I have a small folding stool to assist , as the X3 is tall. Lady Pinewood wants to accompany me on more cycling expeditions, but doesn't want to cycle to Dorney Lake (10 miles each way), so we have to drive there. Then she is most chuffed at riding around the lake a couple of times (6 miles approx)
The photos don’t fully show it but I have a bike rack on each side of the box, which is an Ocean 600 model. Yes sunroof is useless now but that’s ok, don’t often have the racks on the car and good I can simply look up and make sure the bikes are still there
How do people find the wind noise with these things? Our annual jaunt to the Balkans sees my wife loading up with all manner of stuff (last year we had a lawnmower in the boot, the woman's mad) which just drives me nuts. I've toyed with the idea of a roofbox but as I've got a nice big sunroof I'm not so keen!
@Singvogel is the man to answer that question as i believe he uses his box on his cross Europe jaunts if you want to go blatting down the autobahns at 100 miles an hour plus i am not sure i would be happy doing that with a roof box and bars fitted, as for noise at normal speed i do get increased wind noise at speeds above 50mph but is not that intrusive, also my box has a max speed rating of 130kph or around 80mph
the only time i ever open the sunroof is when i clean the car just to keep it moving and not seizing up and to keep it is clean, in all my time of ownership i have driven with the sunroof open once for a sum total of about 10 minutes
I must admit I use my sunroof a lot, it's one of my favourite things. I'd be sad to lose the light with a hulking great roofbox.
Yip it’s a compromise for sure not using the sunroof, but my car 99% of the time doesn’t have the roof box or bars attached. Two kids and a mother load of ‘essentials’, but at least I can still enjoy my car and avoid a ‘practical family car’ . There is wind noise yes, not overly intrusive, but there. Plus can feel more lean in the corners and feel the engine needing to work a bit harder. But a 535d makes light work of all this.
Cracking idea... I have just bought a huge roof box for our transporter van.. 600 litres, I was thinking how am I going to pack this thing.. Was thinking of small extending ladder...? Don't want a ladder attached to my van body...
600MM work platform a friend of mine has one of those work platforms to access the roofbox on his van when he goes camping and then onsite he uses it as a table or a seat, folds fairly flat and doesnt take up much room in the back of the van
It’s one of those I use for washing / drying the roof so versatile with multiple use (car and house) However A N other consideration I keep my roofbox off the bars When it comes time to fit, the step is too low to fix the box to the roof, the back mounting bolts are too far in Last time, I believe I had to stand on the wheelie bin to access The beauty of the work platform being it folds relative small and takes up little room
Loving the ideas.... I do believe the 300 mm folding step will not gain my 5'7" height much advantage when it comes to filling the box on the transporter.... 600mm is probably more what a short guy like me needs.. And £24.99 ... Bargain. How do I get the stool in the box when I am all loaded up........
@a.s.uk just looked at the one i linked on the screwfix site and it is a 600mm platform with a height of 490mm, i read it wrong but you can get the 600mm height platform look on Toolstation
Fitting the BMW roundel, is definitely not going to turn the van into a BMW.....Literally nothing is going to achieve that....!! We take the van, ( Camper skiing to the Alps....) Last year we were passed..(obviously ) by some 6 series'.... My wife kept saying... 'Look, that's what I should be travelling in... Not this....' the only thing is you cant get 3 adults, all the skis, plus gear, and self catering rubbish in the car....Yes you'd arrive in style....But you would then have to start purchasing all the gear all over again...!!