Fitting your car roofbox

You may find it useful to slacken your roof bars before you start, so that they can be moved along the car. The idea is to position the roofbox to avoid any interference with a tailgate, while keeping it fairly central on the roof, front to back and side to side. (Make sure you consult the car manufacturers guidelines and the roofbox instructions of course).

You also need to keep the box horizontal with the road, certainly not pointing upwards at the front, unless you want your car to behave like an aircraft !

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If you are filling your roofbox with heavy gear and not just clothes for a holiday, first of all check the specified maximum weight for the box and the car roof load.

Secondly, try to position heavy items centrally and secure them in the roofbox in some way to stop them shifting around. If you've got ski holders, these can act as convenient dividers.

Just in case you get a leak, it also worth covering or wrapping clothing in plastic bags.

Driving with your roofbox attached to your car

Be prepared for a different feel to your car which will be particularly noticeable in crosswinds, under braking and on corners. Basically, the car handling will just not be as good, so take care.

Also if you are forgetful, tie a knot somewhere to remind you not to go charging under low bridges or driving straight into garages without checking heights first. (Its handy to measure this in advance and stick a note on your dash somewhere).

Finally, if you're not using it much, take your car roofbox off to stop it increasing your fuel consumption and to keep it clean of all the various grime that comes off the road during driving.

Clean it regularly, but NOT in a car wash !

Happy Holidays !