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Original poster

know anything about roof boxes?

43 replies

Twiglett · 21/06/2006 18:48

is it worth going for the Thule brand or should I buy a Halfords one

or is there a 'great' brand out there I'm missing

OP posts:
sallystrawberry · 21/06/2006 18:50

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KBear · 21/06/2006 18:50

Halfords ones do the job just fine. We have just whizzed back from Scotland with ours full to bursting!!

sallystrawberry · 21/06/2006 18:52

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QueenPeaHead · 21/06/2006 18:52

twiglett have a look at carbox.co.uk. it is all they do and they tell you exactly how to choose a size to fit your car, type, etc etc and they have good pictures. they deliver super-fast (got one to me in less than 24 hours). also v competitively priced.

highly recommended! otherwise it is a bit of a minefield

sallystrawberry · 21/06/2006 18:53

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Original poster
Twiglett · 21/06/2006 19:03

I don't have roofbars yet .. Halfords say will cost £98 for roofbars .. eek this is getting pricey

OP posts:
Original poster
Twiglett · 21/06/2006 19:04

did you get promoted when I wasn't looking PPH? (thanks will have a look)

are roofbars difficult to fit?

OP posts:
KBear · 21/06/2006 19:12

tip for roofbars Twig.... buy the best you can, preferably the ones designed to fit your car or you too will be out with the duct tape to stop the noise from the bars on a 560 miles journey! Said they fit our car but didn't say "fit badly". should have bought the manufacturers ones.

KBear · 21/06/2006 19:12

tip for roofbars Twig.... buy the best you can, preferably the ones designed to fit your car or you too will be out with the duct tape to stop the noise from the bars on a 560 miles journey! Said they fit our car but didn't say "fit badly". should have bought the manufacturers ones.

sallystrawberry · 21/06/2006 20:20

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QueenPeaHead · 21/06/2006 20:21

twiglett, sorry the site I used is roofbox.co.uk (much better than carbox). they are the ones with the big range and do packages of rails and boxes and have a bargain section. I think we got atera bars and box and they are really good. fit incredibly easily.

sorry about that

QueenPeaHead · 21/06/2006 20:24

read the information page on the roofbox section to quickly get up to speed on what the difference between bars and various boxes is.

I thought I was due for a promotion!

tissy · 21/06/2006 20:26

deffo go to roofbox, I think I started a thread on here a while back singing their praises, and it sank quickly into oblivion!

FWIW, we got Thule on my brother's recommendation, and it was fab! Really sturdy, VERY easy to fit/ remove, and nice touches such as opening both sides and simple locks.

Also second the best roofbars you can afford, got ours fitted by LandRover dealer (expensive) but they're part of the car now, and never get removed.

JanH · 21/06/2006 20:30

twig, the £98 will prob be for Thule bars + fixings; I was quoted something similar but then c £40 for Paddy Hopkirk ones - which I bought but haven't tried yet. I have a Zafira, never priced them at the Vauxhall garage, have you asked your dealer for a comparison?

If you will use them a lot it is prob worth buying Thule; although OTOH on our old MPV we got an in-between make of both bars and box and it was always fine.

jalopy · 21/06/2006 20:31

We've got a Thule box - fab decision.
Other tips:

  1. To get maximum amount packed into pod, use soft bags rather than rigid suitcases.
  2. Don't open Thule box when you stop for breaks. All the luggage shifts around and it's a bugger to lock again. Very annoying mid-journey.
  3. If possible take pod and bars off at destination. If you leave an empty box on car roof it increases fuel consumption.
  4. Check height restriction of car park entrances. A real nuisance if you forget.
tissy · 21/06/2006 20:31

just to prove the new search function is working!

JanH · 21/06/2006 20:31

Our old box is hanging on the back of the shed, I will go and look what make it is.

JanH · 21/06/2006 20:37

Ah - it's a foot off the ground behind a bush so I didn't check but looked at the roofbox website and it's a Kar-rite - £130 for a big one.

We went to a local-ish specialist and got the bars and the box all fitted together - we keep the box fixed to the bars and hang the whole thing on the shed.

JanH · 21/06/2006 20:39

Friends of ours bought a cheap one and it has no struts, which is infuriating to load and unload, so just make sure yours has struts!

Skribble · 21/06/2006 21:16

All I know is don't try to drive into a multi story carpark with restricted height then suddenly remember you have one attached to you 4x4 . Very handy though ours was £20 at the boot fair.

sallystrawberry · 21/06/2006 21:19

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longtimelurker · 21/06/2006 21:40

go for a Halford's one because when you find out your husband has left the key at home just as you're about to unload the camping equipment you may be able to travel to the nearest Halford's and borrow a spare ( this happened to us )

sallystrawberry · 21/06/2006 21:54

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tissy · 22/06/2006 16:52

ah, but with Thule you get TWO keys, so I've got one, and dh has one!

JanH · 22/06/2006 16:55

Kar-rite give you 2 keys too. We also have 2 keys for locking the feet on (it would never have occurred to me that somebody might unscrew your feet to steal your roofbox but the world is full of surprises )

I think I've got 3 of the 4 and DH lost his so I'm keeping them.

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