Has anyone fitted a Revo-Rack and Revo 75L Vacation bag to their MK4?
Is the boot lid strong enough to support these with typical holiday clothes?
Ian
Hi yes,
I have both a revo rack, that I use to transport a road bike (front wheel off and Velcro strapped to rubber mounts on the rack)
And more conventionally a boot bag (the biggest bag) that served us well for a weeks trip from leicester to Annecy in France and back.
Well packed with clothes for the week it want light but caused no issues and was great to just carry in our ‘wardrobe‘ to each hotel.
We don’t use both the rack and the bag at the same time but both are great in their own right…
No boot deformation on my Mark 4 convertible with sensible loads, no movement and total confidence.
Recommended!
Did you end up getting a Revo Rack Beemer2? If so how are you getting on with it?
I’m thinking of getting one but I’m nervous about relying on the vacuum fixing rather than more traditional side clamps.
Hi, yes I did buy it and also their large boot bag. I have now used it twice at full capacity and had no problems at all. I was sceptical like you but I’m very happy and would buy it again. Some tips:
Mine is the silver one. I had read that someone was concerned that the black painted one might chip. I think they now have a black chrome version.
When installing make sure the suction cups have their locking nuts slack. This so that the cups position naturally to the contour of the lid. Don’t forget to the tighten them.
The rack could be mounted with its raised bar at the front or the back but its designed that the bar should be at the window end.
Position the cups so that the vacuum pumps knobs are angled so that they are not obviously visible. There is a guide line on the pump body that you should check, say every stop, to ensure vacuum integrity. Always splash water over the cup area before setting them down.
The plunger on the vacuum pump can be pulled completely out but only after the suction pad has had its vacuum released. I removed all mine to recoat the plunger seal with food grade grease. This was probably unnecessary but I wanted to see how it was sealed.
There is no way that the rack might slip off.
It is too big to fit in the boot so I leave it overnight inside the car.
The big boot bag comes with many straps and I place the rubber mat that comes with the rack then put he boot back on top. It has a big zip and very strong velcro all around with a rain flap covering the join. It easily takes clothes for two for at least a seek and probably two weeks. The boot lid can be lifted fully even with the boot bag and rack in place.
You cannot see out of the rear window with the bag on the rack so have to reply on the side mirrors. One last point the boot bag straps are very long. If you tie them so that even six inches of tail is left flapping the wind noise will drive you mad. Test the bag out with all luggage then cut the straps to a shorter length and seal the ends with a lighter flame.
If you have any more questions just ask. Enjoy and Stay Safe.
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Thanks for the very comprehensive reply Ian, that’s reassuring.
I’ve been researching the Revo rack and only found one report of a rack coming off but it turned out he’d not bothered to read the fitting instructions so I guess he only had himself to blame. He wasn’t an MX5 owner I should add!
Is your car a hard or soft top? Mine’s a hardtop, I ask because I understand you can leave the rack in place while you raise and lower the roof? I’m guessing to do that you need the raised part towards the back.
Mark