General Roof Rack for the 500 Lounge

[grimwau]

Tis hard to see if you dont know where to look If I ever see you out Ill stop and have a peep, as Ive siad Ive not seen a Lounge without them and they vary quite a bit, oh no... do I have OCD?

I'll inform the wife that if she is approached by a scary man wanting to look at her dimples not to hit him with her handbag... well at least not straightaway

 

[Nuova500]

LOL... Im not that scary... well maybe a bit!

 

[percymon]

BOM - this might be worth looking at http://www.rackinabag.co.uk/racks/soft.html - it doesn't answer the question of what load the roof panel can take but if your kayaks are that light this could be your answer, albeit at your own risk !

 

[FN500]

im in the same boat [or car?] looking for a roof rack for a lounge to hold my road bike. dont want to have to keep pulling it apart and plastic wrapping it to fin in the boot with out scratching!
HELLLP! is there a way of manufacturing our own?

 

[csabaszalma]

im in the same boat [or car?] looking for a roof rack for a lounge to hold my road bike. dont want to have to keep pulling it apart and plastic wrapping it to fin in the boot with out scratching!
HELLLP! is there a way of manufacturing our own?

This is not a roof rack but at least some kind of option to hold your bike.
http://www.mucke-ludwigsburg.de/Paulchen__Hecktraeger__Fahrrad/Paulchen__Audi__Hecktrager__He/Paulchen__BMW__Hecktrager__Hec/Paulchen__Citroen__Hecktrager_/Paulchen__Ford__Hecktrager__He/paulchen__ford__hecktrager__he.html

Hope it helps?!

 

[damjan]

Hello!

I did a little research on this. On the thule website, it says no roofrack for the lounge. But if you read the manual, you notice that the part 750 leans on the pilar, without eaven touching the window on the roof. There is also a mounting hole on the lounge, where you can fix the part 750

Someone who has this part should try it. My theory is that the manufactures said: oooops glass roof - no roof rack. Without testing I doubt that the model with glass roof has weaker pilars than the other models. It sure is designed to survive an overoll, so why shouldn't it cary a bike or two

 

[brimbling]

When I ordered my 1.2 lounge Thule listed the roof bars as being suitable for the car, about 6 weeks later they amended the website stating the bars were not suitable for cars with a glass roof.

I was a bit miffed as I had intended to buy roof bars, when I rang Thule to ask why the change they denied the bars were ever listed as suitable for a glass roof as they can cause stresses in the glass leading to cracking. They do not recommend bars for any glass roof eg Peugeot 306SW.

Whilst I might agree that the structure should be rigid enough and if the feet don't touch the glass it should not cause a problem, Thule are not going to leave themselves liable for a damaged roof.

Perhaps the safest bet is a towbar mounted rack, easier to get bikes onto (although not so good for a kayak).

 

[brimbling]

There is also a mounting hole on the lounge, where you can fix the part 750

This mounting point will always be there as it is part of the pressing for this panel, Fiat aren't going to make a new side panel just to remove this fitting. Unless Fiat make an approved roof bar for the Lounge then it's at your own risk. I wonder what AutoGlass would say if you asked for a new roof if yours had cracked? Is it covered under windscreen insurance?

 

[FN500]

This is not a roof rack but at least some kind of option to hold your bike.
Hope it helps?!

this is a good system. and it does get me out of the trouble of stashing it in the boot. i think the only trouble is it looks a little rough.
with a car as beautiful as the little 500 having this ugly thing stuck on the back is just not right.
they must have enough user interest to manufacture one for themselves or something. i have seen many a glass roofed car with roof racks. possibly only a matter of time. it would be interesting to see what part 750 does on the roof. a single speed road bike is not that heavy, surely it wouldnt crack the roof.

although come to think of it maybe it makes the roof to ridged and as the car moves on the road and the pillars take load and flex the glass roof tolerance would would be lessened hence the warning of the roof cracking?

does this sound at all possible?
cheers