MG5 Roof rails decorative only

[LeoRBK]

If the rails alone were limiting, wouldn't adding an aftermarket roof rail solve the problem?
Does the roof( - rails) need to be rated for load?

 

[Fluffykins]

I doubt those screws are doing anything much more than holding the ends of the rail in place. I'd hazard a guess that the strength of that joint is from the end of the foot being a tongue that fits snugly in the tube.

I'd be more interested in what the foot is made of (cast alloy, engineering plastic, 'decorative' plastic etc) and how that's attached to the roof.

 

[Jonhklee]

I don’t think the three piece design is the issue. Other manufacturers mode have three piece roof rails.

 

[Les burrows]

I don’t think the three piece design is the issue. Other manufacturers mode have three piece roof rails.

Hi true they do,but it’s not the 3 pieces it how they are held together that’s my point all my VAG cars and others where In pieces but there was never any screws visible and I have looked on others nothing like this is visible from what I have found
Les

 

[Alun26]

Thanks for the info, I think I will just have to wait for the Mk2 to arrive if it does, as it looks like we in the UK are at the back of the queue.

 

[Les burrows]

I doubt those screws are doing anything much more than holding the ends of the rail in place. I'd hazard a guess that the strength of that joint is from the end of the foot being a tongue that fits snugly in the tube.

I'd be more interested in what the foot is made of (cast alloy, engineering plastic, 'decorative' plastic etc) and how that's attached to the roof.

And that my fluffy friend is the $64,000 question which I have been asking since November last year I have placed some other stuff as well on the Villanbee thread MG5 owners what do you think

 

[Mark Holmes]

Question not having the MG5 are the rails plastic or metal? If metal couldn’t the joints be spot welded to make them stronger?

 

[NellieEV]

Hi true they do,but it’s not the 3 pieces it how they are held together that’s my point all my VAG cars and others where In pieces but there was never any screws visible and I have looked on others nothing like this is visible from what I have found
Les

The position the screws are in makes them a non- load bearing item, the only way they could fail is if the main bar bends causing it to try and shear across the screws - as you said they are just holding the three pieces together, as Fluffykins has noted (and was the case on my old VW Passat which had 3 piece roof rail design) the feet have a tongue that protrudes in to the main rail which actually makes the joint likely stronger than the mail rail itself. The bigger issue is the solidity of the main feet, ad how they attach to the roof. As you noted earlier (and also my experience of wiggling my own) the feet do seem pretty solidly attached to the roof.

 

[Les burrows]

Question not having the MG5 are the rails plastic or metal? If metal couldn’t the joints be spot welded to make them stronger?

Hi mark they are metal but chrome plated so I think welding is out the question plus I feel the rail in the middle might be hollow
Les

 

[Jonhklee]

Hollow extruded aluminium is very strong, just ask an Lotus Elise owner.

 

[Les burrows]

The position the screws are in makes them a non- load bearing item, the only way they could fail is if the main bar bends causing it to try and shear across the screws - as you said they are just holding the three pieces together, as Fluffykins has noted (and was the case on my old VW Passat which had 3 piece roof rail design) the feet have a tongue that protrudes in to the main rail which actually makes the joint likely stronger than the mail rail itself. The bigger issue is the solidity of the main feet, ad how they attach to the roof. As you noted earlier (and also my experience of wiggling my own) the feet do seem pretty solidly attached to the roof.

Hi NelieEv your right I said this in my post the feet do feel quite solidly fasten to the roof so the question remains why can thy not be used ?

I also said I was surprised there had not been to my knowledge any mention of these screws by any one who has an MG5 so can everyone who has the 5 take a look and see if the screw are there the same as mine and if anyone has a 5 that has no screws please let us know

I’m pretty sure all the 5s will have the screws but just been today to the MG dealers on the forecourt and would believe it 3 MGZSev exclusive on that forecourt do they have any screws in the rails NO non at all and the rails are in ONE PIECE very solid and can take 75kg I think it was.

