Iso top Mk3

H

Happy wanderer

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2
Vehicle
T5 SE 180 4Motion
We have had an Iso top mark one ....the dark coloured one ...and although fit was not perfect we have found it essential ...we travel all year ...keeps draughts out during winter and keeps things cooler and darker during summer. I would like to know if anyone has the mark 3 and how do they find it and does it fit better and more snugly than the mark 1 or 2. we need to replace ours but would like to feel that cut is better as they cost a lot of money......and is there anyone who does a fitting service?
 
We recently fitted our Isotop Mark 3 and though a bit fiddly to install, it was a good fit, and no problems putting the top down as long as you open the front bay (as per the instructions). Helped with the dark - we were in Iceland - we have yet to test it during summertime for the coolness factor.
After a night of 80mph gales and torrential rain it leaked a tiny bit at the back, no draughts. After another 24hrs of heavy rain, we were then on a ferry for 3 days and although the mattress got a bit damp in one corner it soon dried out.
We have the Munst topper but having had such windy conditions, we were glad we fitted the Isotop.
Also, we bought ours from a VW dealer in France - (good exchange rate!) so saved quite a bit and they always have Brandrup in stock so no waiting!
 
I would take a look at the Comfortz version of the IsoTop, give Nick a call
 
Agree with Lakelander that it is a bit fiddly to install but the fit is really neat and it doesn't sag at all. Definitely darker and warmer/cooler depending on altitude
I am really happy with mine now that my bank balance is back in the black;)
 
I would take a look at the Comfortz version of the IsoTop, give Nick a call
I have done so and think it very interesting and he is working hard at getting a good fit.
 
Help!
I am in the middle of fitting a Brandrup ISO-Top 3 and have found the instructions unclear and generally not well written. I have fitted the velcro tape around the roof aperture and also the rear upper velcro strip and velcro tabs in each corner. What I am unclear about is how to fit the five velcro tabs at the front top ceiling.
image.jpg
Our Cali is an SE with the electro hydraulic roof and the ceiling at the front of the roof features a lateral batten about 3" (75mm) wide which is covered in the same material as the rest of the ceiling, (see photo). The instructions seem to indicate that the five larger black velcro tabs are to be pushed (towards the front of the vehicle) in between this batten and the ceiling above it. The trouble is that this batten appears to be very well fixed and therefore difficult to slide these tabs in. I don't want to force and possibly break something. Should I persevere or have I misunderstood the instructions?
Also it isn't clear whether its the velcro or the other end that hangs down! I am assuming its the velcro. Can anyone help?

If this is an intelligence test then I have failed miserably.

Many thanks,
Paul.
 
Last edited:
Panic over.
I had another look this afternoon and it seems that you just shove the velcro end of these black tabs into the crack between the batten and the rest of the pop top roofs ceiling. You have to push really hard though.
ISO - Top 3 now fitted. So far I am impressed by this item and it fits well although I can't comment too much at this stage as we haven't slept in it yet. Only three observations so far:
1. Too expensive.
2. Instructions are poorly written.
3. You need to watch the material through the hatch as the roof comes down. On my first attempt to close the roof it didn't fully close because of bunched material at the front.
 
Agree with Borris' observations on the ISO-Top3
I would add that you need to push the the edges of the fabric up into the roof when closing the hatch, in order to prevent the shutter coming out of the rails
However the finished article does the job well...darker and warmer/cooler up top.
 
Panic over.
I had another look this afternoon and it seems that you just shove the velcro end of these black tabs into the crack between the batten and the rest of the pop top roofs ceiling. You have to push really hard though.
ISO - Top 3 now fitted. So far I am impressed by this item and it fits well although I can't comment too much at this stage as we haven't slept in it yet. Only three observations so far:
1. Too expensive.
2. Instructions are poorly written.
3. You need to watch the material through the hatch as the roof comes down. On my first attempt to close the roof it didn't fully close because of bunched material at the front.
Is the iso top mark 111 compatible with both manual and hydraulic roofs? or is there two versions?
 
Hello JohnnyP,
As hewittd has already said, there are two different versions, one for the manual Beach roof and the other for the SE/Ocean with the electro/hydraulic roof. The Brandrup shop in Holland recently told me that the only difference between the ISO-TOP lll and the latest MK lV is the brouchure price. However I am yet to be convinced. Apparently, they have the cheaper MKlll in stock.
Having already fitted a MK lll to our SE I can report that they are an excellent product that makes the whole interior much warmer and draught free. They are also an excellent fit. But as I have already mentioned on this thread you will pay a Kings ransom for one and the fitting instructions are crap.
Before buying though, take a look at the similar internal liner made by Comfortz. I don't have any experience of their product but if it is anything like the rest of their products it will be very good and a lot cheaper.
 
