OSS & Roofrack?

A

A2wannabe

Member
Hi, I’m looking for a petrol A2 and trying to figure out whether I can have an oss. I have to fit a roof rack and have had conflicting information about compatibility.

Can I fit a safely roof rack but not open the oss due to clearance issues?

Can I not fit a roof rack with oss at all

Or does it depend which roof rack?

Thanks
 
The aftermarket roof bars are not usually compatible with OSS, however I 'think' the OEM bars from Audi for the A2, are compatible with OSS. I have a set of Audi bars, but a non functioning OSS so I can't fully test to see and inform you further.

Sarge
 
Sarge said:
The aftermarket roof bars are not usually compatible with OSS, however I 'think' the OEM bars from Audi for the A2, are compatible with OSS. I have a set of Audi bars, but a non functioning OSS so I can't fully test to see and inform you further.

Sarge
Click to expand...
That would suggest that any incompatibility of aftermarket bars lies with the clearance of the feet and the moving glass, and not a strength issue.

I did see a US post regarding this where someone had fitted bars and feet sourced from the UK.

If it’s the case that I can safely fit bars but not open the roof that would be acceptable. (We have a glass roof in our current Tiguan and very rarely open it, but enjoy the light ?.)

Does any one have a rack fitted to a car with working oss?
If so what brand?

Thanks
 
I have OSS and genuine roof bars which I use regularly. I also have a non OSS A2 and figment is the same safe and secure

Ross
 
Last edited:
There are no Thule bars that will fit the A2 with OSS, I know this from personal experience. Only the genuine Audi bars are suitable. This is because of the design of the bar's feet and they are not removable/interchangable.

David
 
DJ 190 said:
There are no Thule bars that will fit the A2 with OSS, I know this from personal experience. Only the genuine Audi bars are suitable. This is because of the design of the bar's feet and they are not removable/interchangable.

David
Click to expand...
Thanks, do you know are the Audi bars relatively easy to obtain?
 
They are not uncommon ..... I paid £65 for mine. They can go up to about £100. Look on Ebay and ask the Forum. It shouldn't take too long to obtain a pair .....

David
 
US post? No US A2s, ever.

There are disagreements as to whether a roof rack should be fitted to an OSS roof. In Germany they are forbidden and I have a weight limit of 20kg.

If you intend to load it heavily, I would avoid OSS. Even then, the weight limit is either 40 or 50kg, I don't remember which; by the time you've added bars and a box you've a payload of around 20kg. Is it worth it?

- Bret
 
bretti_kivi said:
US post? No US A2s, ever.

There are disagreements as to whether a roof rack should be fitted to an OSS roof. In Germany they are forbidden and I have a weight limit of 20kg.

If you intend to load it heavily, I would avoid OSS. Even then, the weight limit is either 40 or 50kg, I don't remember which; by the time you've added bars and a box you've a payload of around 20kg. Is it worth it?

- Bret
Click to expand...
My bad, it was a LHD car and an English speaking forum. I just assumed US. I didn’t look any further. ?

Interesting about weight limits. Primarily, I’ll be carrying 1 or 2 bikes. Total weight about 20kg. So ok for that. Questionable whether I could get a bike on and load a box under 40kg.

Does anyone know if the limit is 40 or 50kgs
 
rosscanning said:
I have OSS and genuine roof bars which I use regularly. I also have a non OSS A2 and figment is the same safe a secure

Ross
Click to expand...
This member is saying that there is no problem. I usually take what is said at face value.

bretti_kivi said:
In Germany they are forbidden and I have a weight limit of 20kg.I
- Bret
Click to expand...
This member is located in Germany. Regulations are very tough there and don't apply here.

I would say that the A2 is very sturdily built and further strengthened around the OSS. Personally I would say that you're not going to be loading it too much, so just look for some bars, buy them and enjoy using them. Simple ...

David
 
If I remember correctly the genuine Audi roof bars fit directly over the exterior strengthening where the sides and roof are joined and do not place any stress on the OSS or its frame. Aftermarket bars may encroach further onto the roof thus stressing the OSS. Audi did spend time thinking about the A2 accessories when it was launched, yes the list is quite small but each item does look like they went the extra when designing it. Just look at the removable tow bar or the floor storage box for 2 good examples. Hence the higher costs....
 
audifan said:
the genuine Audi roof bars fit directly over the exterior strengthening where the sides and roof are joined and do not place any stress on the OSS or its frame.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is 100% correct! That's what I meant when I mentioned the shape of the feet on the A2 bars compared with Thule bars. Just be sure not to open the roof with the bars in place! ( A piece of rigid plastic held in place over the switch with insulating tape does the trick!)

