Dear fellow Skodarians, I need a bit of re-assurance from those that have fitted Skoda roof bars to a hatchback.

All seems to have gone well so far but it does not look right. These are genuine bars and I followed the destructions to the letter. I cleaned and polished the roof before fitting as well.

The fitting went fine and the contour of the rubber feet fit the roof contour but the supplied torque wrench has caused me concern. It is meant to click or "crack" at 4Nm but I seem to be applying far more effort than that before it went. I backed off and re-torqued but seems the same.

The bars when viewed from front and back seem to have a very slight concave dip to them. Is this normal? When I had a Golf, the bars were slightly convex and when torqued up correctly they went straight.

I'm just worried that I have over-torqued the bars and will cause damage to my roof. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

I have a set of the "mont blanc" ones for my octy mkII vRS , when i first got them they were a right **** to set / fit , but once you have then set up they go on no problems , the trick is to get the rubber foot plate to sit level with the line in the roof contour , see in the e-bay picture

These are the ones i have . . . SKODA OCTAVIA 5DR (04>) CAR ROOF BARS 401N+K61 on eBay, also Roof Racks, Touring Travel, Car Accessories, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 28-May-09 16:50:11 BST)

PS , when you fit the foot plate pin in the hole inside the door frame its worth putting a bit of masking tape on it just to stop any scuff marks .

Good idea that about taping up the pin. I will do that next time. I just noticed that on the rear mounting the metal plates are in contact with the roof i.e. no gap even though the fitment appears to be correct. I have some of that non slip rubber matting that I will put between the two this evening before I fit my roof box.

It still seems a little tight to fit though :confused:

Good idea that about taping up the pin. I will do that next time. I just noticed that on the rear mounting the metal plates are in contact with the roof i.e. no gap even though the fitment appears to be correct. I have some of that non slip rubber matting that I will put between the two this evening before I fit my roof box.

It still seems a little tight to fit though :confused:

I have these very same bars, Skoda roof rack. I have used them once, as they put four dents in the roof. They carried a Thule top box. I took them off and have never used them since.

I tightened them with the torque tool supplied as well. Best check your roof for damage. I took the car back to Skoda and they took out the dents free of charge.

My advise would be to buy a trailer.

I use the standard Skoda bars a fair bit & they carry 3 bikes in Mont Blanc Barracudas. SO far I've had no problems with fitting & using them, but I do follow the instructions to the letter & "NEVER" tighten beyond the 4Nm mark. My torque tool doesn't "click" or "crack", you simply make sure that the indicator only bends as far as the "stop" mark. If all is aligned up properly then there should be a couple of MM's clearance between the metal plates and the side of the roof.

I have to say, despite using this a lot with no problem, I'm not keen on this method of fixing and wouldn't like to carry up to the max weight on there, so I had a towbar fitted & use a trailer for anything more substantial!

Just had a better idea, SWMBO need to change her car, so i'll buy her a VAN!!! LOL

I use mine for my Thule 780 roof box , so far now problems .

When you first set the bars up its a good idea to mark them front & rear as they are two different width sizes for the feet , and it makes it a lot easier when you fit them next time round .

I have the skoda bars and they are fitted and removed most weekends for bikes and kayaks. When placing them on the roof I spin the clamps around so the pin is facing outward. I also hold the pin as I back off the bolts so they fit under and it the hole with no damage. Touch wood I have had no issues with the bars. The skoda ones are marked up front/back and left/right with a sticker and molded into the rubber feet.

From this forum there seems to be an issue with the 1st set of bars with a slightly different model number. My set are the latest version.

I use the standard Skoda bars a fair bit & they carry 3 bikes in Mont Blanc Barracudas. SO far I've had no problems with fitting & using them, but I do follow the instructions to the letter & "NEVER" tighten beyond the 4Nm mark. My torque tool doesn't "click" or "crack", you simply make sure that the indicator only bends as far as the "stop" mark. If all is aligned up properly then there should be a couple of MM's clearance between the metal plates and the side of the roof.

I have to say, despite using this a lot with no problem, I'm not keen on this method of fixing and wouldn't like to carry up to the max weight on there, so I had a towbar fitted & use a trailer for anything more substantial!

Just had a better idea, SWMBO need to change her car, so i'll buy her a VAN!!! LOL

Yes, my Golf III roof rack had the same sort of torque wrench thing and i never had any problems with that. It was always a bit hit and miss depending on the angle you looked at the pointer whilst tightening it. I think i still have the tool so I'll give that a go and see if it makes any difference.

Mine is all properly aligned as far as I can tell. The front metal plates have a mm or so clearance but the back ones seem very very close to the roof indeed. :thumbdwn:

I have a removable tow bar fitted and would get a trailer but we have no where to keep it when not in use (about 49 weeks of the year!)

