Yet another OEM roofbar question

[Michael G]

Hey up lads. Call me an old poseur, but I do like the look of the Yeti OEM roofbars.

Not to carry anything you understand, I just like the look.

A used pair have just popped up on eBay at a start of £60 but the seller says:-

"....missing bolts to bolt to roof of car standard size could easily pick some up from halfords..."

I've got the fitting instructions on pdf.

I've had a look at the rails on ours and they have some kind of blanking plugs fitted along each side.

I'm guessing these pop out and the *proper* bolts go in their place.

Is it feasible to source just the proper bolts or would you avoid the whole thing ?

Given the safety aspect I'm ruling out some kind of Halfords bolt bodge.

Many thanks for any guidance.

[Llanigraham]

Are the bolts available from the dealers?

[Michael G]

I hesitate to ask them Llani, for fear I'll look like a complete cheapskate.

I am a complete cheapskate, I just don't like looking like one.

The pdf says the bars and fitting come as a complete kit so it's looking a bit of a no-go.

[Yeti_Man]

The bolts are pretty specific and they are such a tight fit once fitted you arent supposed to remove them iirc. Id phone the dealer to enquire as to whether they carried a seperate part number. As Johann and myself previously discovered, you have to quote the chassis number as they will come, colour coded to your roof bars (either black or silver).

[Tech-Yeti]

The bolts are a normal Torx fitting bolts, but beware if you remove the front and back covers, as they often break the lugs that make them clip on. They unclip and slide off the ends.

[JCP]

Halfords are not the best source of nuts and bolts. Torx head screws are a particular dislike of mine. Find the thread pitch and diameter and length and then go shopping on line for your choice of head type material and quality. I have a selection of stainless allen screws from custom fasteners-just google them or pro bolt who may have something to suit.

There are many e-bay sellers of high grade stainless bolts and the mixed pot of shed hinge ironmongery which Halfords offer should not detain you.

[Tech-Yeti]

"There are many e-bay sellers of high grade stainless bolts"

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/items/__torx+bolts_W0QQ_dmdZ2?clk_rvr_id=325584375963&crlp=8528797521_228459_228459&UA=%3F*F%3F&GUID=dd854bf51350a47a2fa42994ff07b69e&agid=2116237041&tm_kw=torx+bolts&siteid=3&MT_ID=12&tt_encode=raw&keyword=torx+bolts&geo_id=21&ff4=228459_228459

[Yetigreenline2]

why the hell are you going to fit the bars to the yeti and carry nothing surely there are easier ways of throwing away money as fitted bars

just whack up the fuel consumption and also are noisy as well

[Yetigreenline2]

Personally i would fit these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Yeti-Mini-SUV-Estate-2009-Aero-Cross-Bars-Roof-Rack-Aluminium-Spoiler-/260850100674?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Touring_Travel&hash=item3cbbe0a9c2#ht_7095wt_1219 if its just a aesthetic thing they are aerodynamic and in my eyes look really nice and sleek but if i had any they would be fit,use,remove

Edited 20 March, 2012 by Yetigreenline2

[beej]

Personally i would fit these http://www.ebay.co.u...#ht_7095wt_1219 if its just a aesthetic thing they are aerodynamic and in my eyes look really nice and sleek but if i had any they would be fit,use,remove

I actually just ordered a set of these, and had 2 problems once they arrived.

Firstly, they didn't fit. Well, one - the shorter of the two - fits down the front approx where the mounting holes are. But the other one is too long for anywhere else on the rails. Not such a big deal because I can just slide the bar ends off and hacksaw the aluminium to length. But it makes me wonder if there have been any changes to the roof rails since the 2009 model, because the eBay seller insists they took some to a dealer and measured & fitted them in order to come up with the lengths they did.

Secondly, the clamping part, which tightens up against the bottom of the roof rails to secure them in place, only just gets purchase due to the profile (cross section) of the rails. I'll attach some photos below (hopefully) to show you what I mean.

I've contacted the seller about the latter of these issues, and am waiting for a reply.

Having said all that, the bars do look pretty tidy compared to those which have a chunky attachment block between the rails and the cross bars themselves. So I'm hoping I can make them work.

From front - see how the <90 degree profile of the rails means only a tiny bit of the lower clamp makes contact with the rails:

From rear:

[redcar_reds]

If you are going to spend £60+ on the bars and then more for the fixings why not buy the Thule aerobars and feet for not much more. The bars and feet come up on e bay quite regularly at this time of year, but as a previous poster said why fit if you're not going to use them? My bars come off as soon as I've finished with them, increased noise,consumption etc.

[Yeti_Man]

Hmmm, im not convinced how they would 'move' when loaded up, specifically that bottom area of the fitting that has minimal contact with the roof rails? Although having said that, the spec suggests they should only have a max of 55kgs load placed upon them as opposed to some other manufacturers 100kgs - thats quite a difference but may not be relevant to everyone using them I guess.

[900000]

I hesitate to ask them Llani, for fear I'll look like a complete cheapskate. I am a complete cheapskate, I just don't like looking like one. The pdf says the bars and fitting come as a complete kit so it's looking a bit of a no-go.

The fitting instructions state the bolts can only be removed and refitted three times. So in my view best to leave them on the car when you sell a car and buy new ones. So dealers will be totally used to people asking for the bolts only. Just remember to ask for black or silver ones to match your rails (as FocusZtec stated).

[Llanigraham]

I'd agree with what Johann says as I'm sure the dealer will get used to supplying them, mostly from people who loose them in some way.