02-07-2013, 07:57 AM
If you have the misfortune to own a Berlingo with a nasty rattling modutop you need to know about the amusing trick the designers have played on you. At some stage, when you come to remove the roof bars, you'll find they are stuck. No amount of unscrewing the torx headed fastening screws has any effect, even if you try to lever up the bars as you unscrew.
The reason for this is that the screws fasten into threaded metal inserts which are moulded into the fibreglass humps of the modutop. As you turn the screw to undo it, the insert turns with it, the weak friction seal between the insert and the surrounding fibreglass having failed.
Remedy: Drill a horizontal nail sized hole through the fibreglass hump directly below the torx screw. Drill at one third of the hump hight above the roof (ie, two thirds of the way down below the top of the hump). Initially you will encounter little resistance as you drill the fibreglass, but then, as you drill the metal insert, the resistance increases. Your object is to drill a hole just below the point reached by the tip of the torx screw when the roof bar is attached.
Now insert a nail or similar metal rod through the hole to restrain the insert from turning. You can now unscrew the torx screw and remove the roof bar. Cut the nail off flush and araldite it or fibreglass it in place. Paint the repair black if you want. Do the same to all four fixing points, as all will eventually and inconveniently fail.
The reason for this is that the screws fasten into threaded metal inserts which are moulded into the fibreglass humps of the modutop. As you turn the screw to undo it, the insert turns with it, the weak friction seal between the insert and the surrounding fibreglass having failed.
Remedy: Drill a horizontal nail sized hole through the fibreglass hump directly below the torx screw. Drill at one third of the hump hight above the roof (ie, two thirds of the way down below the top of the hump). Initially you will encounter little resistance as you drill the fibreglass, but then, as you drill the metal insert, the resistance increases. Your object is to drill a hole just below the point reached by the tip of the torx screw when the roof bar is attached.
Now insert a nail or similar metal rod through the hole to restrain the insert from turning. You can now unscrew the torx screw and remove the roof bar. Cut the nail off flush and araldite it or fibreglass it in place. Paint the repair black if you want. Do the same to all four fixing points, as all will eventually and inconveniently fail.
![[-]](http://berlingoforum.b-cdn.net/images/collapse.png)
