Pre-Hire
How high will my car be with the roofbars & roofbox fitted?
We measure each vehicle post fitting so can give you an accurate figure then in terms of what we refer to as “your new safe height“.
We maintain a database of safe heights so are likely to be able to give guidance in most cases in advance of your hire. This may be particularly relevant if you are planning to travel by ferry/EuroTunnel etc. as they will need to know your car’s height. Often they’ll ask a question like “are you travelling with a roofbox/is your car over 1.80m in height?” Any vehicle with a roofbox fitted will be over 1.80m and in many cases much higher.
Most (but not all) ferry companies and EuroTunnel charge differently for cars with roofboxes. If you don’t tell them in advance you’re likely to be delayed/charged more/turned away….basically nothing good comes of not telling them!! Please contact us or specifically request this information within your booking enquiry.
Equally you can get a good estimate prior to that by adding 65cm to the actual height of your car. This allows for the roofbars and our deepest roofbox. The internet will provide you with your car’s dimensions. We often use this particular website https://www.automobiledimension.com
Does Welwyn Roofbox Hire offer a Delivery and Collection service to/from my home address?
Yes, this is an additional service that we offer within an approximate 25 miles from SG3. The service is chargeable on top of the standard hire fee. Select the option within the quotation request and we will update on price & availability. It’s generally the service that gets booked up first, particularly in and around any of the school holidays.
Do you hire Thule Go Pack Bags?
Yes we do.
What can I put in a roofbox?
Within reason anything that you want subject to the weight (75kg) and individual roofbox capacity limit.
Roofboxes lend themselves best to soft, malleable items that help optimise the space. Whilst suitcases will, fit their rigid shell often significantly reduce what you can physically load.
Consider too that whatever you are loading you are having to lift above head height. Got a big tent bag to load for instance? Look at how you break the contents down and load individually.
Remember too that unless you’ve been advised in writing by your hire company to the contrary, it is your responsibility to insure the items in the roofbox.
How much weight can I put in a roofbox?
Irrespective of roofbox size on hire from us, the maximum weight is 75KG.
Our roofbars as standard will support 100KG.
On occasion the car manufacturers state a reduced roof weight limit – this is most frequently linked to cars with full glass roofs/panoramic roofs. We can advise on this as needed.
How long does it take to fit a roofbox and roofbars?
Generally we can fit any roofbox and roofbar combination in 12 – 15 minutes.
Our appontments are timed to allow for the fitting, a demonstration of how to use the equipment and the completion of any outstanding paperwork.
When can I select my appointment time?
No later than 3 calendar days prior to the start of the hire we will contact you by SMS to ask you to confirm your fitting appointment. We use an online appointment booking tool (calendly.com) to manage this for us.
When are the fitting & removal appointments?
These are during the standard working day and are grouped for efficiency. This helps us to keep the cost to you down.
At peak times over the summer months we tend to plan to start fittings at about 10:00 and expand out from there.
If you have a genuine limitation that you need to plan around please provide us this information at the earliest opportunity and will work with you to mitigate the risk as best we can.
Do you have photos of cars with roofboxes fitted?
Yes. We have an ever-growing gal;lery on this page of our website.
Do you fit “out of hours”?
Assume No.
On an exception basis i.e. in an emergency and this will be chargeable.
Whilst we’ll always try to be flexible around timings to help you, it is expected that you will be able to come to us for both the fitting & removal within the normal working day.
Does Welwyn Roofbox Hire provide roofbox insurance?
We do not currently offer any insurance to cover the hired equipment.
We ask that the hirer ensure that they will have adequate insurance to cover the replacement value of the hired equipment. Generally this is via the hirer’s own car insurance on the basis that the roofbox etc. is classed as an accessory specifcially for the purpose that it is being used.
Please contact your insurer if you need clarification on this point specifically.
What is the Refundable Security Deposit?
We ask for a £100 Security Deposit (cash, Debit/Credit Card) to be left with us for the duration of the hire. This security deposit is fully refundable upon the safe and undamaged return of all items. Generally this takes about 5 working days to become visible in your account.
Welwyn Roofbox Hire insurance
We have full Public Liability Insurance for the products and services we provide.
Will you fit my roofbars and roofbox?
Potentially. Please contact us on 01438 289030 to discuss your specific requirements.
On Hire
Do I need to adjust the tyre pressure on my car when using a roofbox?
It’s best to refer to the manufacturer’s handbook to check if the tyre pressures need to be altered to reflect the combined additional weight that the roofbox, contents and other internal car luggage will add.
Remember to re-adjust the tyre pressure once the roofbox has been removed.
How fast can I drive with a roofbox fitted?
Thule’s stated maximum speed limit with roofbox fitted is 80 MPH or 130 KM/H. Of course this is subject to local speed restrictions and laws.
The key is stuck in my roofbox. How can I remove it?
Thule roofboxes have a safety feature that means the key is only released when the locking mechanism “knows” that the lid is securely in place i.e. shut and locked.
This is to ensure that you do not start driving with the lid not being correctly closed.
If you cannot remove the key check the locking pins on each side of the roofbox lid. Are any of them not seated corectly? Are any of them on the outside of the roofbox base? If you can re-open the lid do so and look to reposition the loaded items to remove any upward pressure on the roofbox lid.
If you are still stuck please review the video that we sent you at the time of fitting and then call us to discuss.