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Is there anything in it? My mighty Berlingo needs extra bike capacity and this time it'll be on the roof (having used tow bar racks for years). I've not got the factory rails but do have mounting points, so the option to either add rails (with cross bars) or just mounting straight onto the mounting points are both open.
The rack (including bike carriers) probably/possibly wont be there on a permanent basis. Is one option better than have than the other?
I'm looking at this but for different reasons. About to buy an EV and would like it to take kayak places on a regular basis.
My theory at the moment is that rails are easier to take bars off/on with than mounting points or the style the clamp around the roof under the door seals. And are less likely to damage the paint if adding and removing once or twice a week.
Tricky one this - my Vivaro Life has the mounting points, which makes foot availability good, and with mounts you are unlikely to damage the paint - mine won't take roof bars as the rails do indeed mount to the points, but my version with a sunroof, doesn't have the rear mounts, so no rails.
You've potentially got extra cost of rails, cross members and adapters feet than just the bars and adapter feet.
Speed of fitting will be another issue - not so sure which would be faster.
You've potentially got extra cost of rails, cross members and adapters feet than just the bars and adapter feet.
Works out pretty similar. Think I’m ~£165 for rails + cross bars, or ~£200 for bars + feet. Which doesn’t really help matters at all
I was musing on this the other day.
I am amazed there aren't better low profile options to leave permanently attached between the rails for example. Istead its a big bloody lump at each connection and all a bit tacked on.
Except the dacia jogger... Which has absolutely nailed the perfect system i reckon. Unbolt the straigh rails and the become the rack... Genius.
You've potentially got extra cost of rails, cross members and adapters feet than just the bars and adapter feet.
Works out pretty similar. Think I’m ~£165 for rails + cross bars, or ~£200 for bars + feet. Which doesn’t really help matters at all
Look on eBay - very cheap Thule stuff available esp if you know what model number fits your car.
Fossy - is yours the same as my crew-van with just 4 sets of threaded holes (roughly above the sliding door)? If so, I think lack of the rear mountings might be more to do with the tailgate rather than sunroof.
To the op - if you can get brackets and bars that screw straight to the mounts in the roof, it might be quite quick to remove / refit once initially set up (depending how much the bars obscure the roof bolts).
The Berlingo roof rails have also slimmed down on the facelift version of this model (maybe chasing aero improvements on the EV). Shame they don't do like the original Berlingo where the cross bars were always there, built into and hidden under the longitudinal rail and just pivoting out when needed.
I am amazed there aren't better low profile options to leave permanently attached between the rails for example. Istead its a big bloody lump at each connection and all a bit tacked on.
The rails I’m looking at do have a low profile crossbar option that looks pretty good. But, and it’s a sizeable “but”, that version doesn’t have locks on the cross bars
To the op - if you can get brackets and bars that screw straight to the mounts in the roof, it might be quite quick to remove / refit once initially set up (depending how much the bars obscure the roof bolts).
Yeah would just be a bolt on. Oddly though, as its the long version, I've got three sets of mounting points to choose from, so need to check out which combo would be used
Do you need to be able to adjust the distance between the cross bars for different applications. If so rails + bars.
Yeah, that was going to be my input. Rails are handy if you want to transport big stuff - I've had long scaff boards happily on my Volvo estate, nicely braced, as well as big lumps of OSB with no hint of flutter.
Those vertical screw mounted roof racks seem like a great idea, you just twizzle in four little Allen head bolts and done. Nice and secure, roof rack in the same spot every time.
It'll lull you into a false sense of achievement and fit ok on a nice dry day in June when you've time to spare and good sunlight to see the bolts and holes.
The minute you have to fit it in a rush on a cold, wet November evening the holes will need tapping out, nothing will line up and your hex key will land up exactly dead centre of Azerbaijan where you've hurled it in frustration.
