Genuine vw rear bike rack

Polzeylad said:
I was very careful but it did feel a bit dodgy.
Our bikes are all light (two are kids Islabikes that weigh very little) so it's not too much of a strain on anything.
Click to expand...
Looks a good bit of kit though, and mind those car park barriers !! :mad:
 
Polzeylad said:
Well I fitted our genuine VW rack today and it's rather good and very well thought out.
Made a bit of a mess of the protective clear tape (helicopter tape) with a few bubbles in it but otherwise it fitted perfectly.

Takes some fiddling to fit four bikes in the right order but once done they are very secure. I do think those with big wheels (29") or really fat tyres might struggle but otherwise good.

The boot can be opened but you need to be a near power lifter to hoik up four bikes and closing it felt a bit dodgy (hang on, release, jump out of the way) plus auto latching seems to get slightly confused but no drama really. Will just need some forward planning on our big trips away.

Great fit and finish though and a really good piece of kit.
Click to expand...
Now you have had them all on you will find it a lot easier to line them all up next time. Also, no problem with my 29 inch wheels.

I think the uprated gas struts are to compensate for the weight of the rack - I don't think you are meant to try and open the tailgate with 60kg worth of bikes on it.
 
Davenjo said:
Now you have had them all on you will find it a lot easier to line them all up next time. Also, no problem with my 29 inch wheels.

I think the uprated gas struts are to compensate for the weight of the rack - I don't think you are meant to try and open the tailgate with 60kg worth of bikes on it.
Click to expand...

Not weighed them all but the Islabikes are less than 10kg (much less for the smallest one), mine is 13, wifes is 14kgs. But it's still heavy! I'll have a good look through the instructions and see if it says don't open it when loaded; I'm sure it's best not to but when away for 5 weeks in Europe, I can see situations arising where we need to access the boot with the bikes on the rack.

Edit; 8kgs for my daughters bike, 9.5 for my son's. So just over 44.5kgs all in!
 
I know what you mean about planning ahead.

Either way, 44.5kg is still a lot of weight and will get closer to 60kg as the kids grow and need bigger bikes :)

Quote from warnings section of the installation instructions:- "The tailgate may not be opened when the rack is loaded. This is especially relevant for tailgates which are opened electrically...."

On top of which, if you did it with the pop top open, you'd probably trash it.
 
Davenjo said:
I know what you mean about planning ahead.

Either way, 44.5kg is still a lot of weight and will get closer to 60kg as the kids grow and need bigger bikes :)

Quote from warnings section of the installation instructions:- "The tailgate may not be opened when the rack is loaded. This is especially relevant for tailgates which are opened electrically...."

On top of which, if you did it with the pop top open, you'd probably trash it.
Click to expand...

Ours has electric latching but doesn't do that ridiculous electric opening thing (is that an option?) that drives me mad. Our last courtesy BMW had it...

I'll avoid it if at all possible but if it's urgent, I'll carefully lift it (without the pop top up!). Probably more to protect the user than the van; it's quite an effort to open it!

Anyway, we're pleased with it and thanks for finding the warning bit!
 
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