I have the Comfortz liner for my T6. I haven't fitted it well as was in such a rush to get ready for my first trip - but the noise reduction and heat insulation were great (at zero deg C temps external with a topper on I was cozy warm). The fitting instructions are good - but use the tube video - and if you have more patience than me you will get a great fit. Even with some sagging bits due to my poor fitment I was still cosy snug up top. And Nick does a great price for VIP members...
 
Does anyone know what the difference is between the Isotop MkIII and MkIV is please? (There still seem to be some new MkIIIs around, which are a bit cheaper.)
 
Panic over.
I had another look this afternoon and it seems that you just shove the velcro end of these black tabs into the crack between the batten and the rest of the pop top roofs ceiling. You have to push really hard though.
ISO - Top 3 now fitted. So far I am impressed by this item and it fits well although I can't comment too much at this stage as we haven't slept in it yet. Only three observations so far:
1. Too expensive.
2. Instructions are poorly written.
3. You need to watch the material through the hatch as the roof comes down. On my first attempt to close the roof it didn't fully close because of bunched material at the front.

I fitted an Iso-Top 3 today, it is a very impressive symphony in fabric. I agree with you the instructions are far from clear but the design sort of explains itself after quite a lot of exploration.
Your description of how you sussed out the top front fixings helped a lot when I came to fit, thank you.
 
Yes, the ISO-top inner liners are a lovely accessory and a great fit. I have fitted two now and they are very straight forward to fit once you know what you are doing. Once fitted they are very effective at keeping the Cali warmer, damp free and draught free.
 
Hi Stephen Watson . I looked at these about a year ago but there was a problem with supply of Isotop . I ended up buying Comfort's which is good . The difference between a Mk 3 and Mk 4 Isotop is that Mk4 is no longer Goretex which is a big mistake in my opinion given the price . I certainly recommend use of a liner in the roof .
 
I have to agree, the iso top is possibly our best ever accessory purchase. It has really opened up all year round camping for us as it makes it so much more cosy upstairs.
 
Hi Stephen Watson . I looked at these about a year ago but there was a problem with supply of Isotop . I ended up buying Comfort's which is good . The difference between a Mk 3 and Mk 4 Isotop is that Mk4 is no longer Goretex which is a big mistake in my opinion given the price . I certainly recommend use of a liner in the roof .
Hi
Thanks for your reply - it's a bit hard to work out what material it is. I've just bought a Mk3 from Campervantastic and got this reply before buying: "Thanks for your enquiry. The only difference between the Mark III and Mark IV is a slight change in the tonality of the colour grey and apart from this is the same. Kind Regards Campervantastic ltd." I also emailed Brandrup to ask them, but never got a reply. In the end I decided to go for the cheaper Mk3. It seems very expensive, especially when I saw the small size of the parcel when it arrived! (If it is Goretex that partly explains the price). I haven't got my van yet, but I was wondering when I fit bungee cord around the outside to help prevent snagging, does this cause the VW outer fabric to close the gap/touch the Isotop when the roof is up?
 
That's interesting. Can anyone explain to me why the supplier's name has been blanked out on my last post? Big brother or some forum rule I'm unaware of?!
 
i'm guessing they are a sales competitor.
 
I 'come now' s Iso Top lV, unfortunately there are no assembly instructions in Italian language ... damn Germans! ... But I also hope with your help I could get by. The buttons Velcro stickers are put in the back? And they stick where? on the canvas of the Cali bellows? Someone gives me a tip, thanks
 
I 'come now' s Iso Top lV, unfortunately there are no assembly instructions in Italian language ... damn Germans! ... But I also hope with your help I could get by. The buttons Velcro stickers are put in the back? And they stick where? on the canvas of the Cali bellows? Someone gives me a tip, thanks
Hello Alter,
I recently fitted an Isotop lV into our T6 Beach. I hope this description helps.

