Stockist Spotlight — Trundles Automotive

At 4XJournal, we’re all about supporting the four-wheel-drive community, and that includes the businesses that keep our rigs rolling. That’s why we’re shining a spotlight on our stockists — so their customers and our readers can get to know them better. These businesses are at the heart of the 4WD industry, bringing expertise, passion, and innovation to the scene. This time, we’re catching up with Trundles Automotive, a powerhouse in New Zealand’s off-road suspension world. Their story is one of hard work, resilience, and an unrelenting drive to build something truly special.


About the Business

4XJournal: Hey Chris! Can you tell us a bit about Trundles Automotive? How did it all start?
Chris Trundle: This is going to be a long one, and I haven’t really gone into this with anyone before — so I’m not sure if this is what you’re after. But here goes.

I was going through an incredibly tough time in my life—relationship breakup, etc. I had moved into my mate’s $80,000 shitbox house near the railway tracks in Waitara. I was sitting on the toilet, staring at a big hole in the floor, watching rats run underneath. I thought to myself, "F***, I’m a loser." The guy I was living with, Sam, had actually become a really good friend, as he was in a similar situation.

About a week later, I moved into another mate’s place in town. A few days after that, Sam took his own life. Around this time, I met Claire — my wife (we’ve been together for 16 years now). That year, we started building a three-bay pole shed to live in. It was a $7,995 Fieldays special that we planned to close in at the front.

Somewhere in all of that, I just decided I wanted to do my own thing—probably because I’m practically unemployable. I quit my job with about $800–$1,000 in my bank account. The downside? We didn’t even have concrete, and we were still flatting in town. I didn’t even own a drill, a compressor, or any power tools.


I remember having $2 in my account and driving to town to bank cheques so we could pay for parts — because we couldn’t get accounts anywhere. Claire’s credit card definitely got a hiding.

We started small — one roller door, then two, then three, then five. I had always lifted my own trucks. When I was 16 and an apprentice mechanic, I had an LN130. Back then, you couldn’t really buy lift kits, so I made everything—matching up longer shocks, making adapters, machining body lifts on my boss’s lathe, and scoring tyres off D-class guys for cheap. People kept asking if I could lift their trucks, but at the time, I just wanted to work on race cars and do engineering and certification jobs. Eventually, the demand became too big to ignore.

We started selling other companies' springs—Autolign, Tuff Dog, etc.—but then we found a Thai supplier, Amada Extreme. We had around $50K capital in the bank and spent $49K on our first sea freight order. The downside? It took over 200 days to get the stock. That cooked us financially for a while. We stored stock in old containers in the paddock, where our pet sheep would get in and try to ram us while we picked up shocks.

From there, things exploded. We took on the Dobinsons Suspension range, and soon enough, the neighbours got sick of us. One day, we got a call from the council, and in a hurry, we had to lease a building in town.

There was even a sweepstake on our street, betting on how long we’d last in business. So, quitting was never an option. Claire’s work ethic is unreal—she puts in hours that most people wouldn’t believe. Within a year, we bought the 880sqm building we were leasing. Then, we outgrew it again and picked up another building.

Four or five years ago, we bought the land for our new building—close to 2,000sqm on a 4,600sqm section. Then COVID hit, which, when you have that much debt, is terrifying. I remember driving home to Oakura, pulling over, and just bawling my eyes out, thinking, "How the f*** are we going to pay all these bills if we can’t work?"

Fast forward to today: we have 25 staff and are the largest independent suspension company in NZ. We sell more spring upgrades than all 52 BNT/Autolign branches combined. The amount of work required to build a business of this size and not lose your marbles is insane. I wouldn’t still be doing it if it weren’t for Claire. She’s a savage worker. Both our families have helped every step of the way—whether it’s looking after the kids, helping us move, or loaning us tools.

Even when we built the first shed, it was all about favours—mates wiring the place, swapping race car work for digger hours, or sneaking in pit metal in work trucks. That’s why I get salty when people assume we had it easy.

What kind of 4WD products or services do you specialise in?
4WD suspension, performance upgrades, and improvements.

What’s something unique about your workshop/store that sets you apart?
We do almost everything in-house: parts, suspension, ADAS calibration, dyno tuning, welding, manufacturing, alignment, R&D, 3D printing, scanning, CAD—you name it.

Who’s on the team, and what are their areas of expertise?
We’ve got an insanely talented team, including race car builders, suspension specialists, parts experts, and even a professional stunt rider. 

