Roof rail damage with roof bars?

[Farsider]

Evening all,

 

Just took off my 2 week old Thule Wingbar Edge 9582s and I notice there is paintwork damage on the rails. It looks like its taken off the lacquer and worn through the paint. This exists on all 4 points where the bars attached to the rails. The photo below is a close up of the car's roof rail with the problem:

 

 

If you look at the Youtube video in the link above, you'll see these bars attach using a rubber belt system that you tighten onto the car's roof rails. Whilst I struggle to believe Thule hasn't tested these rubber straps vigorously for paint scuffing, I wonder if I've done something wrong? I didn't clean the rails before attaching the bars - I wonder if that's it?

 

Was thinking about these 3M paint protection pads.

 

Is there a better solution?

Edited 17 August, 2014 by Farsider

[Matty70]

Great sticking my roof box on soon for a trip back to UK. I have Thule aero bars with 575 locking feet, might have to get some foam packing squares and cut them to shape to try and avoid damage. Getting rid of the VRS in January so could do without the damage. I'll let you know how it go's.

[Neily03]

With that rubber strap system I'm not surprised it's damaged the paint. But if I had any plans on using roof bars I would have stuck with the standard Matt grey rails as piano black marks very easily.

[100andthirty]

I use Atera roof bars, and in their instructions, they highlighted that the bars might mark the rails and offered free self adhesive pads that look rather like the Scotchguard item you've indicated. In the event, my bars don't mark the chromed rails

[GBHam]

I am using the Skoda OEM bars without a problem

[classic]

I am using the Skoda OEM bars without a problem

+1, but mine has the standard black roof rails.

[kitset]

Farsider, other than the paint scuffing issue, how are you finding the Wingbar Edge? I'm considering a pair for my wagon (when it finally arrives) which is a twin of yours. Use will mostly be mountain bikes. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on: ease of fitting, build quality, noise when driving and just general look!  These are $100 more in NZ compared to the standard Wingbar, but I like that they don't stick out passed the roof bar.  Any comments appreciated!  Cheers

[Farsider]

As you'd expect for the premium price they are made to a very high standard. They looks nice and are virtually silent in use as long as you fit the rubber strip in the middle.....otherwise they whistle >40mph. 

 

They are wider than other bars so you can't use u-bolts or other clamp like attachments as they are too wide. This means you have use the t-tracks. For a roof box, I find t-tracks a bit of a faff as you need to move them into place on the bar and then lower a roof box ontop of them. A 2 person job. For anything else its probably very easy to fit.

 

Bottom line is if you plan to keep them on the car more than they are off, they are a good candidate. If not, don't bother. 

Edited 18 August, 2014 by Farsider

[666djb]

The wing bars are great. No noise. No noticeable loss of economy. No scratching of the standard non-black pack roof bars on my vRS after 7000 miles (bars off for about two weeks of the 4 months I've had the car). Absolutely brilliant for swapping between cycle carriers, windsurfing carrier and nothing most weeks.

[kitset]

Thanks guys, I probably intend to take them off between use, so maybe the regular wing bars is the way to go. Cheers

[kitset]

Thanks guys, I probably intend to take them off between use, so maybe the regular wing bars is the way to go. Cheers

 

Edit: wing bars purchased. Now all I need is the car....

[pipsyp]

Paint on the three skodas ive had in recent years has not been the best.....quite thin.

Painting the roof bars in metallic paint and lacquered isnt going to make the bars particularly durable I guess, all about the look.

[Neily03]

Painting the roof bars in metallic paint and lacquered isnt going to make the bars particularly durable I guess, all about the look.

They're not metallic.

[silver1011]

This is why roof bars shouldn't be painted, standard black plastic or chrome, paint and laquer just isn't durable enough when supporting a fully laden roof box at speed.

 

Form over function I reckon.

[pipsyp]

They're not metallic.

....I thought they were painted black magic....not that it really makes a great deal of difference either way. You bolt something to something that is painted and lacquered unless its done v well its not going to last is it?

[Neily03]

....I thought they were painted black magic....

Nope, piano black.

[Farsider]

I've now got some 3M Paint protection strips (see link above) which I'm yet to fit but I found these foam strips too and I was wondering whether it would be worth wrapping these around the car rails and then attaching the bars onto them.

 

What do you guys think?

[Nookiebear]

Be careful with that stuff (foam strip)... if it's not good quality the adhesive backing can do just as much damage, and that aside it'll squash down to nothing and probably be totally ineffective.

In previous instances I've used rubber drawer liner (as used in high end tool chests) and it not only protects the bars but increases the grip and lessens the amount of tightening required.

[Farsider]

I thought about applying the 3M paint protection stuff then the foam on top.

[Farsider]

I ended up reporting this to Thule and they have confirmed this isn't normal (no sheet).

 

 

 

They've been pretty good so far and have offered to pay for a re-spray of the car's roof rails. Its been escalated to their technical department as this (they claim) is the first time anyone has every reported damage like this using the Wingbar Edge product line.......they admit its also the first time anyone with an Oct3 has raised an issue with them too. 

 

Awaiting to hear back whether they consider the Wingbar Edge a compatible product with the Octy3 VRS with Black Pack.

 

In the meantime I need to use these bars for my roof box for our family holiday. Taking advice from a few here, I'm going to clean and cover the roof rails with the 3M paint protection strips and then wrap some draw liner super friction foam to add protection. Hope it protects the rails.