I’m convinced now this is the problem nothing to do with the feet or the roof the MG5 rails must be tin and are a load of crap
Les

 

[Ranger]

Hi NelieEv your right I said this in my post the feet do feel quite solidly fasten to the roof so the question remains why can thy not be used ?

I also said I was surprised there had not been to my knowledge any mention of these screws by any one who has an MG5 so can everyone who has the 5 take a look and see if the screw are there the same as mine and if anyone has a 5 that has no screws please let us know

I’m pretty sure all the 5s will have the screws but just been today to the MG dealers on the forecourt and would believe it 3 MGZSev exclusive on that forecourt do they have any screws in the rails NO non at all and the rails are in ONE PIECE very solid and can take 75kg I think it was.

I’m convinced now this is the problem nothing to do with the feet or the roof the MG5 rails must be tin and are a load of crap
Les

Maybe it is just that the roof has a really thin metal , so may not be strong enough to carry anything, regardless of what bars are fitted.

 

[NellieEV]

Hi NelieEv your right I said this in my post the feet do feel quite solidly fasten to the roof so the question remains why can thy not be used ?

I also said I was surprised there had not been to my knowledge any mention of these screws by any one who has an MG5 so can everyone who has the 5 take a look and see if the screw are there the same as mine and if anyone has a 5 that has no screws please let us know

I’m pretty sure all the 5s will have the screws but just been today to the MG dealers on the forecourt and would believe it 3 MGZSev exclusive on that forecourt do they have any screws in the rails NO non at all and the rails are in ONE PIECE very solid and can take 75kg I think it was.

I’m convinced now this is the problem nothing to do with the feet or the roof the MG5 rails must be tin and are a load of crap
Les

Yes, mine has screws for holding the 3 sections (Feet and centre) together.... as did my old Passat (which had a 3 piece system but the jointing hardware was covered by plastic covers). If the ZS is indeed 1 piece system then a) it would be a bugger to manufacture, but b) could/would be stronger. I suspect it follows a similar 3 piece system all covered over by a plastic sheathing but may have more robust joint between feet and centre section + thicker metal in the centre rail.

IF there is a problem then I suspect it is with the method of mounting the feet to the roof - roof metal is inherently thin, so unless the mount points have been reinforced with a plate/thicker section in the roof then this could be the issue.

You may be right that the rails centre sections are made up of a thin(ner) gauge alloy, and thus not very strong if a load is applied in their centre.. however if mounting cross bars the correct distance apart on to these it would (/does) put the cross bars right at the ends where the centre meets the foot sections (thus missing the 'weak' centre area).... it's all about loading distribution.

It could also be that the rails alone (since they do cant off from the vertical plane of the foot mountings) would not take a loading well since they would induce a torqueing force to the foot mounting zones and thus induce a ripping effect on the thin(ner) roof sheet metal....once braced side to side (i.e. with roof bars that lock their feet a set distance apart) it creates a much more rigid system that would stop this torqueing / ripping effect.

Ultimately I may well be wrong, but in my experience, with locking foot cross bars (Yakima Aero bars) mounted at the extreme ends of the roof rails, a very rigid structure is formed and it is just the potential for the feet to be ripped up and out of the roof metal that would be my concern.

I guess we just have to wait for the testing results and/or someone brave enough to tear out their roof liner and examine how the feet are attached to the roof.

 

[Ranger]

I wonder how much a body shop would charge to remove the roof bars, fill the holes and respray? Maybe I'll wrap the roof while I'm at it.

 

[thefunkystoat]

I’m sure the fault will lie with the attachment to the roof. They should have extra structure under the main roof panel to carry the load and presumably they don’t. I’m sure there are plenty of estate cars on the roads with unsafe after market roof rails, MG have just managed to cut out the middle man and cock it up straight out of the factory.

