Roof rail mounting point

[JohnAndy]

Hello all, I'm a new member and could do with some help / advice about roof rail mounting points.

I have a 2008 Berlingo Multispace, new shape, which I bought a few weeks ago.

I decided to fit roof rails and bought a set from Ebay.

When I tried to fit them I could not get the bolts into the mounting holes in the roof - I guess just too much crud and/or corrosion blocking the threads.

I tried to clear out the threads by finding another bolt of the same thread size with a head that I could get my socket set onto rather than allan key head like the ones in the roof rail set.

This seemed to work OK on the first 5 mounting points, but on the last one (rear offside mounting point) I think I went too far. The bolt is now spinning freely as is the mounting point. I can't get the bolt out. The small disc visible on the surface can be seen rotating with the bolt when I try. I can't get enough purchase on the disc to hold it still while I remove the bolt.

I'm guessing the solution would involve removing the ceiling trim to get access to the underside of the mounting and then finding some way of anchoring the mounting point again.

But before I embark on this (I'm not great at mechanical skills!) I wonder whether anyone knows how these mounting points work and whether I'm likely to have any success with this. Are the mountings welded in - if I've broken a weld then this might be beyond me to fix.

Plan B would be to saw off the protruding bolt and return the roof rails to the Ebay seller.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance for all suggestions,
John

[Neilshannon27]

Hi John,

I know this is a very old post but I just bought a berlingo yesterday and it has a bolt stuck in the front passenger side hole and the disc is just spinning.

Did you manage to find a fix for this?

Thanks in advance

Neil

[JohnAndy]

Hi John,

I know this is a very old post but I just bought a berlingo yesterday and it has a bolt stuck in the front passenger side hole and the disc is just spinning.

Did you manage to find a fix for this?

Thanks in advance

Neil

Hi Neil,

Yes, I did. My bolt was stuck in the rear offside hole though, so that might make a difference.

Anyway, I removed some of the trim in the back right corner of the vehicle (as far as I can remember) and pulled some of the the foamy cladding lining material away from the body of the vehicle. I think I had to pull out the light fitting as well.

Anyway, I managed to get access to the underneath of the roof bar bolt mounting. This has a more or less square housing and I was able to get a wrench around it, and that allowed me to hold it still while I undid the bolt.

Hope that helps, and best of luck with yours!

Cheers, John

[Neilshannon27]

Thanks mate, I'll have a look ??

[Peter Palmer]

I had the same problem when I fitted a set of roof rails to my van, only one of the 4 bolts screwed in easilly, the other three were a complete sod to get in, I had to get a set of vice grips on the inside captive nut to stop it spinning round.

I'm not too sure why the bolts are tough to screw in, they are obviously a metric thread and I think they are M8, if it was an M7 thread then I don't think an M8 would go in at all. Maybe they are designed to be an interference fit to stop them being undone, maybe they are made slightly oval but some are done too much.

[Sol]

It's possible to try an M8 plug tap and some grease or copper slip to gently clean the threads, which would also take some of the oval out if done gently back and forth, going deeper each time. I was planning to get rails for my new van so good to know what issues are found with the bolts before I jump in. A plug tap has a flat end so doesn't protrude like a starting tap. Worth a try.