Roof bars stuck + tyre wear?

I've just driven my new (04) diesel auto Ulysse home - a real pleasure, especially with cruise control. Kids love it too.

Once at home I've noticed that the roofbars are on backwards (shallow sloping bar pointing backwards, not forwards). I've followed a thread here and managed to get one bar off, but I can't move the back one more than 5cm along the rail. Any ideas on how to rectify - or should I just take it to local dealer? (I bought it from a dealer 60 miles away so a little reuctant to drive back there - local dealer only 5 mins away.)

The car also has brand new tyres, with 16k on the clock. Does this suggest there's been excessive tyre wear, and how can I monitor whether its OK or not? I notice that several people have ended up with 16" wheels - is this a standard change, or only once excessive wear has been demonstarted?

Thanks for any thoughts or tips!

Hi

Glad you and the kids are liking the car

Interesting as to why the bars are backwards - both bars should slide forward the whole length [there is car near me which has them both at the front ] - it sounds as if the slider is slightly jammed - may be worth a visit to dealership, although I would be reluctant to pay much

So are you on standard 15s? It would be hard to tell - what make are the new tyres?

Thanks Stuart for the response.

One side of the bar does slide, so I'm pretty sure that the other is jammed (apart from the 5cm movement). I wondered if putting it on backwards had created the problem?

The tyres are Pilot Premacy's - although, oddly, one was another cheap make (still brand new!), which I asked them to swap with the Premacy on the spare.

There's also some pretty major grazing on the front off-side alloy, which may suggest some rough treatment.

Otherwise everything seems great after 300 miles in two days - I just need to spend some serious time working out how all the gadgets work!

Is it the Dynamique?

What spec and toys have you got with it?

An Eleganza - no extras, but a lot more toys than my previous Picasso (HDi SX)! . The cruise has already been brilliant for relaxed driving, but the one I was keenest on I hope not to use - the ESP.

(P.S. I'm out for the next couple of hours - so may not reply tonight!)

The long slope should be forwards, if they are on wrong as mine where they jammed solid and the garage had to break them to get them off and fit new ones.

Paul

Paul - thanks for the post, even if it is bad news. Would you advise I go back to the dealer that sold it to me if they're going to need replacing?

Oops sorry did I not break it very well!.....I took mine back to a differant dealer and they fitted brand new bars and greased the tracks and it all works great. I don't know if you noticed but the tracks on the roof are not parallel so the bars must expand as they are moved forwards......a bit over complicated when compared with my old Espace where the bars never jammed.

Paul

Yes complete crap design. Already had one bar replaced when the latch for the expansion lock failed. If you look at them it's such an awful design.
When you latch them instead of locking down onto the rails they actually press down into the rail and jam upwards. this causes them to lift away from the roof.
When we have our roof box on the roof bars creak and groan like anything whilst driving. Suspect I'll rip them off one day when they break (outside warrenty) and fit something decent.
Can't see the point in fitting cosmetic bars if they're not any use for carrying a load. Would be better to not have them at all and charge extra for those that need them but supply something decent.

Paul - did your different dealer replace the bars under warranty? And why were the bars the wrong way round in the first place - was it like that when you got the car? I agree they look pretty flimsy design close-up.

If it is an 04 plate, I would imagine you could take it to ANY dealership to get the warranty work done. How close is your local one? And who is it - maybe a dealership we have come across before

Stuart - you seem to have changed - have you been updated?!

My local garage is D Salmon in Colchester - in my brief dealings with them so far they've been very professional and helpful.

I may have given the wrong idea - I don't think its waranty work, since I assume the bars were put on the wrong way by the previous owner (although were PaulL's put on backwards by Fiat?!). However I also assume its the responsibility of the garage that sold me the car last week (they actually did a minor fix on them, but apparantly didn't notice they were on backwards - as I didn't). However, they're about 50 miles away, so it would be much more convenient if I could get remedial work done locally, and they pass on any bill. I'll see what they say.

Ah, my avatar - don't worry about that, I change it quite regularly

Best thing to do is speak to them, and see what they say - better than travelling 100 miles needlessly.

Our roof bars where fitted the wrong way round from new. When we queried it with the garage they informed us that they had been told by Fiat that they should be installed that way round and that the handbook was wrong.
Can't remember how they are now?

There is a way of telling which bar should be to the front of the car and which one should be at the back. You do need to take them off to see though. Underneath on the flat part where it connects to the car you will find in French (on mine at least) Avant (Front) and Derriere (Back). Obviously this does not stop somebody from still reversing the bars in those positions though it would look odd as the bars would have a gap between them.