional cable provided for the fridge may have been custom made and so I was willing to negotiate on that (in reality it is only the length of cable and the effort involved in adding the connectors and labelling). However Derek was not willing to negotiate on anything - he would provide no refunds at all.
This is my first bit of advice for potential customers - be sure what your are buying is exactly what you want; ABR have no refund policy if you change your mind even for a legitimate reason. So Buyer Beware!
Next, to try and make good of a bad situation I sought professional advice and assistance to get this kit installed. I found a great outlet in Osborne Park WA who not only supply batteries but are experienced in fitting dual battery systems to 4WD's. What I learnt here though made me regret my ABR purchase even more.
Firstly I learnt that all the components that ABR had provided in this kit (inc the custom fridge cable) they would retail for less than $300 (quite a bit cheaper than the price charged by ABR).
Secondly and more worryingly was the news that the Battery Tray provided in the ABR kit would be pretty inadequate and flimsy to go 4WD driving in. The proper battery tray for a Prado is significantly more robust and costs around $130 - the tray that ABR provides is a cheap tray which they retail for around $18 and they felt was not fit for purpose for 4WD driving.
One last comment (although not as important) was that the type of isolator provided is not necessarily the best one of choice. They would fit a different model that in addition to the automatic switching it also provides a manual switch so that you crank the engine from the auxiallary battery if your main battery was flat. With the one provided in the ABR kit it is automatic only so jump leads would additionally be required to be able to do this.
In short and from my experience, if ABR provides you with what you need you can rely on Derek to be helpful in the your initial dealings and he will deliver the goods. Should you discover the goods are not what you expected then do not expect any success in returning the goods for a refund. Please be sure that what you are buying is what you want before paying any money.