Roomster roof rails installation DIY *WITH PICTURES*

[CrimeaRiver]

There have been various threads and postings on this DIY installation job but not a step-by-step guide. Have just fitted these on my 2009 Roomster with a Pano roof and thought others might benefit from my fumblings!

 

The Big Picture

 

The roof rails can be retro-fitted to cars with or without a Pano roof. There's no difference when it comes to installing the roof rails. 

 

If you're not too handy with tools (or have limited access to tools) and you have deep pockets, then definitely get a Skoda dealer to do this job for you. There's been mention on the forum of Skoda dealer Parts Department staff producing low 'book price' labour quotes. Accept the quote! Drilling into the car to locate some hidden captive nuts certainly feels a little 'balls out' (even using the Skoda template) so the job is not for those of a nervous disposition either! 

 

However, if you're a bit of an impecunious bugger like me and have done a few more technical things on your car then this job is definitely do-able....as long as you have the right tools. Stuff you'll need:-

 

The roof rails themselves.

Skoda part number: LAH770001

 

The roof rails template. (Attempting to do this job without the large templates would be a nightmare and if you get it wrong it might require an expensive visit to a bodyshop to put right your mistakes).

Skoda part number: LAH770011 . There are two of them, one for each side and they can't be mixed up. If you buy this installation kit from a Skoda dealer then it will also come with a selection of small plastic templates that allow the accurate enlargement of the pilot holes you'll be making. I didn't have these small widgits so had to ad lib a bit but nevertheless achieved a satisfactory outcome

 

Tools

Power drill, Dremel drill thing (or die grinder, or similar), 1/2" or 3/8" torque wrench (that goes as low as 12NM), a Torx and a splined bits for torqueing down the securing bolts. A sharp-pointed centre punch, hammer & needle nose pliers.

 

Consumables

Drill bits: 3mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm. HSS or similar. I broke two of the 3mm bits so have a few spares of these smaller one. Dremel or die grinder bits to expand and clean up the quite large holes you've made.

Paint: Primer (I used rattle can of acid etch primer, sprayed a bit into a jar and used and a very small artist's paint brush to apply the paint. Plus some sort of quick drying top coat to seal the primer and keep the weather out.

 

 

(Above) #1. One of the large Skoda OE templates in position on the Roomster. It's made of cheap plastic but carefully and accurately moulded to the contours of the roofline and B pillar. Don't leave the template out in the sun just before you use it - which is what I did - because it expands lengthways at least 8mm or so which was a bit alarming and gave quite a locational error at the rear rail fixing points. I let it cool down to below room temperature and then got busy marking the centre of each aperture onto the masking tape I'd put down in the general location of the bolt holes in the roofline. 

 

 

(Above) #2. A bolt set for one roof rail shown. 4 bolts per side, all different sizes. M6 and M8. The two longer ones go at the rear fixing points. *Note they have Torx and splined socket heads. 

 

 

(Above). #3 The captive bolts are located beneath the black dots....I hope! Make a dot in the centre with a pencil or Sharpie then lightly punch it with a centre punch. This will reduce the chances of your drill wandering around too much when you first start the 3mm hole.

 

(Above) #4 Using a selection of drill bits progressively make the holes 6mm and 8mm. The 6mm holes are at the front end and rear end of each rail.  (You should be able to see the captive nuts down in the holes....and yes, they were there thank God, pretty much spot on!) If you have the selection of small plastic hole templates in your installation kit this is when you insert and trace around them to give you the finished hole sizes sizes. I didn't have the small plastic widgits so had to use other freehand methods to sketch the larger holes onto the masking tape. (If you have the small plastic widgit templates then you can skip the next three photos.)

 

(Above) #5  My free-stylee approach to sketching the larger holes. As a temporary measure, place the longest 6mm bolt into the hole at the front of the car and lightly screw it into place. Finger tight only. (The bolt you're using will eventually be used to secure the roof rail at the very rear of the car.)

 

(Above) #6 With the roof rail lightly attached at the front of the car, next swing the roof rail over where the rear holes are and temporarily tape it in position. They won't line up, which will freak you out slightly (or a lot). You'll assume the roof rail is too short, or the template was wrong , or the captive nuts in the wrong place. Or all of those things! But don't worry everything will come good.

 

(Above) #7 Trace around the projecting pegs onto the masking tape at the front of the car.

 

(Above) #8 Drill 3mm holes then enlarge with 5mm until all the drilled holes merge and the excess metal in the centre can be pulled out with needle nosed pliers.

 

(Above) #9 Dremel time! Smooth out the edges of the holes. Test fit the roof rails. Make sure there's clearance all round each protruding peg since you'll need to rust protect the edges of each hole so you don't want any pegs rubbing on the sides of the holes. Make sure you hoover out all the metal chipping that have fallen into the holes.

 

(Above) #10 The Dremel with one of the metal grinding bits I used - Dremel grinding bit 115. A steady and firm hand is required when using this tool. You definitely need face protection when this thing is cutting metal at 22000 revs. The grinding bit was just about up to the job of cleaning up the holes but only just. No way could it have been used to remove most of the 'meat'.

 

(Above) #11 Also used Dremel grinding stones (right) to smooth off any final rough edges around each hole.

 

 

(Above) #12  Remember photo #6 above, the one where the holes didn't line up? Well, with the two holes at the front of the car now complete and front pegs dropped into place, miraculously the pegs at the rear of the vehicle become aligned. Witchcraft! Next step is to drill and enlarge the rear holes similar to previous steps.

 

(Above) Paint protection for the holes. I used acid etch primer and then some anti corrosion stuff I had lying around in the garage. It's at this point you'll want to touch up any nicks you created when using the Dremel or die grinder. I had a couple that needed minor attention with a body coloured touch up paint kit.

 

(Above) Almost there. A test fit of the roof rail. Torque down the bolts at each end of the rails. M6 bolts torqued at 12NM and M8 bolts at 20NM. Nearest the camera you can just make out where I nicked the paintwork with the wayward Dremel. I fixed the paint prior to final fixing.

 

(Above) The finished job. The plastic cover trims at either end of the rails snap into place easily & securely after you've torqued down the rails.

 

(Above) The 'Destructions'! Each set of roof rails comes with a easy to understand set of written and diagrammatic instructions. Well worth referring to.

 

Hope this helps!

 

End note: If money was no object I would definitely let the dealer do this job!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 August, 2021 by CrimeaRiver

[ChrisTids]

Thanks for the clear tutorial, I will have a go at most things but I am not sure that I have guts to drill holes into the roof!

[CrimeaRiver]

(There was a part number error in the original posting above which I have now corrected.)

Edited 27 June, 2021 by CrimeaRiver

[Bo67]

Hi do you still have the templates  l am in the process of trying to fit roof rails and struggling to find any  . I am willing to pay for them plus postage. 

 

Regards bob Austin.