Roof rails for the win although I'd be surprised if the rails mount to the same holes as a screw mounted rack. 🙂
I have fixpoints on mine and it does work perfectly well but it's imo pretty much the worst roofrack option that isn't just terrible. It's fiddly, and you're definitely more likely to whack the bars off the roof, or for that matter lose the little flappy parts. Plus on this particular car, when you've got a rack fitted the fixpoints get very wet and tend to corrode. And of course it's prescriptive on the actual location, I can't get my roofbox how I want it. You can get another version of this car with proper rails, some day I'm going to get a set from a scrappy and fit em, though it's a bollocks of a job. They even look better imo.
(eh, shouldn't complain about losing the covers, I scrapped one of these cars and sold a set of little flappy covers on ebay for £50)
when you've got a rack fitted the fixpoints get very wet and tend to corrode
On our SMax we kept an M6 blind tap in the glove box for exactly that reason when the roof rack was on and off a couple of times a month. Every time it was a bit tight we'd take the rack back off and run the tap down the holes and start again.
Salt water run off from the Topper dinghy/kayaks probably didn't help 😂
Had both types in the past.
Slightly prefer rails.
Couldn't say which is quicker, both seem about the same to pop the bars on and off.
YMMV of course.
Rails for me, the fixed points on my old Smax were a pain compared to rails on the previous cars.
Rails for me, the fixed points on my old Smax were a pain compared to rails on the previous cars.
Rails for me, the fixed points on my old Smax were a pain compared to rails on the previous cars.
I'd go with rails.
I had the ones that bolted straight to the roof mounting points on my C-max and they leaked once the factory seal had been removed from the bolt holes.
I am amazed there aren't better low profile options to leave permanently attached between the rails for example. Istead its a big bloody lump at each connection and all a bit tacked on.
Presumably an emissions thing as the cross bars will create drag. But why they can't just have a couple of pockets in the rails and then sell you some aero extrusion that fits in the gap neatly and attaches with a couple of bolts I've no idea.
Most flexible thing I've found for roof mounting is the t-track rails our van has. You get the flexibility of rails, with no added height or noise. You then get these little cleats that fit onto the tracks that allow you to position roof bars anywhere along the length of the vehicle.
I have a Vauxhall Combo 2021. It is exactly the same as the Berlingo. It has 3 sets of mounting points. I fitted some Turtle roof rails, available silver or black, and use removable cross rails (Thule). When fitting the roof rails pay attention to bolt length. I greased the bolts with copper grease before fitting.
I had rails on the Avensis Estate, and mounting points on the BMW i4.
The rails were a bit quicker to put on, but the paint on them got quite scratched with the way the foot "clipped" around it. Probably not helped by the fact that the car was by then old so I didn't really care so didn't try too hard not to scratch it.
The i4 has a single screw thread hidden beneath a little flap at each corner. It's a bit of a faff to attach each mounting point and then the rails, but I timed it and it's about 7 minutes total to mount the racks and the same to remove so not actually a real world issue.
I wouldn't choose a car based on the difference that's for sure, but my preference would be slightly towards rails - assuming my scratching issues on the Avensis were mainly down to lack of care on my part.
but my preference would be slightly towards rails - assuming my scratching issues on the Avensis were mainly down to lack of care on my part.
I'm planning on heli taping the attachment points on the rails on my next car as I know the bars will come on an off so regularly.
I've had cars with raised rails, 'integrated' rails, and Mrs had a car with the bolt holes.
Got to say, I thought the bolt holes were a complete PITA and a disaster waiting to happen - seems a flakey crap attachment with some **** weld attachment that I just didn't trust. + as another post earlier -once in any way not clean and perfect, turn to a royal pain. Never ever ever again for me.
Raised rails for me so much better - my Thule bars had graced about 5 cars and 20 years - as the clamp at enxh end to the roof rail is universal and tool-free. At varous times I carry bikes, kayaks, roof box, and also these days a roof tent.
One thing I like with the raised rails is that the extra inch or two of height from the roof means I can put the kayak on upside down , with the rim of the cockpit up against the leading bar - a positive 'locator' in the event of a collision so the boat has a lower chance of flying off forwards and killing someone (the longitudinal load is part reacted at the bar/rim rather than purely trying to burst the straps)