roof rack for ford focus

cullener

hi,

I'm planning to get roof bars for an '04 ford focus. thinking of maybe getting this set

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... TQ:GB:1123
http://www.racedynamics.biz/shop/images ... upra39.pdf

does anyone know anything about them?

cheers,
darren

Gregor Samsa

Your links aren't working, so I can't comment on the one you're thinking about getting.

I've got a Thule roof rack for my Focus, that I use for carrying 2 kayaks. I bought some of the parts in Halfords, and some online (can't remember where).

There's a configurator here (http://www.thule.co.uk/appguide/) to see the bits you need for your car.

With Thule, you need bars, feet and a fitting kit. The bars are universal (you just need to get the right length for your car), as are the feet (there's a few different ones, but each fit a large range of cars), but the fitting kits are vehicle specific. Which is handy if you change cars, because it's likely you'll only need to get new fitting kits to put the roof rack on the new one (unless it's a lot wider or thinner than your original car).

So I originally had mine on my old Citroen Xsara, now have it on the Focus, and could transfer it onto my partner's Mazda 6 if i just got the correct fitting kit.

high horse

cullener wrote: »

hi,

I'm planning to get roof bars for an '04 ford focus. thinking of maybe getting this set

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... TQ:GB:1123
http://www.racedynamics.biz/shop/images ... upra39.pdf

does anyone know anything about them?

cheers,
darren

Have you tried going to your Ford dealer? I've been surprised a few times at the price of oem roof racks. I got one before for a peugeot 406 which was 70 euro's from the dealer but 180 euro's for a Thule roof rack for the same car

cullener

thanks for the replies

here's a shortened version of the url
http://tinyurl.com/mq93mg

phutyle - have you any idea how much buying seperately cost? halfords are quoting me €180 for the thule set

high horse - cheers for the suggestion .. i'll give them a shout today

LFC Murphy

Hi, also looking for roof bars for 05 focus........ contacted ford and was quoted €180 inc VAT.

Have you had any luck?

d.h.79

Hi,

I realise this thread was not particularly for roof bars for 3 Doors, but I've been looking into these and thought I'd post this to add to the general store of knowledge.

• There are not many options for roof bars for the 3 Door Ford Focus Mark 1 (i.e. the original Focus 1998 - 2004 model).
• The options I found were:
  1. Thule (e.g. from Halfords);
  2. Mick's Garage (micksgarage.ie);
  3. Ford Dealer (I used South Dublin Ford Company).
• You can get genuine Ford roof bars for €132 from Ford dealers. I called three dealers in Dublin and they all quoted the same price. It takes them two days to get them in.
• Buying from Ford is actually a fair bit cheaper than buying Thule or the brand that Mick's Garage sells.
• Buying Ford's design makes more sense, especially since the design for 3 Door hatchback roof bars is a bit weird to begin with.
• The bars attach as follows: One foot attaches in each doorway. Since there are only two doors on the side, the other two feet attach at the back of the car where the boot door is hinged to the car. Two rails then join the four feet lengthwise. And then two crossbars straddle between the rails.

Hope this helps anyone with the same query I had. I'll try to attach a photo of what the genuine Ford roof bars look like on.

steveb23

Sorry to post to an old thread...

d.h.79, I'm looking for a rack for a 3 door focus myself, and this looks just the thing. Not keen on the thule short roof adapter thing. if i'd known when i bought the car i'd want a rack i would have bought a 5 door!

Would you mind answering a couple of q's?

How does the rack attach to the car? In your post you mention feet go in the 2 doors and at the rear, but how are they actually secured?

Do you know if its compatible with the Thule proride 591 bike carrier?

Thanks, Steve

OldmanMondeo

The Roof rack on the focus screws into the roof, open the drivers door and about half way between the windscreen and the pilar on the roof move the rubber seal and you will see where the screw goes in. I had one on a 4 door Focus I had years ago total confindence in it.

d.h.79

Hi steveb23

The feet screw into holes purposely-provided in the car body. The front 2 feet under the rubber door seal and the rear 2 feet under the tailgate near the hinges. There's no clamping or any messing like that involved. It's a very clean and sturdy design, with the feet secured away under the tailgate and doors when shut. You get fitting instructions in the pack - it takes a while and is a bit fidgety but with some patience you'll get them attached and you'll find that this is a solid system (though be careful and gentle when screwing the allen bolts into the holes in the car body - very easy to do this at an angle and damage the threads in the holes as the metal is soft, and this could be a disaster).

My only real issue with the Ford rack is that there is no quick release system: there's a bit too much effort involved to be taking these on and off if you use them with any regularity, and like any roof rack there is a bit of drag if you're crossing the country.

To answer your other question - I don't know. I bike a lot and for carrying bikes I got a tow bar on Mick's Garage for 150 euro and a Thule tow bar bike rack from a bike shop for 70 euro (I use the roof bars for surf boards). Might be a cheaper solution for you, and I am totally happy with this system for my bikes - very quick to snap on and off the bike rack and very secure. It's the Thule 970 Xpress. I don't know if I can paste a link on this site, but I'll try:

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=11394

Of course, you'd have to get somebody to fit the tow bar unless you're handy enough with things like that. Tow bars weigh a tonne - not an easy job for the inexperienced. I was lucky to be able to get my mechanic uncle to help out.

Good luck with it all, and any other questions give me a shout.

steveb23

Thanks for the replies guys.

I've had a look under the seal on the drivers side, and there are 2 black caps about 3 inches apart - are they where the screws go?

I keep swinging between the thule bars (transferrable to another car with minimal expense) and the ford bars...

David09

Perhaps these are what youre after?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/carextras/2044385