David
 
I would have thought the OSS had its own fuse. Just pull that and no worries about opening it accidentally with aftermarket bars fitted.
 
I have the original bars. I'm very aware of where the mounting points are and the markings that are pressed into the body and the foot shape that fits precisely to the form of the car. Aftermarket bars don't do this, as far as I'm aware.

If I remember correctly the genuine Audi roof bars fit directly over the exterior strengthening where the sides and roof are joined and do not place any stress on the OSS or its frame
Click to expand...
this is not possible as there's no strengthening in place there. They're in the middle of the doors and that's in the middle of the glass area. Direct contact with the glass, no, but stress on the frame is absolutely guaranteed. You're pushing the roof together where there's nothing except the lateral strength of the frame to stop it moving. This frame is mounted at the top of another rectangle of the side profile; this is another reason why the bars themselves don't move, but the forces involved in tightening down the foot are specifically documented in the paperwork at 6Nm. That is not even tight at all; 600g at 1m or 1.2kg at 50cm or 3kg at 20cm (so an allen key).

I bought my car back in Germany in April 2003 and noted at the time that there was no roof load entered. When I brought it here in 2004, my new paperwork gave me a load of 20kg. The Germans give a toss about paperwork because that's how they roll; but then again, they regularly drive flat out so I respect the stringency of the requirements. I weighed my roof bars and worked out that I was over the limit with two pairs of skis.

Just because it's worked for several people without incident doesn't make it good or "safe" for a given value of the word. 10% overload at 50km/h for 10 kms is one thing, but any excuse for an insurance company to avoid payouts should be avoided in my eyes.

Considering that OSS requires the removal of the front strengthening bar over the windscreen, I wouldn't push it. The pics that were originally in this forum in 2008 are archived here: https://a2-freun.de/forum/forums/topic/3612-oss-nachrüsten/?do=findComment&comment=212981

There are better ways to carry bikes; towbar mounted carriers and Paulchen are two that spring to mind. Especially the Paulchen lowloader will be far nicer on consumption than two bikes upright on the roof.

- Bret
 
bretti_kivi said:
I have the original bars. I'm very aware of where the mounting points are and the markings that are pressed into the body and the foot shape that fits precisely to the form of the car. Aftermarket bars don't do this, as far as I'm aware.


this is not possible as there's no strengthening in place there. They're in the middle of the doors and that's in the middle of the glass area. Direct contact with the glass, no, but stress on the frame is absolutely guaranteed. You're pushing the roof together where there's nothing except the lateral strength of the frame to stop it moving. This frame is mounted at the top of another rectangle of the side profile; this is another reason why the bars themselves don't move, but the forces involved in tightening down the foot are specifically documented in the paperwork at 6Nm. That is not even tight at all; 600g at 1m or 1.2kg at 50cm or 3kg at 20cm (so an allen key).

I bought my car back in Germany in April 2003 and noted at the time that there was no roof load entered. When I brought it here in 2004, my new paperwork gave me a load of 20kg. The Germans give a toss about paperwork because that's how they roll; but then again, they regularly drive flat out so I respect the stringency of the requirements. I weighed my roof bars and worked out that I was over the limit with two pairs of skis.

Just because it's worked for several people without incident doesn't make it good or "safe" for a given value of the word. 10% overload at 50km/h for 10 kms is one thing, but any excuse for an insurance company to avoid payouts should be avoided in my eyes.

Considering that OSS requires the removal of the front strengthening bar over the windscreen, I wouldn't push it. The pics that were originally in this forum in 2008 are archived here: https://a2-freun.de/forum/forums/topic/3612-oss-nachrüsten/?do=findComment&comment=212981

There are better ways to carry bikes; towbar mounted carriers and Paulchen are two that spring to mind. Especially the Paulchen lowloader will be far nicer on consumption than two bikes upright on the roof.

- Bret
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information, I can see that the Audi bars will be the way to go.

I just saw these on eBay:
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-A2-Ge...e&pageci=0ea5480d-4fa0-483e-9676-f46a8c64d7f8

They might be of interest to someone.

I might add a tow bar at a later point for bigger trips or more bikes but I regularly need to move or pickup one bike so bars with a single bike rack would need to be a day to day fixture.
 
Last edited:
I had genuine Audi roof bars. I just unplugged the switch of the OSS to prevent any accident.
I carried one bike (approx 10kg) on a Thule 591 proride. Never had any problem, even at highway speed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top