 

[Les burrows]

Yes, mine has screws for holding the 3 sections (Feet and centre) together.... as did my old Passat (which had a 3 piece system but the jointing hardware was covered by plastic covers). If the ZS is indeed 1 piece system then a) it would be a bugger to manufacture, but b) could/would be stronger. I suspect it follows a similar 3 piece system all covered over by a plastic sheathing but may have more robust joint between feet and centre section + thicker metal in the centre rail.

IF there is a problem then I suspect it is with the method of mounting the feet to the roof - roof metal is inherently thin, so unless the mount points have been reinforced with a plate/thicker section in the roof then this could be the issue.

You may be right that the rails centre sections are made up of a thin(ner) gauge alloy, and thus not very strong if a load is applied in their centre.. however if mounting cross bars the correct distance apart on to these it would (/does) put the cross bars right at the ends where the centre meets the foot sections (thus missing the 'weak' centre area).... it's all about loading distribution.

It could also be that the rails alone (since they do cant off from the vertical plane of the foot mountings) would not take a loading well since they would induce a torqueing force to the foot mounting zones and thus induce a ripping effect on the thin(ner) roof sheet metal....once braced side to side (i.e. with roof bars that lock their feet a set distance apart) it creates a much more rigid system that would stop this torqueing / ripping effect.

Ultimately I may well be wrong, but in my experience, with locking foot cross bars (Yakima Aero bars) mounted at the extreme ends of the roof rails, a very rigid structure is formed and it is just the potential for the feet to be ripped up and out of the roof metal that would be my concern.

I guess we just have to wait for the testing results and/or someone brave enough to tear out their roof liner and examine how the feet are attached to the roof.

Hi again NellieEV
Well I don’t know about the Passat rails but I have had Skoda Octavia and Superb estates they had nothing like plastic covers covering anything up but I will say they did have three mounting points one at each end and one all most in the middle just a bit towards the rear mount
As for the ZS I looked at them only yesterday one piece yes as far as I could tell solid felt very so, screws none that I could see.
Being a bugger to manufacturer well in my opinion the Chinese can manufacturer anything and do they are experts at it.

As for the roof I don’t think that’s where the problem is because it may be and probably is thinner inside the rail area but where the feet attach that is the same steel structure as where the grab handles fasten to inside of the car and as you said yourself the mounting points feel quite solid I also said the same but in between the mounts the rails have got a degree of movement and you can flex or twist them just a little I’m convinced they are not up to the job because of the way they are screwed together
As you say we will have to wait a little longer for an outcome if indeed there is one at all as for tearing the roof liner out yeh the someone doing mine will be MG when they remove or replace them with a more suitable product
Les

 

[Jonhklee]

Disclaimer: the following post contains Offensive material...... I’m just test fitting my lightweight roof box....
aero bars = 4kg
Roof box = 9kg

I wonder how many dog beds and dog towels I can carry in the box.

 

[Cocijo]

Do the bits that attach to the roof rails need some sort of approval or have any regulation? It seems that if the manufacturer roof rails need to meet a certain regulation testing and approval (rightly so) so should the attachments? Buying a cheap set of roof bars without regulation to fit to your rails seems to negate the whole process? Any particular standard that I need to look for to ensure they have proper approval?

 

[thefunkystoat]

Do the bits that attach to the roof rails need some sort of approval or have any regulation? It seems that if the manufacturer roof rails need to meet a certain regulation testing and approval (rightly so) so should the attachments? Buying a cheap set of roof bars without regulation to fit to your rails seems to negate the whole process? Any particular standard that I need to look for to ensure they have proper approval?

I believe there is an iso standard. Or just hang the expense and buy Thule.

 

[Cocijo]

Thanks. I’m looking for bars and bike racks and want a rated/approved item - I’m unsure how that works - I’ve seen ‘rated to xxxkg’ but unsure how that is governed - it looks like some of the cheaper ebay items just make it up. I wonder if items are sold that have no official approval rating or is that not allowed?