rob1947

First posting on this site, so bear with me!...
I have just replaced Skoda roof bars with Thule. I would not recommend the Skoda bars to anyone who will fit and remove them frequently.

The screw fittings which clamp the Skoda bars to the rails wore out inside a year, so the Allen key was slipping in the tightening screw. This was after fitting and removing at most once per week. You cannot get the screws as a spare (how daft is that?) so my dealer got a replacement set of bars from Skoda. The manufacturing standards seemed hopeless to me, with such shallow recesses in the hole for the Allen key in the new bars that I could see them slipping again in another few months, so I rejected them. Other sets from Skoda were no better, so the dealer was decent enough to give me a refund.

Good points of the Skoda bars first (being generous):
They fit the rail profile exactly - as they should!
When fitted properly they are very secure because the steel clamp interlocks below the rail.
They look good.

Bad points:
Allen key sockets wear rapidly as described above.
They were a pig to fit the first few times and I had to file the clamps to get them to interlock at all.
The locking covers have to be locked every time or they are flying in the breeze, and they are also fiddly to lock.
I found them very noisy: they made a 'snakecharmer' fluting noise, which was speed-dependent. Interesting, but annoying. And yes, they were fixed where Skoda said they should be. Others have said they are quiet - I can't explain!

I have now assembled, fitted and road-tested the Thule bars (755 feet with locks, 861 aerobars) though not carried a load on them yet.
Good points:
Fitting to the rails and removing them seems fairly easy.
You don't need to lock them if you don't want to - the lock barrel just sits in the end of the bar - but they are quick to lock anyway.
The outer part of the clamp goes under the rail so fixing is secure.
No annoying wind noises.
100 kg weight rating - if you are brave enough to try cornering!

Bad points:
The lock barrels are a real pig to insert the first time. I think the instructions are poor. Still, once they are in, they can stay there.
The inner jaw of the clamp is not a good fit for the rail because it is designed to fit a range of rails, but the fixing is secure so probably not important.
The bars are 120 cm in length plus say 2 cm extra for the end caps. This is slightly longer than ideal for this car but the next size down is 108 cm which is too short. You would have to try very hard to bang your head on the end of the bar.

Enough for now I think!

vRSLen

rob1947, sorry to hear of your disapointment, but welcome.

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Current car: Black MKII Octavia vRS Combi
Previous: Black MKI Octavia vRS Combi
Black Fabia Elegance 100 BHP

simonsheil

I like the Atera bars, very nice and a bit cheaper than thulle.

bigjim73

Has anyone tried the Mont Blanc 400 system?

I'm looking for a set of roof bars at the moment and they are only £44.00 plus delivery.

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Mine: 57 Octy Vrs Estate 170, Race blue, cruise & Zenons
SWMBO's: 55 Fabia Vrs