Roof rails? For the look

[Martin Gibson]

Yes @Ads_Essex is right about the panel. We have the panel charging our leisure battery and have a small trickle charger that is supposed to trickle charge the main battery when the leisure battery if full. We don't have a battery monitor on the main battery but i have only been out to the supermarket in the van twice in five weeks and it has started fine so i am guessing it does what its supposed to do and is a cheap addition when you are doing the electrics,here is a photo of the one we have,hope this helps

 

[Big.mac]

So with all this spare time I actually hand washed my van ... Then thought how would a pair of roof rails look?View attachment 65975

Thoughts? Suggestions?

I think the roof rails look good. I fitted mine so I could use them but the colour combo might give you an idea. What would make more difference aesthetically in my humble is a set of side bars. I don’t have any problems with car parks, most barriers are at 2.3M which leaves plenty of room.
Before and after pictures for you:

 

[Bojan]

I am thinking to get a pair of roof rails too. But the OMTEC`s are only rated 75kg.
The rail is made of aluminium. What about the endings? Cheap plastic?
I`ve been looking those:

Vmaxx - Das Zubehör - Roof rails en

Vmaxx - Das Zubehör. Der Online-Shop mit attraktivem Autozubehör. Veredeln Sie Ihr Fahrzeug mit exklusiven Tuning-Accessoires von Vmaxx. Roof rails en

www.vmaxx.de

I guess they are a bit stronger than OMETEC ones. Those are rated 100kg, completely made of aluminium and fitted with 4 screws - each. And plenty of sealant. I was thinking a sealant usually used on caravans.

Any thoughts?
Bojan

 

[Martin Gibson]

The Omtec ones are the ones vw fit to their vans and are rated at 75kg which is quite a weight. If you want to fit rails that are rated at 100kg and actually put 100kg on them,then you will need to carefully research what weight the actual roof of the van is rated at. Perhaps vw fit 75kg rated rails for a reason? Maybe the vans roof wouldnt take 100kg without risking damage? Worth looking into if you are actually thinking of putting 100kg on the roof of your pride and joy,let us know what you find

 

[Bojan]

I see your point of view. I don`t intend to put 100kg on roof, but I bet it is safer to have stronger rails than weaker.
By the way, OMTEC roof rails are not GENUINE VW rails. The VW retailer in our country can`t or won`t sell them as genuine VW part. That`s why I was looking for stronger ones. I am affraid thet OMTEC`s plastic part will fall apart in few years.
The rails I`ve posted earlier have no plastic foot thouhg and they seem to me stronger - visually
I am going to put on some roof cargo box, windsurf board..... and I could easily exceed 70kg

 

[Martin Gibson]

Ok,well i guess that your country must be different to the uk because the Omtec roof rails are definitely Genuine OEM parts fitted by vw to their vans here. They have been for years and have been fitted to T5's and T6's all over the Uk some of which have had them on for 13-14 years and i have never heard of any plastic feet falling apart or failing in any way. The plastic feet are really sturdy and are nothing like the feet on the roof rails that are just for show but if you think you will exceed the rating then obviously for safetys sake,you need something else but check the roofs rating first

 

[Big.mac]

Just to add to this debate, I'd be surprised if the roof rails are completely aluminium. All the ones I have seen fit to the existing mounting points on the roof which is recessed into a gutter. To allow the rails to sit flush on the roof, there is a plastic spacer that sits in the gutter and the rails sit on top of that. I imagine the ones you are looking at will have the same thing.

I'd also suggest a look at this thread before fitting any rails. it shows a very effective way of sealing the mount to the roof so you don't get any water leakage. A much better approach in my view than using sealant.

Roof Rail Leak Free Fixing.

Got some ebay roof rails and did not want to gorm silicone into and around the fixing holes. Instead I got some M6 threaded bar cut a little longer than the bolts supplied with the rails. I then used the rubber washers that came off the blanking bolts together with a washer and M6 nyloc nut...

www.t6forum.com

 

[Martin Gibson]

Yes i totally agree because metal on metal sounds a bit wrong and that is how my rails are fitted @Big.mac , sealant free

 

[Bojan]

The rail supposed to be completely made of aluminium, the begining and the end of rail. There are two points in the middel of the rail. Probably aluminium clothed with plastic for I guess cosmetic look. It sits in a gutter on rubber seal. You don`t mount it directly to the roof fixing points. Rubber seal prevents metal on metal sound.

 

[Martin Gibson]

I think if you are afraid that the Omtec ones will fall apart then there is no doubt you should buy the other ones

 

[johnny tempest]

We fitted them to our van just in case we wanted to carry anything and also to disguise the solar panel and junction box. They aren't really visible now when standing on the floor and i do agree that everybody is different and so is their idea of what looks right or wrongView attachment 66062View attachment 66063

I'm looking at fitting a solar panel similar to yours,
do you have any problems with that lifting off or water getting underneath?
I would assume any water will just run out of the back?

 

[Martin Gibson]

Hi, @johnny tempest ,no problems so far. It is stuck to the roof with Sikaflex on the high parts leaving the lower parts open for air/water flow. The front edge is stuck down with Sanoj tape as are the sides and the front edge has Sikaflex ran across it as well. At the rear,the panel is only stuck down onto the raised ridges of the roof leaving the dips open. The Sanoj tape is really good because it leaves a 1mm air gap and allows a bit of air flow. If the panel is as big as mine,get a couple or three friends round to help as its really awkward to get into place,not heavy at all but flexible and awkward. We made a right angle from plastic and stuck that to the roof where we wanted the rear corner to be,making sure we got it straight then fitted the panel up against that,hope that makes sense and helps,good luck!

 

[johnny tempest]

Hi, @johnny tempest ,no problems so far. It is stuck to the roof with Sikaflex on the high parts leaving the lower parts open for air/water flow. The front edge is stuck down with Sanoj tape as are the sides and the front edge has Sikaflex ran across it as well. At the rear,the panel is only stuck down onto the raised ridges of the roof leaving the dips open. The Sanoj tape is really good because it leaves a 1mm air gap and allows a bit of air flow. If the panel is as big as mine,get a couple or three friends round to help as its really awkward to get into place,not heavy at all but flexible and awkward. We made a right angle from plastic and stuck that to the roof where we wanted the rear corner to be,making sure we got it straight then fitted the panel up against that,hope that makes sense and helps,good luck!

Excellent description, thanks very much!