Roof Rack Cross bars VW geniune bars

[Arctra]

Hi guys

I just went to Roof Rack World in Artarmon (Sydney) as the guy there gave me a call to say another customers Rola's had arrived and I could test them quickly.

The good news is that if you don't have a sunroof these bars are awesome and look the part on your Tig. The bad news is that if you have a sunroof, the Rola RBX135/RBXL135 is a no-go. As you can see in the images they touch the roof when it opens and when it is in the fully open state:
IMG_3382 (Small).jpg

IMG_3383 (Small).jpg

The Thule RT755's do fit without touching the roof, however IMO they look ungainly and only come in silver so contrast with my black Tig. At the back you cannot fit them in the manufacturer's position over the holes as the mounting brackets affect the roof when it's fully open (as you can see in the images):
IMG_3384 (Small).jpg

IMG_3386 (Small).jpg

They don't have anything aerodynamic like the Rola's that will fit the Tig with the sunroof either which is disappointing.

Hope this helps.

[Bayman]

I asked Rola whether they fit the Tiguan and sunroofs, this is their confusing
and uninformative reply:-

The below are the racks that will suit your car, a RBXL 135 is not designed for your car.

We have not tested compatibility of our products with Tiguan fitted with factory sunroof & cannot offer a recommendation on suitability.

If you can advise what area you live in, I may be able to suggest a fitter who can give you advise on fitment with sunroof


TIGUAN Wgn 5d
5/08 on SPORTS Rail Bars RB135 2 bars 80 Suits Factory Rails
EXTENDED Rail Extended RE131 2 bars 80 Suits Factory Rails
UNIVERSAL Rail Bars RBU11S 2 bars ROM Suits Factory Rails



Vivian Cameron
Customer Service - Rola

[Arctra]

If I have to have ugly bars on, I at least want to be able to quickly put them on and remove them. Does anyone know of quick release rails for other vehicles so I can investigate whether they are available for the Tig?

[Johnno]

The below are the racks that will suit your car, a RBXL 135 is not designed for your car.

That's weird, on the Rola website you can drop down VW and Tiguan from their menu and the RBLX is an option. Maybe she means that the RBXL isn't designed to fit with the sunroof.

Other than that, it looks like a standard ar$e-covering letter - go see the fitter and test your own product before damaging your own car and trying to sue Rola

[Bayman]

That's weird, on the Rola website you can drop down VW and Tiguan from their menu and the RBLX is an option. Maybe she means that the RBXL isn't designed to fit with the sunroof.

Other than that, it looks like a standard ar$e-covering letter - go see the fitter and test your own product before damaging your own car and trying to sue Rola

Thanks all for the info and the photos, great stuff.

I went to my local VW dealer and inspected the VW original bars. They even had a new delivered Tiguan with the VW bars on but the hopeless dealer had not only misfitted the rear bar (locating pins were not in the bar holes) but the drips had not inserted the rubber strip in the channels on each cross bar. Poor person will be upset to take delivery!

My observations of this bar is as follows:

Made in Germany
Mounts have rubber on the top but not on clamps so it might mark the roof bars, needs some further protection I feel.
Silver bar not black
Slightly ugly but practical, front edge has a curve on it.
Side plastic shrouders clip over locking mechanism
Rubber strip is nicely made and good aluminium bar quality
Uses locating holes in roof racks so easy to put on /off I guess.
MOST IMPORTANTLY it has 4 plastic guards under the front bar to guard against the sunroof hitting it I guess. It looks to higher enough to clear it though but I can't confirm.

So there you have it!

[tiguan_hunting]

Thanks all for the info and the photos, great stuff.

I went to my local VW dealer and inspected the VW original bars. They even had a new delivered Tiguan with the VW bars on but the hopeless dealer had not only misfitted the rear bar (locating pins were not in the bar holes) but the drips had not inserted the rubber strip in the channels on each cross bar. Poor person will be upset to take delivery!

My observations of this bar is as follows:

Made in Germany
Mounts have rubber on the top but not on clamps so it might mark the roof bars, needs some further protection I feel.
Silver bar not black
Slightly ugly but practical, front edge has a curve on it.
Side plastic shrouders clip over locking mechanism
Rubber strip is nicely made and good aluminium bar quality
Uses locating holes in roof racks so easy to put on /off I guess.
MOST IMPORTANTLY it has 4 plastic guards under the front bar to guard against the sunroof hitting it I guess. It looks to higher enough to clear it though but I can't confirm.

So there you have it!

Bayman, I see that you are located in Melbourne as well. Can you tell me which dealer you went to? I would like to see them myself as well.
Thanks

[Bayman]

Bayman, I see that you are located in Melbourne as well. Can you tell me which dealer you went to? I would like to see them myself as well.
Thanks

CAMBERWELL VW (Bayford), it was a TSI with silver roof racks as well, but it was still in the showroom last night but probably be delivered today I would guess. Give them a call.

[Arctra]

I ended up bidding on those genuine Tig bars on eBay and won them for $250.

Fitted them yesterday and have to say that although I still think they're ugly, they aren't as bad as I anticipated. Fitting them was quite quick and simple which is good, but they certainly aren't "quick release" as they require a special torque tool to make sure you tighten them on properly to carry their 100kg rated load. With practice I should be able to put them on and take them off quite quickly.

The clearance above the sunroof is ridiculously large. They could have made the bars a lot lower and sleeker looking and still had adequate clearance. They have a groove along the length of the bar for sliding in your holders. I have Rola Kayak cradles and they slot in perfectly, so the grooves must be an industry standard.

If you want pics or any further info please let me know.

[Bayman]

Looks like you got a bargain. The best price I can get them for is $370 and nearly bid for them but then they would cost me $290 with freight so I was undecided to outlay that much just yet. You must have picked them up.
I didn't notice that they were so high but I 'll admit they look a bit geriatric compared to sleeker models.
Do the clamps mark your black bars or are yours silver. I noticed they have rubber to protect the vertical load but the clamp section appeared to be bare painted metal so all there is to protect marking the bars is paint. The rubber strips on the front bar must be for the glass protection but if the bar is so high is that then over engineering Germans at work?

I would be interested to hear how they go and travelling noise. I reckon at least using geniune products, you have some comeback on VW if they fail within any prescribed load.

Thanks for the info.

[Arctra]

Looks like you got a bargain. <snip> You must have picked them up.
<snip>
Do the clamps mark your black bars or are yours silver. I noticed they have rubber to protect the vertical load but the clamp section appeared to be bare painted metal so all there is to protect marking the bars is paint. The rubber strips on the front bar must be for the glass protection but if the bar is so high is that then over engineering Germans at work?

I would be interested to hear how they go and travelling noise. I reckon at least using geniune products, you have some comeback on VW if they fail within any prescribed load.

Well, a "bargain" if you compare them to the original VW price, but compared to other bars they are about what you'd pay for new ones. I did go pick them up rather than post as Colo Vale isn't too far from Sydney and I wanted to do another decent drive

The clamps don't have any rubber protection and my rails are black, so marking is a concern. I'll be taking them off this weekend as I'm doing a long trip up north through the Thunderbolt Way and don't need the drag/noise from them. Travelling with them today I have to say I didn't notice a noise. Considering how far they are from teh roof that's probably not a surprise though!