umm... 'roof bungee' what exactly is it and why do i need one?

[ArunAlec]

When the roof is closed there is no pressure on the bungee, you will see it go slack and drop down the canvas as you close the roof.

Agree.
Also the bellows is folding along the same creases every time it’s used so another point of wear is not going to make much difference.

 

[Azteccamper]

Got to be honest. I’ve got a bungee like everyone and I’ve still got canvas caught even with a lookout on a windy day. Just bad luck I suppose. I always stand with my head looking through opening to roofbed until it no longer fits and have a lookout. But who knows - gust of wind whilst checking one side and .......

 

[Jabberwocky]

Got to be honest. I’ve got a bungee like everyone and I’ve still got canvas caught even with a lookout on a windy day. Just bad luck I suppose. I always stand with my head looking through opening to roofbed until it no longer fits and have a lookout. But who knows - gust of wind whilst checking one side and .......

Don't forget to try and have the opening front door on the lee side of the van. You don't want the wind blowing into your Cali when you lower the roof. Just an additional precaution.

 

[WelshGas]

I also bought one of the bungees to go around the canvas but have never used yet but carry it incase of windy day when closing. Reason I haven’t fitted it as worried that over time it will cause more harm than good as it sits on the same part of the canvas at all times so will eventually damage it with repeated opening and closing.

After 5 yrs, no mark from the Bungee.

 

[calikev]

We have had several customers this week ordering tear aid and a bellows bungee says it all.

 

[Sunstoner]

I keep seeing references to a roof bungee and think this is a tool to assist with bringing the roof down? can you describe it and how it works please.

In the build up to buying our first cali, my wife and I and not forgetting 2 kiddies have hired 3 this year from a fab company in Rotherham. The first was a LWB conversion, the 2nd a cali and the 3rd was a cali too but it had the bungee on the roof AND I have to say I found it darn useful for keeping the roof tucked in when lowering the roof.

We still do the usual checks when the roof was coming down but it just helped to keep the roof neatly tucked in. Its one of the first things on the 'need to buy' list when (we ever) get ours.

As said above, not a necessity but pretty useful.

 

[GSX1300R]

The bungee is not a guarantee you won’t trap the bellows but it does help......The only way to guarantee you won’t trap them is to have someone outside the van looking to make sure the bellows is IN..... You always must have the windows or door fully open when the roof comes down otherwise they WILL get trapped....Even if it’s raining cats and dogs someone must be checking the outside......If you don’t its a ripped bellows and bent roof..We were on a campsite in Spain this year and a guy with a brand new van didn’t check and had a terrible rip in the bellows and a big kink in the Aluminium roof, he didn’t even know until he was about to drive off an a fellow camper told him to stop and check the roof..... Very expensive mistake...

 

[Sunstoner]

Heres the bungie on the 2019 Cali we hired this year.

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

As above.

With the electric roof there is possibility that on lowering the bellows could blow out trapping the canvas in the scissor mechanism, which could leave a hole in the fabric and a small bump in the aluminium roof.

This event can be mitigated against by ensuring a window or door is open on the lee side to allow the air being squeezed out as the bellows closes to escape out of the van. The bungee is designed to complement the closure design by pinching the sides in.

I personally, and this is me and not a general rule, advocate a mark one eyeball approach. When the roof is about 3/4 lowered just leap out and look along the length of both sides to ensure no fabric is trapped. It only takes a few seconds.

When the roof is about a quarter closed it stops for you to make sure everything is open/closed. That’s when I get out and check the bellows.

 

[Hapless Hamburger]

I have a roof bungee on a 2018 Ocean, and I find it a useful failsafe in blowy weather when lowering the pop up. And helps reduce flapping sounds when roof is up and it‘s a tad windy. For the price of a tenner, it‘s worth it.

 

[Wild Bob]

We have bought one but now had time to fit yet but will be soon

 

[GrannyJen]

We have bought one but now had time to fit yet but will be soon

Be careful

When I was fitting mine, as a one-woman job of the greatest ineptitude, I fastened one end to a scissor strut whilst I pulled the other end round ..... except the bit on the scissor strut came off and smacked me in the teeth! I had the only bungee on site the colour of Max factor 40 lipstick

 

[TripleBee]

Could be worse?

 

[GrannyJen]

View attachment 52097
Could be worse?

That's a strange picture of lipfinity!

Mine looks nothing like that. It comes in a two pack, a stick brush for colour and a top coat for gloss. Long lasting, just what I need when running an event It looked very fetching on the end of a bungee cord.