Roof bars and box

[NickH A4]

Right, time to get a roof box and bars for the new year, plenty of camping trips coming up in the spring and summer.

I have tried to use the search facility but it seems I have failed miserably.

Can anyone recommend which roof bars I need for my b8 avant and a good roof box to hold everything? Quite like the idea of a anthracite roof box as I have a lava grey car so I think it would look quite good.

This box from ********* looks quite good:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_75 1005_langId_-1_categoryId_165500

but as I said if you have any better suggestions please shout.

As for the roof bars, the ones from Audi are here:

http://www.audi.co.uk/audi/owners-area/audi-accessories.html?appLink=%2Faccessories-searcher%2Fdetails.do%3FaccessoryId%3D36192

Should I stick with these or use aftermarket ones and hope I get the right fittings?

Thanks in advance for any tips/advice

Nick

[J_B204]

I used www.roofbox.co.uk

Very happy with them and their service. Got the whispbar bars and a large Kamei box (in fact I think I got one of the largest out there!) - the Kamei one's are far better than anything you'll find in halfords and the whispbar bars are well, whisper quiet.

Kamei make the boxes for Audi, BMW and Mercedes anyway just rebrand them. The quality is very high.

IIRC I paid around £500 for both bars and box

Hope this helps

[NickH A4]

That's really useful, thank you.

I will go and have a look at their products.

Nick

[NickH A4]

Just ordered using one of their package deals, great service, really helpful on the phone.

Will let you know when it arrives.

Nick

[Hammy969]

I've used these guys before, had excellent service and good pricde for Thule bars.

[ScottyUK]

I too got my top box from them. No issues at all with the company or my Kamei.

I bought the OEM bars off ebay for 1/2 price. I'm glad I didn't buy from a dealer at silly money as they howl at 50+ mph if there's nothing on top of them.

[neilos100]

Yep,
I'll second all the comments about roofbox.com....brilliant customer service and great products too. The website makes it very easy to find the right product for your car too. I bought a set of Atera aero roofbars and a Kamei Corvara Duolift roofbox from them and both products are very well put together. Highly recommended company if you want bars, boxes or snow chains for your car. ( I quite like the look of the Spikes spiders.... http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php?emulate=snowchains&query=4597&vptype=184697&prodid=16604&Tyre=245/40-18 ....totally pointless in London of course but if i ever need chains then these are the ones I'll get!!!)

[Dr Mcr]

A 3rd thumbs up for Roofbox.co.uk

I bought a combination of Prorack Whispbar and KAMEI Corvara 390 DuoLift from them. A slight hiccup with the delivery, but a good company always shows its true colours when something goes wrong. Would I buy from them again? In an instant!

The bar and box combination on an A4 Avant is very good for anyone else looking for box and bars. They remove and fit in minutes and I even did it on my own once! They even supplied a free set of "hoists" to keep the box stored close to the garage roof.

D.

[ScottyUK]

I bought a combination of Prorack Whispbar and KAMEI Corvara 390 DuoLift from them.
.
.
.
They remove and fit in minutes and I even did it on my own once!

That's the same box I bought. I went for the painted version and it still looks like new. It seems the perfect size for the A4 Avant. You can position is so that it allows the tailgate to open fully and also without any overhang on the windscreen. Oh and I've only ever fitted it on my own ;)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3628815/Car/A4/Top%20Box%203.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3628815/Car/A4/Top%20Box.JPG

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3628815/Car/A4/Top%20Box%202.JPG

[NickH A4]

Thanks all, some great info and glad to hear there is plenty of positive feedback which is certainly my experience when I dealt with them last week.

Nick

[ru55]

A bit late but a thumbs up also for roobox.co.uk. I already had Thule roof bars and wanted a box for additional storage for holiday trips. Like the OP I have a lava grey avant and bought a black gloss Thule 600 which has the advantage of being able to fit two bikes alongside on top as well. Black on black does look the dogs but it is a pity that I can't find more opportunities to use it!

[NickH A4]

Bit of an update.

In the end of I went for a Kamei delphin box but chose the 470 which is 230cm in length, turns out this wasn't such a good idea! I did order gloss black and the one that turned up was metallic black which was more of a dark grey. Apparently they are the same, not sure about that as there's a clear distinction in my books.

With the avant boot and the s-line spoiler I worked out after viewing the internal sliding brackets that I wasn't going to be able to open the boot without fouling the box. Drat!

Plus the overhang on the front front the roof bar would have been too much for my liking.

Phoned roofbox and I have to say they were great. They do have a returns policy which you need to be aware of so had I swpaped this for a smaller box of the same model I would have been out of pocket as they don't refund the difference. Anyway, the customer service manager was great, really helpful and gave me a good offer on a Corvara duolift that I have have now chosen which arrives Friday. It's 190cm in length which as Scotty has demonstrated is perfect for the avant.

So :biggthump from me for roofbox, will definitely be recommending them to others.

