OMO: Roof Bars/rack

[ClunkintheUK]

It would be useful to have a roof rack on the car (MKIV Golf. 5 door). but I do not have rails fitted.

Any opinions on best system to use. Looking to do it pretty cheaply <£100 is possible. I've been looking online, but most of them just have some random generic picture and I can't really see how they work.

[pookie]

the universal ones seem to use a foot lip clamp by the door seal. I had one on a previous car but i imagine it wouldnt have been very good to keep it there longterm.

Have a look at the Thule web site to see what fittings they suggest.

You may find some roof bar inserts in your guttering

[Sir Trev]

Almost all cars have hidden fittings for roof bars. They may be under the door seal or in the rain gutter. Some foot kits are more obvious than others and you certainly do not need roof bars like some estates have.


I've had Thule kits on three cars and they all fitted slightly differently. The bars you can take to the next car - you normally change the foot kit for the next one and they are SO handy for some jobs.


Defo recommend Thule kit. I have the old style square bars which don't look as cool as the more funky Aero bars. The Freeride cycle carriers are excellent to by the way. Check out Ebay as you may be able to get the bars and fixings for a good price and then just buy the right foot pack.

[ClunkintheUK]

Hmm, I'll have a look at the car when I get home. You see loads of golf's with roof bars so there must be a simple solution.

[Sir Trev]

Try these guys - I have used them before and found them really helpful.

http://www.roofracks.co.uk/Thule-Fit-Guide/_-/?make=Volkswagen&model=Golf&version=IV&type=5-door-Hatchback&modelYear=1998-to-2003&id=18

Hopefully the link will take you to the page you need for your car. It looks like they have some second hand stuff on there if cost is an option and there are even more options now for the bars since I last looked.

[ClunkintheUK]

Thanks Trev. Useful link, shows how they expect it to fit.

Seems that it is quite common for Golfs to have a fitting system, I'll have to check mine when I get home. I should be able to get genuine bars off fleabay (one of the advantages of being an old car) for £100 or less.

Cheers guys.

[Kenzie]

Have a look here. Follow the details and select your car. You can then view the fitting instructions by clicking on details and then important fit tips. I sell these at work and they seem straightforward to fit. You are looking for adapter kit 1323.

http://www.thule.com/fitguide/default.aspx?language=en&market=gb

[ClunkintheUK]

Cheers Kenzie. Useful site.

[Kenzie]

They may not be the cheapest but they are really good quality. Did you find the instructions?

[LankyIanB]

We've just got a set of Thule brackets and Aero-Bars for "the blob" (Grand C-Max). Really easy to fit despite the unusual design of the car (sliding doors) and you don't notice anything much in the way of extra wind noise.

Beware of offers on the Halfords website as you'll rarely be able to get the full discount available - this is because they don't keep stock of many of the adapter plates, so you can't order them online for in-store collection. However you can't order the aero-bars for home delivery. This means you can't get the discount for ordering the whole kit in one transaction. This is slightly dodgy practice.... You have to go in-store and get them to order the whole kit and apply a manger's override to ensure the full discount is applied. They can do this but have to be pushed.....