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Roof boxes - is nothing safe?….NOW WITH SKI VOMIT

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We have a Thule rack on the Yeti. We JUST fit into the garage in CH and JUST fit into the Barzettes underground car park, although the Grom has to hold the wooden height bar clear as we go in, it’s set for the very lowest bit of the car park and we keep clear of that.

But then we were in underground Car Park Stephanie and a Volvo with a H E U G E roof box starts hitting everything - first the height bar, then pulls forward….hits bits of the car park roof…BANG>>>CRUNCH….we shout warnings…they grimace and reverse into some heating ducting BLANGGGG!…..then hit a light…SPLANG!!!…..then do a three point turn…CRAASH…hit more ducting….more agitation in Volvo….then we hear them go round the corner to the exit in a series of comedy BANGS…CRASHES……and GRIIIIIINDS…..


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 27-01-22 22:27; edited 2 times in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Sounds like a Mr Bean sketch

shame you couldn't have caught it all on video !!!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Once backed into a low hanging branch with a roof box. Saw someone write off a brand new Laser trying to leave a car park after loading onto their roof. Awful sinking feeling but once you’ve made the mistake what can you do?
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On the constructive side what’s the height limit on the 30K Toll stations and can you fit with a roof box?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I *might* have driven a roof rack full of bikes into a carpark height barrier... bent the rack and the roof of the car... because I forgot it was there.

Galling bit was it was the wrong carpark too.
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We got into a car park in Chichester with the box on the Berlingo. Quite a few years ago now, and I hated that car. Told OH we wouldn’t fit but he didn’t believe me. We got in ok but then going down a level it turned a bit nasty, lots of scratching and scorching noises and we drew to a halt. It was then impossible to exit gracefully, and we had a line of cars behind us. Luckily the tool box was in the car, as the roof box had only just been fitted at home. The box was removed from the roof, meanwhile I scooted back down the line of waiting cars to explain, being Chichester and mostly Waitrose customers I expect, they were all polite, and giggled quietly, and I was left holding the roof box while our car disappeared to relieve the queue. He arrived back eventually, we opened the back, slid the box in, and parked.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Roof box flying open three cars ahead in the outside lane of the M25 was interesting as the contents flew back along the road - eventually the driver took heed of all the beeping horns and flashing headlights, but not until the maxi giant pack of babies nappies had broken free!
We managed to drive on through the Chaos that ensued - the Highways Agency patrol swiftly shut the motorway!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Always felt our box is pretty flimsy, Feu Vert own brand bought years ago. Always wrap a couple of straps round it and the bars. Probably not that effective but makes me feel better.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
11ft8 +8 is one of the best youtube channels out there Twisted Evil

Need more dashcam and webcam footage of stupidity like that
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Had one open in front of me on the A9 a couple of weeks back - was like a jumble sale, had a pair of trousers stuck in our bike rack afterwards Very Happy Best one was my colleague, I'll call him Kevin as that's his name and he lives in NZ so far far away. He parked next to me 2 levels down in our work carpark in Wgtn. One day he bowled in as normal and shot off down the ramp at which point 'made contact' with the roof and slowly wedged his not very old Landcrusier under the concrete roof. No way it was coming out easily, cue deflated tyres and a rather sheepish reverse. Massive damage and a cool wedge shape on the roof, ultimately it was a write off. On investigation turned out it had been serviced the day before and the suspension had been regassed and the car was 'a bit higher' Very Happy


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Thu 27-01-22 17:31; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Pamski, Laughing Did you tell the people waiting in the queue that you'd told him it wouldn't fit?
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I once delivered beer to a student union back in the day. The parking was underground, and our transit just scraped in.

We offloaded the 6-8 kegs of beer and tried to leave. Huge crunching noises and the van kept stalling!

Turned out we were stuck in some roof pipes once the suspension rose when the beer was offloaded snowHead We we’re students at the time ourselves, pay peanuts get monkeys springs to mind snowHead
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Similar experience in an underground car park in Germany, where the height limit was 2.1m and we knew our box was at 2.05 so we went for it.

Turns out the concrete beams were indeed at 2.1m, but the new light fittings they’d put under them brought it down to 2.0m and they’d not adjusted the signage or entry bar. A quick reverse out with minor scratches only, but could have been much worse.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
We might have got our Xtrail into the car park at the lift station in Briancon but we couldn't get it out again as you had to go into the underground section to get out. There was no barrier at the entrance at the time. Fortunately we had all the keys in the car, so hubby removed the roofbox and put it in the back of the car. Embarassed Embarassed So much like @Pamski, but we fortunately weren't holding up a Waitrose queue.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I also dropped one of the kids off at Turin airport and went into the multistorey car park, as height limit suggested I was safe. Trouble was every time I went over a speed bump, the top of the roofbox grazed the roof of the car park. No damage done though.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@pam w, oh yes, I confessed to his stupidity! There were deep gouges on the box thereafter.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
At a lift station somewhere in Austria the indoors part of the car park was considerably lower than our Qubo with roofbox, so we parked in the outside area. Trouble was, when we came back the place was rammed, and the only way out was through the indoor bit - cue JanetS walking, and directing me in a careful slalom between all the light fittings, pipes, and height warning signs!

