Octavia - Transverse Roof Rack

[FijiDave]

Hi,

 

I've just been fixing a set of Skoda Transverse Roof Bars to our Octavia Estate. The rear bar is fixed, no problem. However, the front bar seems to have an issue. The "foot" clamps onto the rail securely enough, but the bar itself seems to be slightly loose. When fixed in place the bar itself can slide side to side by a couple of centimeters. I'm a little concerned about attaching a roof box to it in this state.

 

The instruction manual doesn't seem to have any instructions on how to tighten up the fitting of the bar to the foot/clamp. 

 

Has anyone else had this issue or have any ideas how to rectify it?

 

[petrolcan]

 

Looking at that it would appear to be hand adjustable before it gets clamped down tight.

 

If you move the rubber strip can you see a bolt or allen head that can be tightened?

[JirikH]

Hi, i think I think my was also some milimetres "loose" but i had to apply quite big force to move it. After I attached 2 škoda bike holders it was ok. 

[FijiDave]

There is an allen head bold, but the head is within the body of the foot/clamp. I can see it, but there's no way to access it to adjust it without completely dismantling the clamp ( and I'm not even sure how I'd do that). The bolt goes up through into the silver bar where it threads through a long plate to hold the bar/clamp together. It should be secure enough that they won't come apart, but I'm more concerned about the potential for movement during travel which might make things "shake apart" - if that makes sense?. I'll have a look under the rubber strip, but when I was fitting them I don't recall seeing any access holes.

 

The bars came with the car from new a year ago and this is the first time out of the box - unfortunately bought from a dealer 100miles away, so a quick trip to replace them isn't on the cards. 

 

I've put the roof box on and with this fixed in place it does seem to be more secure, but for piece of mind I might end up getting new bars for the next trip. Any recommendations on what to get?

[MiniNinjaRob]

I wouldn’t be using them unless they were rock solid. Any looseness by hand at standstill will be amplified with wind hitting the roofbox at motorway speeds. 
 

It doesn’t sound like they are working properly. 
 

FYI I got some Yakima flush aero bars which are rock solid and look great and are silent if you need to buy some more. I was not impressed with the Skoda bars. They look cheap and clunky. 

Edited 6 August, 2022 by MiniNinjaRob