I'm planning to get a roof rack to carry two mountainbikes on my Stilo 3-d. Now I wonder, which combination would be the best one?
-Fiat original rack plus Fiat bike rack.
-Fiat original rack plus Thule bike rack.
-Thule rack plus Thule bike rack.

Thule bike racks have got many satisfied users so I would like to get that. But will it fit the Fiat rack? I guess the Fiat rack fits the roof better than some sort of Thule universal thing.

Does anyone have any experience with the Fiat rack? Easy to take on and off without scratches?

/Dan

Hi,

I've just order the Fiat roof bars, so I'll let you know when I get them, hopefully in the next couple of days.



Graham

3DR Stilo Abarth Jet Blue with Skywindow/Leather/Cold Climate Pack/CD Changer

Well I finally got my roof bars and fitted them last night.

They're quite easy to fit, took about 25 minutes the first time, but now I know what I'm doing I reckon about 15 minutes should do the trick. They don't get in the way of the skywindow, and look okay - they're a silvery colour.

I have a couple of photos of my car with the bars fitted, but I'm not sure how to upload them


Graham

3DR Stilo Abarth Jet Blue with Skywindow/Leather/Cold Climate Pack/CD Changer

What was the cost of the Roof Rack?

Yellow 3 door Abarth!

£131.60 from a Fiat dealer.

Bit of a ripoff, although not much more than Thule ones.

I faced a similar dilemma when I got my car. The very day we went to pick it up, we walked over to the parts department and asked about the roof bars and cycle carriers. Luckily they had both in, so we could check them out.

The roof bars looked ok, aerodynamically shaped, silver finish. The finish was not as good as I had hoped, especially for the money. But I negotiated a 15% discount so decided to buy them.

As for the cycle carriers, they were bloody awful. Didn't look stable or strong enough to support a bike. That coupled with the price, I decided to give them a miss. Good job too - a couple of weeks later Halfords had a sale on Thule cycle carriers. So I took my bars into the shop, got a member of staff to open a packet and confirmed they would fit the Fiat bars. They did, so I bought two.

I haven't actually tried fitting any of the equipment yet. But I hope to be going away soon, so will let you know how it goes.

2003 Stilo 1.6 Dynamic, Orion Grey, 17" Alloys, Dual Zone Climate Control, Aluminum Sills, Clarion ICE, almost de-badged