Thanks again for the help and advice.
Nick

[neilos100]

You made the right choice in the end.....Corvara Duolift is the best on the market......I spent ages looking at roofboxes and the internet before I took the plunge. I couldn't find a bad review anywhere. With the guarantee being so long...7 years IIRC its a great buy. Certainly not the cheapest but certainly IS the best.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[ScottyUK]

Good call Nick.

Someone else (maybe this forum, maybe another) tried the 470 and it was possible to fit (not sure if they had a spoiler) but it did hang over the front by quite a bit.

It swallows a lot and now my kids don't need to have travel cot, mattress (yep we used to take a sprung mattress!), steralisers etc I think now I'll have masses of space for more exciting luggage e.g. kids toys etc.

:)

[ScottyUK]

Just found the thread : http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/audi-a4-s4-cabrio/134020-b-a4-avant-roof-box-rails.html

The guy fitted a 470 and was concerned about the overhang. It looks like a long section of unsupported box at the front to me :

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3628815/Car/A4/Roofbox_470.jpg

[NickH A4]

Exactly the reason for getting one. We enjoy are camping trips and we have a little girl who is now 9 months old, she has more luggage then the wife and I put together! Staggering! So camping this year without it was going to be a challenge!

[NickH A4]

Just found the thread : http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/audi-a4-s4-cabrio/134020-b-a4-avant-roof-box-rails.html

The guy fitted a 470 and was concerned about the overhang. It looks like a long section of unsupported box at the front to me :

http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/attachments/audi-a4-s4-cabrio/44758d1317484916-b-a4-avant-roof-box-rails-img_2404.jpg

I can't see the photos but I know it was going to be too long at the front, I seem to recall calculating something in the region of 80-90cm from the front roof bar, too long for my liking even at low speeds.

[ScottyUK]

I've grabbed the pic, hosted it and edited the above so hopefully you can see it now ;)

[NickH A4]

I've grabbed the pic, hosted it and edited the above so hopefully you can see it now ;)

Thanks, yes too long :-)

[bruboy]

Joining this thread somewhat after the horse has bolted but just in case anybody is searching for advice in the future...

Another thumbs up for Duolift - I went with 'KAMEI Corvara 390 K silver DuoLift' from roofbox.co.uk and it fits my S4 fine - I've got it on Thule 134007 feet/ 3015 adapters / 861 bars.

It can be fitted on your own if you have too but mind the paintwork!

[digitollie]

It is a great website, im thinking of getting new bars, cycle carrier and roof box to aid moving house, camping trips etc. Although the website says that all cycle carriers fot all roof bars I am confused about the mention of "aero" bars. I imagine I will call them tomorrow but if anyone can spread some light on the situation, that would be great!

[ScottyUK]

Aero bars are generally oval rather than rectangular in profile. In theory they are more aerodynamic deducing drag, noise etc

I have the Audi aero bars (I got htem 1/2 price off ebay) and they're not the best for noise. On their own they start to howl about about 50mph. With a roofbox on they're fine though.

[neilos100]

I have the Audi aero bars (I got htem 1/2 price off ebay) and they're not the best for noise. On their own they start to howl about about 50mph. With a roofbox on they're fine though.

The noise comes from the slot on the upper surface that the t-connector slots into. I got a set of Atera. Aerobars and they come with a rubber strip that fits the entire length of the slot when the box is detatched....completely stops the noise at all speeds.

Neil

Sent from my HTC One X using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2

[ru55]

I notice from the roofbox.co.uk website (no affiliation!) that you can now buy Thule "wing" bars with better aero dynamic qualities. The challenge is whether I "need" to upgrade - they do look stylish!

[ScottyUK]

The noise comes from the slot on the upper surface that the t-connector slots into. I got a set of Atera. Aerobars and they come with a rubber strip that fits the entire length of the slot when the box is detatched....completely stops the noise at all speeds.

Neil

I had the rubbers in place.

I stand by my comment about the Audi bars.

[Rb1231]

Having been a little disappointed with the dimensions of the A4 Avant boot (looks good but why on earth does the window rake back so steeply?) which daily accommodates our dog and pram I bought Whispbars last year. I decided a fairly large box as I thought I'd rather have too much space than not enough so went for the Kamei Corvara (single side opening) box.

I was impressed with the design and quality of the bars when fitting and they stay on all year now. I never notice any noise from them even at motorway speeds. The box I think is pretty cavernous, the fittings to the bar are designed well. It's a two person job lifting it on the bars but then can be fitted by one fairly quickly and easily. Noise-wise you notice it from about 60mph onwards but then I imagine most boxes of these dimensions would.

[ScottyUK]

Having been a little disappointed with the dimensions of the A4 Avant boot (looks good but why on earth does the window rake back so steeply?) which daily accommodates our dog and pram I bought Whispbars last year.

Surely this was no surprise? Audi, BMW, Merc etc are known for making "lifestyle estates". If you want something more practical shaped then you go for a Volvo estate .... but there's a reason people don't ;)