Roofbars problems (saloon)

[Red 2]

Need to fit the family roofbox to the A4 so bought a pair of official Audi roof bars. Out of the box, they seemed very familiar to any one who has had VW Group roof bars so a quick job to fit I thought.

Front pair went on ok although the adaptor has a long thin stem and the actual socket has not much depth and did not fit particularly well. First problem was that you know you have reached the torque setting by an 'audible' click. I strained to hear any click, in fact as a family we all tried...no click and as we thought the bars were securely positioned, we decided not to risk over tightening .

Rear roof bars were an absolute pig to fit...one of the rubber covered holders seemed slightly misshaped which meant it wouldn't fit exactly in the roof guide or at least not within the manuals' recommendations.

Biggest shock was the adaptor....threads were 50% worn which explained the increasing difficulty tightening it. Wow! Never had that degree of wear before, certainly not after ONE use!

So back to the dealer on Monday for a swap to see if a second set is any better. If not, Thule beckons although all my adaptors are for the VW design.

Beware though, if you get a set, give yourself plenty of time in daylight to fit them the first time....your set might be perfect but if not, they really test your patience.

[jkh112]

I have a set of Atera bars on order (apparently they also make the genuine audi bars) but I hope they are better quality!