Not directly roofbox related , but when we were transfer driving our Renault Trafics would just fit into the GVA multi - story underground carpark, with 1cm to spare. Only problem was when I got my van back from a service, and they had angled the ariel upwards, instead of leaving it completely flat to the roof. I drove confidently into the carpark, to the sound of a clang at every light fitting, height warning, or item of signage, then the clatter of broken plastic as various fittings hit the ground behind me Embarassed Fortunately that was the pickup parking, so no passengers with me on entry.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
With roof box on the Disco is 2.4m however I know it will fit under all the 2m height restrictions at peages between Calais and Albertville.

Except one Embarassed
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@Boris, …that is a sorry tale….b++++y frustrating.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Already mentioned…and for some weird schadenfreude resonance, makes hypnotic watching….

..there but for the Grace of God….


http://youtube.com/v/USu8vT_tfdw
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@valais2, Laughing yes, it is hypnotic. The speed, confidence and aplomb with which some of those drivers approach the bridges is mesmerising.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Boris, do you remember which one?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Since it appears that the railway bridge was built at the wrong height, or the road surface has since been built up, you would have expected that route to be physically closed to trucks and other vehicles that would normally expect to use a city street. Having the height warning barriers that close leaves very little time to react.

We have a railway bridge near us that is very low, a high top Transit van would get stuck, but there is a level crossing controlled over pass in parallel, the bridge is probably hit once a month, but nothing has been done.

It would be relatively easy and low cost (at least compared to bridge damage) to install electronic height gauge (a simple optical system) 15-20m from the bridge that triggered flashing lights and sirens. But that would be far to sensible rolling eyes
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
pam w wrote:
@valais2, Laughing yes, it is hypnotic. The speed, confidence and aplomb with which some of those drivers approach the bridges is mesmerising.


Makes me wonder if the yellow crossbar is actually lower than the height reported on the road sign.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Had to park in a multi story in central Dublin sometime ago with a 4x4 and roof box. No way was it fitting in under the door. Took it off ( emptied) drove in, put it back on. Problem solved.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Always let the air out of the tyres before going into the car park
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Quote:

Having the height warning barriers that close leaves very little time to react

There are multiple signs from 2 blocks back. The barrier is a last resort to protect the bridge. There's also a level crossing literally 1 block away.
Someone posted a vid recently showing the approach, and you have to be basically blind and half asleep to pass the last traffic light without noticing. Saying that, nearly all crashes are u-haul type self drive so the driver has probably forgotten what he's driving, or sometimes an RV/caravan/trailer where he forgot that the AC unit on the roof also counts as part of the vehicle height.

There's also a good vid showing the engineers ramming the bridge up by 8 inches to increase the clearance, and replacing the old (very bent) crash structure with the new one.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
HA! Found this.

Roof box throws up….and look what it has swallowed….


http://youtube.com/v/s-THL5wtBxk


And of course, in a later interview the roofbox said ‘I feel a lot better for that…I think I ate one ski too many.’
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
valais2 wrote:
Already mentioned…and for some weird schadenfreude resonance, makes hypnotic watching….

..there but for the Grace of God….


http://youtube.com/v/USu8vT_tfdw


Genuine laughing here.

Little sympathy.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Theres a particular bridge over a motorway in Auckland that is lower than the norm, it is marked and known. It has been equipped with a warning system that flashes when it detects an over-height vehicle approaching. Does that stop it being hit? - “ The bridge has been hit 41 times” from 2008 to 2018 rolling eyes
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
A relative of mine has a fancy Tesla X with the gull wing rear doors. One fine day he loaded the kids into the back seat but forgot to close the door. As he reversed out of the carport the door caught against one of the roof beams leading to a very red face, a substantial amout of damage and broken glass all over the kids (who were happily unscathed).

I was a bit surprised that in such an advanced car there was clearly no effective warning system to prevent this. I would have thought it would simply not budge and come up with a warning message "one of the rear doors is open, do you really want to continue?".
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

I would have thought it would simply not budge and come up with a warning message "one of the rear doors is open, do you really want to continue?".

Perhaps it did? Some years ago we had a Volvo which beeped loudly if it thought you were going to slam the door with the keys still in the ignition. My OH was so irritated with it one day that he slammed the door to make it shut up. Which it did.......locking him out.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@brovert, it’s the one on the Reims ring road. Solid bar at lower height unlike all the others with chains dangling. Thankfully we worked it out at last minute so it was the embarrassment of reversing
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Annecy town center parking. VWT4 Long wheel base, cleared the height barrier fine, Van 1m89 limit 2m05. Problem the angle change at the bottom of the concrete ramp to the undergroound section. We stopped in time. Wouldn't fit by probably 20cm or so. Problem wooman behind us refused to reverse out. 20 min of her screaming at us to go into the parking turn round and come back up. She finaly reverse up, (she had refused to let me reverse her car out) and smashes both side mirrors off and scrapes both sides of her car. We reverse out in a van 30-40cm wider and 2 m longer than her car with no issues. Drive over and park next to ticket office, ignore screaming wooman and go shopping.


Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 28-01-22 15:23; edited 1 time in total
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Idris, ….gosh this is such a common, angry response…REVERSE??? YOU WANT ME TO REVERSE????

Applies to quite a lot of politics, too.
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