We need a set of bars and a roof box to go on The Mighty Vectra.
Any experiences/recommendation both good and bad would be welcome. Ease of fitting, build quality, wind noise etc…
Kamei are very good indeed - I've got 2 of them & they're much better built than others I've had - very quiet too
[url= http://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/ ]The Roofbox Company[/url] are a joy to deal with
Used halfords budget and thule roof bars on different cars and found both to work fine. The thule are easier to fit and you can buy lock kits etc, if I bought again I would go with the cheap ones unless I was taking them off and on a lot. Only used a karrite roof box which was fine, didn't really experience any bad issues with noise etc. The only problem is the cost, way over priced for what you get, a plastic molded roof box with 2 hinges for £200-£300 is a joke IMO. Also take them off if your not using them as the roof bars on there own still reduce mpg by 5-10 mpg.
We have a Mont Blanc set - very cheap off the interweb but useless - the hinges failed in 6 months and just fitted a new set (under warranty) - one of which broke on the second usage!
reduce mpg by 5-10 mpg.
Don't agree at all - ours have been on permanently for 8 months and it has made almost no difference to overall consumption (mainly town driving but some much longer cross country trips).
I hire, as I can get a Thule box that would cost £350+ for about £40 for the week (plus a few days either side to collect/drop off). That includes the bars if you wanted them too. Don't have to store a massive plastic box the rest of the time either.
I like the Thule bars too - the aero ones are silent at speed and seem to have minimal effect on mpg. All the fittings are really good too. Atera make good ones as well.
http://www.roofbox.co.uk have good deals on bars, boxes and things like cycle carriers.
+1 For Kamei boxes, Brilliantly made and come with a six year guarantee.
FleaBay seems to be a good place for people who only used them a few times. Some places are knocking out the Mont Blanc ones at good prices at the moment. They seem pretty sleek too.
Thule bars with thule roof box, stored in roof of garage out of the way, fast to fit, low noise, have to take the car ariel off otherwise you get a iritating knocking noise at speed. roofbox.co.uk
Roof box company I can recommend very highly too. Renting one seems like an ace idea as how often do you [i]really[/i] [b]need[/b] it?
FWIW I reckon that if you really want to BUY a setup Thule would be the one I would go for as they are very saleable if you ever don't want it. I bought a Thule aero bar/bike rack setup a few years ago for around £200 and sold it this year for £140ish in seperate bits. All the eBay searches are for Thule stuff. If you look after the stuff (and keep the boxes and instructions) you'll sell it easily.
mastiles_fanylion - I had a 1.1 litre car which did 50 mpg so it did have a noticable effect on mpg so I suppose it depends on your car, weight in the car etc
for roof bars - I'd reccomend seeing if you can get some vauxhall ones off ebay or similar - I did this with my (mondeo) bars, and they're a lot less fiddly than the thules I had before
Some places are knocking out the Mont Blanc ones at good prices at the moment.
See above regarding my experience of them...
mastiles_fanylion - I had a 1.1 litre car which did 50 mpg so it did have a noticable effect on mpg so I suppose it depends on your car, weight in the car etc
Agreed - ours are used on a Mazda 3 2.0l Sport petrol. It does around an about 33mpg all the time since new three years ago and the last months with the bars fitted haven't made a noticeable difference at all really. (Never have been happy about the 33mpg though!)
ebay....as always!
or try your local gumtree.vectra's a a common car.