Bongo Fury

Hi all

Can anyone with a Skylift roof tell me how well the rubber fits to the original roof of their van when it's down please?

We had the roof fitted in November and it rattled quite badly to start with. Despite cutting the locking pins down a couple of times, we still get the occasional clunk over bumpy terrain and we also get a worrying vibration at speed, usually with a headwind.

Looking at the new roof rubber, on the passenger side it's not in contact with the actual roof for most of its length, only really at the front and back. In fact the gap is so large in the middle I can get my hand in between. This suggests to me that the roof is bowed. It's better the other side but there is still a gap in the middle where it's not meeting the roof.

I have been in discussion with the company who fit these and they say it's normal. I've never seen a van roof where the rubber doesn't sit on the actual roof. I would expect it to be pretty evenly seated all the way round. Am I expecting too much?

I'm no lawyer, but to be 'fit for purpose' I would expect the seal to, er, seal, all the way round.

I don't recal anyone mentioning this before, including a close pal who had one.

I believe Jill had this problem they ended up fitting a deflector plate at the front on her's and some others because of the problem.

Thanks for your comments, I will continue to pursue a solution.

g8dhe wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:49 pm I believe Jill had this problem they ended up fitting a deflector plate at the front on her's and some others because of the problem.

Didn't know that, Geoff.

Likely Jill will post, but she did end up replacing it with a fixed high top.

Yeah, I spotted Jill (Jillygumbo?) had mentioned about replacing the Skylift roof with a high top.

I've also heard about, but can't find anything on the forum, people fitting a rubber strip above the windscreen to act as a wind deflector. I wonder if that's what Geoff (g8dhe) was referring too? It's also something suggested by the owner of the company in question. Unlike some other roofs I've seen, there's not enough room to fit a deflector directly in front of the Skylift roof. The rubber strip feels like a solution to something that shouldn't be an issue in the first place.

Yes that's what I was referring to, I just recalled Jill commenting once or twice.
I rather get the impression that condensation, material quality (hinges etc), ventilation and lack of a window have all caused concerns for people in the past with all these add-on roofs. Whilst the original AFT is perhaps more complex than desirable, it does handle all these aspects pretty well provided airing for condensation is allowed for.

Ok thanks for clarifying that Geoff.

We have a version with a zippable front window with mesh because we wanted ventilation. There was also talk of having a skylight installed but it doesn't appear to be available still. The hinges I have to say I'm not totally convinced about. And it's heavy to manually operate although I can just about manage. My wife can't lift it though and the catches are a bit of a b****r to operate, so she can't manage them either. There is the option of an internal lock which may be simpler.

All in all, at this point, I wish I'd gone for an AFT again. I was happy with it on my previous van and this new one is proving to be a bit of a pain, along with the fact it's proving difficult discussing it with the owner of the company that provided it unfortunately.

Who actually makes this roof and do you know if it is TUV Certified ??

Hi Rita

Supplied and fitted by JAL. Don't know who makes it though. I don't know what a TUV certificate is, could you point me in the right direction please?

The Wanderer wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 10:52 am Hi Rita

Supplied and fitted by JAL. Don't know who makes it though. I don't know what a TUV certificate is, could you point me in the right direction please?

Its basically a safety certificate , saying that the roof has been stress and crash tested, normally identified by the TUV kitemark. You may need this when declaring the modification to your Insurance.

Thanks. Maybe I haven't looked properly but the only reference I can find to that is for compliance in Germany - to do with VW roofs I think.

I guess there should be a UK equivalent so I'll search.