I have the skoda bars and they are fitted and removed most weekends for bikes and kayaks. When placing them on the roof I spin the clamps around so the pin is facing outward. I also hold the pin as I back off the bolts so they fit under and it the hole with no damage. Touch wood I have had no issues with the bars. The skoda ones are marked up front/back and left/right with a sticker and molded into the rubber feet.

From this forum there seems to be an issue with the 1st set of bars with a slightly different model number. My set are the latest version.

Yes, I think mine are the latest version too. I think these have the letter "B" at the end of the part number.

I think I have a small dent just above the door from the compression of the plate

I think I have a small dent just above the door from the compression of the plate

Head to the dealer with the roof bars and show them what is happening. If the damage is as a result of defective parts that you have been supplied, they will have to help you out!

Edited 19 May, 200917 yr by uncle bulgaria

From this forum there seems to be an issue with the 1st set of bars with a slightly different model number. My set are the latest version.

Not sure if it is the same anymore, but sometimes the "revision" letter at the end of a part number doesn't always mean that the product has been altered, it can just indicate that a different sub-manufacturer is now supplying the part to the main manufacturer, with no re-design. I had a mate who worked for Thule for a while (some years ago) & this is what he reconed. Anyway mine's a "A" revison. So if anyone wanted to show me their's... i'd show you mine

The clamps don't touch the car as such, and therefore dont compress against the car where the door rubber shuts against them. The clamp/touch underneath and therefore the load is supported evenly. I could imagine that is not on totally straight you could damage the car.

I have just refitted the rear bar as this had the closest plates to the roof and I used some non slip rubber matting between the metal plate and the roof. It was hard to tell in the fading light but it seems like there is a difference in contour if you run your fingers/hand along the roof cill just above the fixing point over the rear door. I'm not sure if this was always there and just part of the original line or whether there has been some distortion in the roof.

I am 100% happy that the bars have been fitted correctly and in accordance to the instructions. I even used the old Golf torque wrench (woefully inaccurate twisty pointer thingy) but that said some where around 6Nm (possibly) and the Skoda wrench "cracked" at the 4Nm point - so not a great deal in it. It just does seem like a lot of strain is going into the mountings so I backed off the bolts by 1/2 turn. I'm really doubting this roof bar system now. I want it tight enough to be secure but not too tight to damage the roof.

Yes, I'll go to the dealer I got the bars from even though i picked them up on 01/09/2008 and this is the first time I have fitted them (just looking at the receipt). If they are happy that they are correctly fitted and torqued correctly then I'll be happy to put the roof box on. I hope if a dent is caused then Skoda UK will be getting a call from me AND the dealer.

I have just refitted the rear bar as this had the closest plates to the roof and I used some non slip rubber matting between the metal plate and the roof. It was hard to tell in the fading light but it seems like there is a difference in contour if you run your fingers/hand along the roof cill just above the fixing point over the rear door. I'm not sure if this was always there and just part of the original line or whether there has been some distortion in the roof.

I am 100% happy that the bars have been fitted correctly and in accordance to the instructions. I even used the old Golf torque wrench (woefully inaccurate twisty pointer thingy) but that said some where around 6Nm (possibly) and the Skoda wrench "cracked" at the 4Nm point - so not a great deal in it. It just does seem like a lot of strain is going into the mountings so I backed off the bolts by 1/2 turn. I'm really doubting this roof bar system now. I want it tight enough to be secure but not too tight to damage the roof.

Yes, I'll go to the dealer I got the bars from even though i picked them up on 01/09/2008 and this is the first time I have fitted them (just looking at the receipt). If they are happy that they are correctly fitted and torqued correctly then I'll be happy to put the roof box on. I hope if a dent is caused then Skoda UK will be getting a call from me AND the dealer.

I felt the same thing. I instinctively knew that they seemed to be too tight when using the wrench. I was right. I ended up with four distinct depressions beneath the feet. It's a woeful aftermarket system. Why cant someone design something that does not involve clamping feet directly on to a surface that clearly IS NOT designed to take stress AND weight. Take em back or bin them.

I have now just visited my local Skoda Dealer to explain the situation and together we took the roof bars off. Lo and behold there are now 4 areas of compression damage to my roof :mad::mad:

To their credit the parts manager and service manager were both concerned and pictures of the damage have been taken and will be sent to Skoda UK. The consensus at the moment is that the torque wrench is possibly defective and applying too much force.

The manager was honest with me saying that this will not be a quick and easy remedy but they are on the case and will persue it for me. It is nice to have pleasant and helpful advice from a dealer. Well done Platinum

Grrrrrrr.............I have nothing nice to say about Skoda UK Customer Services. Best left at that otherwise I might be sued for slander and defamation...

If they think that I will take this lying down they have got another thing coming!!! :redhot: