We've been selling and fitting Roof Racks here at MicksGarage for over 10 years and have experience with most of the popular brands available on the market today. Over the years certain queries crop up time and time again so we thought we'd put together a list of our Top 10 Do's & Don'ts When Using a Roof Rack
1. Always read the instructions carefully:
Blokes, as a rule don't read instructions & in a lot of situations, that's fine, you'll get away with it. If you're fitting a roof rack to your car we strongly urge you to read all the instructions fully before you even take anything out of the box, it will make the job much quicker, easier and safer. Get someone to help you as well. You can do it on your own, but it's easier with 2. Remember your car is worth a lot more than the set of roof racks you've just bought, don't damage it by not not reading the instructions!
2. Pay attention to torque settings: A properly fitted and used roof rack will not damage your car. An over tightened, under tightened, badly fitted or over loaded roof rack can damage your car.
3. Lube up! Put a tiny bit of copper grease on the mounting bolt threads, it will make removing them in the future so much easier.
4. Remove your roof rack when not in use Despite sleek designs and light weight materials a roof rack adds weight and aerodynamic drag to your car and will have an adverse effect on your fuel economy. Remove it when you're not using it! Wind noise will also be reduced.
5. Get help: Loading a roof rack with big, bulky items can be quite difficult. it's when you're struggling and straining that things tend to get damaged so rather than scratching your lovely paintwork with that 12 foot canoe you're trying to manhandle on your own, get someone to give you a hand.
6. Height: When entering multi-story car parks, drive-through's or even your own garage with a roof rack/bikes/kayak attached remember the extra height you're carrying, especially if you drive an mpv or suv. You'd be surprised how easy it is to forget!
7. Lock it up: All the roof racks we sell come with security locks, be sure to use them. Especially important if you're carrying expensive equipment such as bikes or kayaks. Also attach the keys to you car key ring, we get hundreds of calls every year looking for replacement keys!
8. Check weight limits: Your car's owners manual will include information on the maximum load that can be carried on your roof. Quite often the roof bars will have a higher weight rating than the roof of your car so it's important to check and adhere to both.
9. Tie it down: If you're carrying canoes, kayaks or surf boards you must tie them down to the car front and back, not just to the roof rack (use the car's towing eyes). When travelling at speed the lift generated by these kind of products can rip any brand of roof rack clean off your car if it's not tied down properly. Even if you're not travelling quickly, strong winds (and it often is very windy when surfers/wind surfers are heading out) could exert forces higher than the roof rack is rated for and cause damage so this is a really important point.
10. Speed limits: A lot of roof rack accessories, such as roof boxes come with maximum speed ratings. Be sure to read their instructions carefully too. The speed rating more than like has to do with drag and lift factors as mentioned above. Exceeding the speed rating could damage your car or the roof rack. Finally, if you're planning on taking a trip to the Safari park with a roof box attached to your rack, make sure you lock it!
If you want more info on roof racks, whether they're for business or leisure feel free to give us a shout. We have a team of experts on-hand 7 days a week. You can call us on 00353 14406603 or email support@micksgarage.com You can also check out our youtube playlist which has manufacturer videos, customer submitted videos and our own fitment guides and product reviews. If you're heading away on a driving holiday you might find some of our Driving Guides handy Found this useful? feel free to share it..
