Rogereld
Member
I would not fit roof rails just for looks. They could be useful if we wanted to take a windsurfing board or surf/paddle board to the beach or to transport any other item too long to fit inside the car, or possibly to fit a bike carrier to take a bicycle out in to the new forest. Weight carrying capacity is not a concern. With a windsurfing board strapped on to roof bars there is likely to be a force applied in an upward direction to a board on the roof due to wind passing over the bonnet and up the windscreen when driving. The 50kg load weight specification seems a bit irrelevant in a real world as I do not think it takes any account of wind forces on any objects attached. The four bolts that hold the rails to the roof are probably the weakest point and even a bent rail could be stronger than the fixing points......
I don't suspect the OP plans on carrying loads of weight around on the roof of his 100hp, I don't suppose their weight carrying capacity is really the main issue anyway. I do suspect he wants them fitted for aesthetic reasons, and as you will never get them 100% right, the OP will always look at the damage rail and see any imperfections as he will always know it's there and what he is looking at
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If I tried to straighten a bent rail without the bolt points fixed in position, and caused the plate where the bolt holds the rail to the car to go slightly out of line, I would place stress on the bolt point when fixing the rail to the car and also possibly cause a dent in the painted surface of the car roof.
This has raised a lot more discussion than I was expecting, and there are a lot more variables than I had first though about. I am almost tempted to offer the breaker £5 for the bent rail as an experiment just to see how easy or difficult it is to bend straight. I have already decided to look elsewhere for a pair of rails and will not use the bent rail from the scrap car.