The top rear of the Brandrup Isotop IV should be attached to the wider velcro strip which itself has been stuck to the transversal aluminium strip of exposed roof situated directly behind the rear roof light.
image-jpeg.16491

If you do not have the roof lighting option then just follow the internal roof liner towards the rear of the vehicle until it stops and you will discover a narrow exposed section of the aluminium roof, running from one side of the van to the other. From memory you have to cut your velcro tape to fit the gap from side to side but within the brackets/raised fitting that you will see in each corner. If you have the roof lighting option you will discover an electrical cable which supplies the lighting. You will need to pass the Velcro behind it and then stick it down. You then have to fit three circular velcro pads to each rear corner. Again from memory, one pad should be stuck to the bracket/raised fitting and the other two pads to the remaining exposed aluminium section beyond the bracket/raised fitting in each corner. As with the rest of the Velcro strip you need to leave it in place to become properly bonded for 48 hours before attempting to fix the liner in place.
image-jpeg.16492

The other fixtures that need to be put in place before fitting, are the two large black Velcro pads that are fitted, one in each rear corner. To fit these you need to prize the roof liner down a little in each corner and stuff the Velcro pad into place between the roof liner and the roof itself. It is a tight fit! However my advice would be to wait until you are going to fit the liner in place. Then offer up the liner to ensure that you are fitting these pads in the right place to correspond with the mating Velcro pad on the liner. If you don't then you may have to remove and refit them.
image-jpeg.16493

The other potential problem area for me at least, was fixing the three black Velcro tabs that have to be screwed into the front of the roof liner/ceiling of your new Cali. Brandrup's intructions and photos on this area aren't that clear. My advice here is to stick to their exact positioning measurements and double and treble check that you have positioned them correctly before attempting to screw into the roof liner. I marked the roof lightly with a pencil around the tab once I was happy with the position. The marks easily clean off. I didn't drill any pilot holes as the screws supplied are self cutting. Just ensure you use a good well fitting screwdiver and apply pressure whilst screwing into place. It will put up a fight but will eventually give in. When fitting the liner I did find that the black Velcro roof tabs could have lined up better with the mating Velcro tabs on the liner but I personally would be reluctant to screw holes anywhere else in the liner just in case it damaged the roof. The one thing about their instructions that I felt could have been clearer was the need to only screw these tabs to the beveled section of the roof liner. IMO their photo wasn't big or clear enough.
image-jpeg.16494

In this photo of the front top off side corner (UK offside), you can just pick out the beveled part of the roof liner which runs accross the roof from side to side. It is approximately 25mm wide.
When you come to fit your liner, the process is straight forward enough. Having fitted and left all the Velcro strip to bond for 48 hours, take your time and fit the liner to the vehicle by attaching it's lower edge to the Velcro strip around the roof aperture first. To do this find the exact centre of the front of the liner by measuring the distance between the bottom of the two vertical zips that you will find, one in each front corner of the liner and obviously then just divide by two to establish the centre line. Then start attaching your liner with this liner front centre line married to the centre line of the front of the main roof canvas. There is a reinforced strap in the middle front of the canvas roof to help the roof canvas fold inwards on closure. So finding the exact centre should be easy. It is essential to get this positioning right because if you don't the various fixings on the liner will not marry up well with the attachment points on the vehicle. When I fitted ours I started attaching the liner at the front in the middle and worked towards the rear down both sides.
image-jpeg.16498

Once the bottom edge is in place the rest is straight forward. The front just attaches to the black Velcro tabs previously screwed to the inside of the roof ceiling/liner. The next fixings, in order, towards the rear of the vehicle are:
image-jpeg.16495

image-jpeg.16496

image-jpeg.16497

This last fixing takes the form of a wide stiff plastic strip attached to the internal liner which you feed into the top of the roof canvas reinforcing strap which is itself a sleeve. Once you get it started it's just a case of shoving it down in. It makes an excellent fixing.
Finally you attach the liner to the rear upper fixings which are all Velcro.

The whole thing is a good fit and is very effective at keeping the upper deck dark, very dry and cosy even in driving wind and rain. So far all of the fixings have stayed in place and we have had no issues.

Only one criticism apart from the vague instructions and the price is that Brandrup should include an extra sachet of cleaner and glue. Being a thorough sort of chap I found that the cleaner sachet ran dry half way round the van.

I hope that you find these instruuctions useful.
Best wishes and good luck with your fit.
 
Many Thanks Borris !! Keep your instructions as gold! although with the Google translator are funny !! You talk about having to drill holes on the heaven of Cali and screw something ..... I have not received viti..e however I would never going to pierce anything !! I think I'll wait 'the return of my son from vacation to Hawaii to get help from him and not make mistakes, otherwise I definitely tease .. thanks, we feel
 
Many Thanks Borris !! Keep your instructions as gold! although with the Google translator are funny !! You talk about having to drill holes on the heaven of Cali and screw something ..... I have not received viti..e however I would never going to pierce anything !! I think I'll wait 'the return of my son from vacation to Hawaii to get help from him and not make mistakes, otherwise I definitely tease .. thanks, we feel
Good luck.
 
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