Atera, best of the German car rack system brands, makes excellent roof bars. Their marketing philosophy is different from Thule's in that Atera roof bars are supplied fully assembled and ready to go - you just tighten them onto the roof using the special 'tightening key' provided. Their bars are car specific and should therefore be sold on with the car - which is fair enough as you probably won't know which bars are required for your next car until you've bought it. Other points in their favour include:
Modern design. They look good and feel good
They use any appropriate Fixpoint fittings in the car - the right hand picture shows the pegs which locate into recesses behind the Audi door trims
There's real attention to detail, e.g. there are rubber strips in the slots on the base of the bar to minimise wind noise, a feature not seen in other systems
The recessed lock is intrinsically much more secure than having an external lock
Unlike other systems, there is a comprehensive spare parts programme for all Atera products.
Technical specifications:
Weight: 5kg
Bar length: 122cm
Load carrying weight: 80kg
Roof bar dimensions 58mm wide by 28mm deep. The 'T track' slots use 20mm x 20mm adapters, i.e. the same as Thule's aerobars.
Most of Atera's roof bars and accessories business is with the Original Equipment market, i.e. direct to the car manufacturers, where major customers include Audi, BMW, Daewoo, Chrysler, Fiat, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Opel, Subaru, Suzuki, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. Atera’s reputation therefore speaks for itself and, (probably needless to say), all their products are TUV certified and quality approved to ISO 9001.
Modern design. They look good and feel good
They use any appropriate Fixpoint fittings in the car - the right hand picture shows the pegs which locate into recesses behind the Audi door trims
There's real attention to detail, e.g. there are rubber strips in the slots on the base of the bar to minimise wind noise, a feature not seen in other systems
The recessed lock is intrinsically much more secure than having an external lock
Unlike other systems, there is a comprehensive spare parts programme for all Atera products.
Technical specifications:
Weight: 5kg
Bar length: 122cm
Load carrying weight: 80kg
Roof bar dimensions 58mm wide by 28mm deep. The 'T track' slots use 20mm x 20mm adapters, i.e. the same as Thule's aerobars.
Most of Atera's roof bars and accessories business is with the Original Equipment market, i.e. direct to the car manufacturers, where major customers include Audi, BMW, Daewoo, Chrysler, Fiat, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Opel, Subaru, Suzuki, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. Atera’s reputation therefore speaks for itself and, (probably needless to say), all their products are TUV certified and quality approved to ISO 9001.