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Steel bumpers .....are they legal in the UK/Europe?

Rudolph Hart

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Is the big plastic front bumper a legal requirement in Europe?

I see aftermarket steel bumpers advertised in the UK as ‘not for road use’...not sure whether this is because they tend to incorporate ‘bull bars’. Maybe we could have the US Rubicon steel bumpers?

I don’t want to go ‘illegal’ or create insurance problems.

Maybe I could keep the plastic front bumper and mount a winch behind it?

Anybody?

Help!
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melendez69

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Steel bumpers are legal in Europe, but I wouldn't know if plastic is a legal requirement. That's probably a question for AXA or whomever provides your vehicle insurance in England.

Rocks 4x4 is an Italian manufacturer of Jeep aftermarket products & accessories, including steel bumpers.

https://www.rocks-4x4.it/en/
 
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Frontal

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I'm looking forward to getting a standard Mopar steel bumper for my Rubi when and if they appear in the UK.

Nobody seems knowledgeable on the legal side of steel bumpers which are manufacturer made/approved?
 

jljeepster

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Yes, if they are homologated. Right now only some Italian bumpers are. The rest, including us rubi bumper, are illegal
Had to look up the word homologated. So what your saying is that any bumpers need to be approved by some governing authority? In the states this would be the Department of Transportation (DOT). Also could be the individual states DOT as well.
 

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Rudolph Hart

Rudolph Hart

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I'm looking forward to getting a standard Mopar steel bumper for my Rubi when and if they appear in the UK.

Nobody seems knowledgeable on the legal side of steel bumpers which are manufacturer made/approved?
You’re right, nobody seems to know what’s legal I’m waiting on a response from Jeep UK.

Ultimately I guess I may go with whatever the insurers are happy with.
 
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Rudolph Hart

Rudolph Hart

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Yes, if they are homologated. Right now only some Italian bumpers are. The rest, including us rubi bumper, are illegal
Do you have a link to any Italian sites that might be selling homologated bumpers?

Thanks
 

lohr500

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Watching with interest John as I think the existing UK spec bumper is horrible looking.
Having got mine booked into the dealers in early April to get the front parking sensors fixed, I hope there will be a steel bumper out there with holes for the sensors and front fog lamp units.
 

Frontal

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Watching with interest John as I think the existing UK spec bumper is horrible looking.
Having got mine booked into the dealers in early April to get the front parking sensors fixed, I hope there will be a steel bumper out there with holes for the sensors and front fog lamp units.
If you are looking at a Mopar one? it will have fog light unit holes.
 
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Rudolph Hart

Rudolph Hart

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If you are looking at a Mopar one? it will have fog light unit holes.
Yes the Mopar bumper has the holes for the fog lights but they don’t get the front parking sensors In the US .. I’m not sure how easy it would be for us to make the holes.

I spotted this bumper on the Belgian site...they don’t say anything about legality but it doesn’t have the bull bars which seem to be the main objection in the Uk. Also I wonder if maybe the red dots are holes for the sensors?
http://jeepshop.be/gb/home/624-rock-s-stealth-bumper-for-jeep-wrangler-jl.html

I’ll make an enquiry about this one and post the response
 

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Rudolph Hart

Rudolph Hart

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For anybody in the UK interested in this here’s an update.

After 3 weeks waiting for a response to my various questions from Jeep UK and/or the dealership, mainly around the steel bumper issue I’ve given up They either don’t know the answers or don’t care. I’m frustrated because I wanted to go with Mopar parts to avoid any potential warranty issues.

I’ve spent time researching the legality of steel bumpers online and found a lot of differing opinions. On various Defender/Discovery/4x4 forums there are opinions like...

They’re legal to use but not legal to be sold by a retailer!

They’re not legal

They’re legal if they have a clear purpose i.e. for mounting a winch.

They’re legal if they don’t include a bull bar

etc etc

Lots of conflicting information.

So I went into the indi garage/MOT station in the village and asked the tester ‘’what happens when a 4x4 comes in for testing and it has steel bumpers and a winch ‘’? His reply. ‘’I ignore them...they’re not part of the test’’.

Seeking further clarification I phoned my insurers (Adrian Flux). ‘’Can I fit steel bumpers and a winch to my Jeep’’. Instant answer ‘’yes that’s no problem at all’’. They quoted me just over £100 extra.

So on the basis that A. steel bumpers are not an MOT failure and B. the insurers are happy I’m going to order....

Smittybilt Gen2 XRC front and rear bumpers. The rear comes with the holes for the parking sensors but we will have to drill holes for the front....until we see it we’re not sure how this is going to pan out.

Warn Zeon 10s Platinum winch with synthetic rope and a recovery kit.

ARB twin air compressor, the one that can be mounted under the bonnet. This can be controlled (along with one other accessory) by the remote controller for the winch..clever stuff.

And various other bits and bobs totalling far more than I intended to spend!

The bumpers and winch come with their own manufacturers warranties.

I decided against bigger tyres and a suspension lift because A. I suspect that the stock set up is perfectly capable of handling the off roading I’m likely to do B. tyres wider than the bodywork/fender flares are definitely an MOT fail and C I ran out of money. So I’m going with the stock set up..for now.

I’ll post some pics when we’re done.

Happy Jeeping.
 
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Rudolph Hart

Rudolph Hart

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So today I had a chat with Andy at https://jeepey.com/ and ordered a long list of items from his website including the stuff in my post above. He’s a Jeep knowledgeable guy and very helpful. I’m confident he is going to deliver good quality/fit for purpose equipment. If you’re in the UK and looking to enhance your Jeep hit him up.
 

KarnaughMI

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Rudolph, great thread and one I have been looking for all over the place. I am in the USGovt and I was selected for an assignment to London. We recently bought our 2019 JLUR and I have been scrambling to find out what I can do (and what I have to change) to my Jeep in order to pass inspection.

I have the factory steel bumper package, and it sounds like I am better off installing a winch before I get there to help get past MOT?

I have been looking to lift it with the AEV 2.5" lift and 37s mounted on AEV Pintlers. The Pintler's have a 5.77" backspacing and look like they will not stick out past the flares.

Otherwise, I have done underarmor mods (Rancho front diff skid, Rancho rear control arm+shock skids, Metalcloak rear diff skid, and EVO Oil/Trans skid plates. I have to install my Spiderwebshade one of these days.

I am considering lifting it, and then getting the wheels while there or put them in my sea shipment along with my soft top. I requested a yard so I may swap the tops while there and put the hard top in the yard.

Not sure where I am living (being told it may be Putney/Wimbledon area). Any good clubs or off-road parks?

Anything you can think of to help get past MOT would be great!

-Tom
 

lohr500

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Hi Tom,

Do you know how long your posting will be in UK?
I don't know much about importing US spec vehicles into the UK, but there is some info. on this link :

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports

Looks like there may be an exception to retain the USA registration plate for over 6 months if you can meet certain requirements.

Would your company's HR team be able to help you with the rules on importing the JLU into UK?
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