Has anyone used them soft padded removable roof racks,

Was thinking of getting one of them instead of a permanent fixed one for my fabia. And are only £30.

I had a good hard look at them last year,

 

Pros -  Easy on/easy off and lightweight as well as cheap.

 

Cons- Stops the doors from sealing properly, so extra road noise and possibly water entry if it is raining, and as the bands goes right across the passenger compartment, it restricts driver/passenger height, or at least makes it uncomfortable for taller drivers/passengers.

 

Fine for a short distance run, but not if you plan on driving hundreds of miles.

 

We are ripped off when it comes to roof racks these days, a couple of brands seem to have a cartel arrangement where no other brand is allowed to be even SENT to Europe, so they can keep the prices insanely high. I tried to order a matching rack for my Wispbar carriers, the rack costs ~£200 - less than half the price of the equivalent rack in the UK; but no one was willing to send it to me for ANY price (OK, one dealer in India was willing, but he wanted £1,200 P&P!!!)

 

In the end I bought an alloy rack via AliExpress that was meant for a Kia 4x4, and modified it to fit the Wispbars - it cost me £120*, but is aero-contoured, so hardly makes a difference to mpg when fitted but not loaded.

 

* It should have cost more, but the PO let it through without asking for import duty, despite the value being clearly shown on the paperwork.

Also beware that they move slightly on the roof and any dirt on them or the roof turns them into a brillo pad on your paint work.

 

The design of the mounting points on the car means that you will never get a good seal and I know on mine with the Thule mounts and Wingbar they are very noisy due to the seal being broken when fitted. 

Also beware that they move slightly on the roof and any dirt on them or the roof turns them into a brillo pad on your paint work.

 

The design of the mounting points on the car means that you will never get a good seal and I know on mine with the Thule mounts and Wingbar they are very noisy due to the seal being broken when fitted. 

 

If you dont have roof rails, but they were an option, get the Wispbars, they have various mounts to fit different roofs; the mount I have screws into the mounting points for the (not fitted) roof rails.

Mines the hatchback so no options for roof rails, just the holes on the inside of the door frame.

Worth picking up even the cheap bars that fit a Fabia (£40 or so.) that can be fitted securely to carry stuff on the roof when needed, and removed when not.

It is 10 minutes to put on and then remove when not needed.

Just the storage might be an issue, but even that is not much space required.

Mines the hatchback so no options for roof rails, just the holes on the inside of the door frame.

http://www.whispbar.eu/en_eu/

 

Have a look and see what options there are; you might be correct, but there may also be hidden mounting points you are unaware of.

 

FYI, I get 5-8% BETTER mpg with the bars on, than I do with a "bare" roof on my Mitsi.

GG, It's the same as the Thule mounts where they go between the door and the bodywork that breaks the seal and creates wind noise which is right by your ear. I tend to use the bars then removing but on the previous estate with roof rails they were left in place as they were quiet.

Cheers guys

Im going to get the ones that's bolts into the holes under by the door seal and just put them on and off when I go fishing

Thinking about it for the sake of having a small ratchet and socket in the boot of the car it will be the best

As I only go fishing once a week so an extra few mins getting ready won't hurt

The cheap bars i had did not bolt into the holes, there was just pins that went into the holes.

They did the job of keeping the feet and bars in place.

 

There is a Thule Fitting kit in the For Sales in this forum.

The Thule ones are just pins that slot into the hole too.

Got the ones that are just pins. as someone else said above, they can mark the roof if you're not careful. done a 4500 mile trip with mine on and never had any sorts of problem with water. maybe a little extra noise though.