• KC – Ex-BN Sports Japan fibreglasser, qualified builder, engineer, master of all

• Frenchy – I-CAR certified chassis tech, panel beater, qualified with every welding ticket known to man, ex-professional stunt rider (how we met)

• Harry – Qualified tech, 25-plus years on the tools, master of organisation, and the most thorough tech you will ever meet. Crasher of Skylines

• Tony – Qualified tech, 30-plus years in race car fabrication and electrical. Can wire anything full Mil-Spec. Epic race car builder—has made the first SR Cefiro in NZ, first JZ-converted Laurel, first 2J conversion on an FD, and so many wild Mazdas and Nissans. Super humble about his skills. Bare metal panel-beating guru. Ex-D1NZ pilot

• Jared – Qualified tech, 15 years on the tools, current NZ2 Class 3 off-road racer! The only person who can handle my ADHD and do 93 things all at once—please haha!

• Claire – My wife. International ordering expert, HR, bill payer, three-time child wrangler, feeder of Chris, teller of "harden the fuck up" to Chris. The only reason Trundles is still running. Stock taker, international order unloader, forklift driver, tidier, process fixer, etc. etc. etc. Qualified parts mito, second-place women's off-road racer, car club women's speed trophy winner two years running, drifter of pink V8 180SX

• Matty – CAD designer, graphic designer, shock builder, R&D, doer of way too much computer coding expertise

• Jack – Graphics, web developer, install manual expert, fixer of websites, designer of websites (he designs Hayden Paddon's rally car, which recently got second in the world behind Ken Block). Professional sim racer

• Georgia – Longest-standing employee, trade-qualified car fixer, owner of more cars than weekdays. Fixer of all computer and website things, qualified parts interpreter—she knows more than your husband

• Natalie – Holy shit, I’m getting numb hands. Natalie does so many things it’s not possible to put them in a sentence. Runs the parts department, accounts, and all sorts of horrifically stressful stuff that would make me quit for sure

• Thom – Parts, death metal guitarist extraordinaire, great hair, calmest person in the world

• Nikki – Parts, freight, kitset builder, logistics fixer, baby wrangler, netball doer. Qualified parts mito, missing-a-finger person

• Lilly – Freight and logistics, road bike racer, motard wheelier! Qualified parts mito

• Holly – Workshop organiser/runner/booker of things. Person that has to deal with Chris’s 970043 tasks. Strongest deadlifting woman at Trundles haha. Had no TV and one of nine kids

• Cheval – Social media, national weight-class-winning powerlifter, professional photo taker/content creator, dietitian and personal trainer, eater of eggs. Farm wrangler and hunter of all things

• Izak – The new guy. Photos for websites, website work, freight picker, six-day-a-week gym goer. Tall enough to be my dad’s dad (I think he’s 6 ft 5). Winner of the Dynhoven Electrical Award

• Dyani – Comedian, qualified teacher, maker of laughs, hardest and fastest worker in the West! Qualified parts mito

• Troy – Turbine engineer, D-Class driver, BMX freestyle stunter, machinist, kitset maker, forklift driver, runner of the green race truck, fixer of the green race truck, putter-upper of Chris’s shit driving

• Me – Floor sweeper!

• S Dog – Welder of things, racer of quad bikes, owner of too many cars, paddock bash extraordinaire. Thirty-five years of building awesomeness, 22 years of fixing metal I have bent. Self-inflicted injurer via crashing things. PhD brain like a 17-year-old, body like a 52-year-old

4WD Passion & Experience

What’s your favourite part about working in the 4WD industry?
When I’m on the dyno or developing/designing something, I’m getting paid to do what I’d do for free.

Do you have a favourite 4WD vehicle you’ve worked on or built?
Callum’s stretched and coiled Cruiser. For racing, Wilson’s diesel 4JJ1 Pro Lite that we tune.

What’s one essential upgrade you’d recommend for any 4WD owner?
A method of self-recovery—especially if you go out alone. Recovery tracks are key. Personally, I always prioritised tyres and suspension so I could look cool while getting stuck in a pond with no phone reception.

Community & Tracks

What’s your favourite local 4WD track?
Taranaki Offroad Racing Track!

Any memorable trips?
A family trip to the South Island with Kayden and Wilson’s families.

Carrying 4XJournal

Why did you decide to stock 4XJournal?
Because Claire and I believed René could do it better than anyone, and it’s what the country needed. We wanted to be part of his success.

What do your customers think about the magazine?
It’s gangsta.

What would you like to see in future issues?
More wild builds and hidden gems in sheds.

Final Thoughts

Where can people find you?
trundlesautomotive.co.nz, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat.

Any final words for the 4WD community?
Be kind and work with people. There’s plenty of talent in this industry—just because you don’t know someone doesn’t mean they aren’t skilled. Life and business come with immense struggle—be kind, uplift others, and the favour will come back. #DontBeAC***