Altea XL (probable other Seat too) roofbars hack

hairytoes

Active Member
Aug 31, 2015
2
0
Hi,

I've been looking for Altea XL roofbars for ages, but I hate to spend money so always got outbid - my max was £60.
I noticed there are ALWAYS lots of cheap Audi Q5 roofbars on Ebay/Gumtree, often brand new.
The Q5 comes with roofbars as standard & a lot of owners don't want them & put them up for sale.

I got a set for £15, brand new never out the box.
The foot kit fits perfectly onto the Altea XL & most likely all other SEAT models with the integrated/flush to roof rails.
The problem is that the Q5 bars don't allow the feet to slide to be adjusted.
It was surprisingly very easy & quick to take the feet off, with an allan key.
Measure up the new positions for the feet, to fit the bars to the Altea.
Drill holes in the aluminum bars & re-fit the feet.

They now look great & are very high quality, even coming with a carry/storage heavy canvas bag.

This is a very easy job & these Q5 bars are easy to get for around £30 or under.

3 of the feet fit absolutely perfectly, the 2 lugs fitting into the holes on the inside of the rails.
The front left foot from the Q5 has 3x lugs, the Altea has 2x lugs on every foot.
I just used an angle grinder to remove the 3rd lug & it's a flush fit on every clamping position.

I just wanted to post this hack/tip to anyone else, who doesn't want to spend £150 on roofbars.
Just need an allen key, drill & angle grinder/junior hacksaw.
Easy.
 

FreetrackStu

Active Member
Oct 12, 2015
18
0
Hi,

I've been looking for Altea XL roofbars for ages, but I hate to spend money so always got outbid - my max was £60.
I noticed there are ALWAYS lots of cheap Audi Q5 roofbars on Ebay/Gumtree, often brand new.
The Q5 comes with roofbars as standard & a lot of owners don't want them & put them up for sale.

I got a set for £15, brand new never out the box.
The foot kit fits perfectly onto the Altea XL & most likely all other SEAT models with the integrated/flush to roof rails.
The problem is that the Q5 bars don't allow the feet to slide to be adjusted.
It was surprisingly very easy & quick to take the feet off, with an allan key.
Measure up the new positions for the feet, to fit the bars to the Altea.
Drill holes in the aluminum bars & re-fit the feet.

They now look great & are very high quality, even coming with a carry/storage heavy canvas bag.

This is a very easy job & these Q5 bars are easy to get for around £30 or under.

3 of the feet fit absolutely perfectly, the 2 lugs fitting into the holes on the inside of the rails.
The front left foot from the Q5 has 3x lugs, the Altea has 2x lugs on every foot.
I just used an angle grinder to remove the 3rd lug & it's a flush fit on every clamping position.

I just wanted to post this hack/tip to anyone else, who doesn't want to spend £150 on roofbars.
Just need an allen key, drill & angle grinder/junior hacksaw.
Easy.
Cheer for the tip! - just looking at Thule for £150+:D
 

FreetrackStu

Active Member
Oct 12, 2015
18
0
Just found some (brand new) for less than £30 - on ebay locally. Just need to measure and drill reposition the feet.
 
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