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Roof Bars + Roof Box

2Stevo2

2Stevo2

Active Member
Oct 20, 2015
170
16
North Lanarkshire, Scotland
Guys,

I'm planning on taking the Leon with me on a family holiday this summer.

I would like a little more storage therefore looking into having roof bars and a subsequent roof box fitted.

I have never had these fitted before - does anyone have any recommendations as to what makes/companies to go with?

Anything to look out for or worry about?

Cheers
 
rafletcher

rafletcher

Active Member
Feb 18, 2021
531
214
Thule aerobars are what you want, plus one of their roof boxes (although they can be hired quite reasonably).
 
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black_sheep

black_sheep

Active Member
Mar 10, 2013
1,255
586
+1 for https://www.roofbox.co.uk/

Their customer service is ace.

I purchased the Yakima aluminium through bars - we also have bike racks so fitted to the car for long periods.

We change our cars relatively frequently - fitted to 4 different makes/models so far; more expensive upfront, but only costs £30 to buy the new foot pack for each model. Top tip is to buy some rubber lubricant (like gummi pflege) to apply to the rubber on the tracks before inserting the roof box/bike racks etc.

We purchased the Kamei delphin roobox - whilst Thule is the best known brand in UK, Kamei are based in Wolfsburg and make the VAG branded roof boxes that you see in the OEM accessories catalogues. The box is mega - really quiet, good opening, good locking mechanism and keeps everything dry in the wet.

If you purchase as a set, there is normally a discount too. We also got the straps for mounting from the roof of the garage so storage is taken care of too.
 
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moriarty

moriarty

Active Member
Apr 6, 2015
98
17
Edinburgh
It depends how flexible you want the roof bars to be and what else you might use them for. Best option might be to try and pick up secondhand if you aren't planning the bars for more than an occasional holiday?

On the last car (5F 5 Dr Hatch) I had a set of Thule Aero Bars plus the Thule 754 foot pack and 1707 fitting kit.

For the ST I got a set of used Thule Slidebars on eBay (Skippys Roof Racks), I would never have spent the money on new ones. They arrived looking almost new. You don't really need them for a roof box but brilliant when putting bikes on the roof as you can pull them out clear of the car for loading and unloading.

I bought a roof box years ago that is half car width so I can still get a bike on the other side and the box is long enough to take skis which, seemed like a good idea for winter ski trips- but only used it for that once.

That might not answer your particular questions but hopefully a few things to think about.
 
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2Stevo2

2Stevo2

Active Member
Oct 20, 2015
170
16
North Lanarkshire, Scotland
black_sheep said:
+1 for https://www.roofbox.co.uk/

Their customer service is ace.

I purchased the Yakima aluminium through bars - we also have bike racks so fitted to the car for long periods.

We change our cars relatively frequently - fitted to 4 different makes/modes so far; more expensive upfront, but only costs £30 to buy the new foot pack for each model. Top tip is to buy some rubber lubricant (like gummi pflege) to apply to the rubber on the tracks before inserting the roof box/bike racks etc.

We purchased the Kamei delphin roobox - whilst Thule is the best known brand in UK, Kamei are based in Wolfsburg and make the VAG branded roof boxes that you see in the OEM accessories catalogues. The box is mega - really quiet, good opening, good locking mechanism and keeps everything dry in the wet.

If you purchase as a set, there is normally a discount too. We also got the straps for mounting from the roof of the garage so storage is take care of too.
Click to expand...
Spot on, thank you both for recommending that site. The package deals look great and make it look nice and easy.

Much appreciated!
 
Mr Pig

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,705
953
2Stevo2 said:
I assume if fitted correctly nobody has experienced any damage to the roof or pillars in and around where the feet are fitted?
Click to expand...
A friend of mine put some bars on his car, I think they were Halfords ones, and when he took them off they had dented the roof! That's why I was asking if it was the ST. On the hatch I reckon I'd buy them from the dealer so that if there was any issues you'd have some comeback.
 
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black_sheep

black_sheep

Active Member
Mar 10, 2013
1,255
586
2Stevo2 said:
Spot on, thank you both for recommending that site. The package deals look great and make it look nice and easy.

Much appreciated!
Click to expand...
2Stevo2 said:
No, its the hatch with the flush roof.

All good info guys, thanks v much. Something to think about.

I assume if fitted correctly nobody has experienced any damage to the roof or pillars in and around where the feet are fitted?
Click to expand...
Had mine fitted to Leon 5 dr hatch and A3 Sportback without the roof rails - no problem whatsoever. If you look at the top of the door frame, there are locating holes where the spigots from the roof rack feet are located to ensure that they are aligned to the load points on the hatch roof.

The roof has a maximum load of c.75 kg. Bars and Box are 15-25 kg, so approx 50 kg of load into the box. Generally, put the heavier items in the boot to prevent overloading/maintain lower centre of gravity.

Poor photo, but only one I have with it fitted to the Leon Hatch.
 

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Mr Pig

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,705
953
black_sheep said:
Had mine fitted to Leon 5 dr hatch and A3 Sportback without the roof rails - no problem whatsoever. If you look at the top of the door frame, there are locating holes where the spigots from the roof rack feet are located to ensure that they are aligned to the load points on the hatch roof.
Click to expand...
Most cars use the same system these days. My friend's Fiat was like that and the bars he got were supposed to be for that car. They fitted and looked ok but when he took them off the four pads and dented the roof. Not big dents, you had to look for them, but they were there.

I reckon the relatively cheap aftermarket bars were shaped slightly wrong and when loaded up they flexed downward enough to put too much pressure on the roof? I don't know, I'm guessing, but it has made me wary about this type of roof bar.
 
black_sheep

black_sheep

Active Member
Mar 10, 2013
1,255
586
Mr Pig said:
Most cars use the same system these days. My friend's Fiat was like that and the bars he got were supposed to be for that car. They fitted and looked ok but when he took them off the four pads and dented the roof. Not big dents, you had to look for them, but they were there.

I reckon the relatively cheap aftermarket bars were shaped slightly wrong and when loaded up they flexed downward enough to put too much pressure on the roof? I don't know, I'm guessing, but it has made me wary about this type of roof bar.
Click to expand...
I’ve seen the bike racks that mount on the rear hatch glass do quite a bit of damage too.

It was surprising that although the Leon 5dr and A3 roofs looked almost identical, the design of the foot pack was different to ensure that the bars were level above the roof profile.
 
Mr Pig

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,705
953
black_sheep said:
I’ve seen the bike racks that mount on the rear hatch glass do quite a bit of damage too.

It was surprising that although the Leon 5dr and A3 roofs looked almost identical, the design of the foot pack was different to ensure that the bars were level above the roof profile.
Click to expand...
I think that's it, as long as you get the right kit you're going to be fine but if you cheap out you might have problems.
 

will105

Active Member
Sep 20, 2007
30
2
Northern Ireland
2Stevo2 said:
Thanks mate but I have no idea if they will. I'm contacting a Seat dealer tommorow so I'll ask when im on the phone.

Out of curiosity, are they branded? Seat or otherwise?
Click to expand...
I bought them from Seat dealership, they are aero style, I think they have Seat logo but would need to check tomorrow afternoon, they are very good quality and I’ve done two trips to France from Northern Ireland with no issues.
 
dj74

dj74

Active Member
Aug 16, 2017
34
35
Wrexham
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