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How to lift the roof of a camping site - evaluation and comparison

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I've been dreaming about the lifting roof since I started driving vans around the world. Some may say unnecessarily expensive fun, you better buy a Ducato type van and you don't have to deal with a lifting roof. I will try to explain the motives that led me to this solution. Our first car was a Mitsubishi Space Gear 4x4. It was an amazing toy car and I still feel sad for it. It was a tank that didn't stop anything, and thanks to the reduced speeds and self-locking differential, I got really everywhere with it. We went through beautiful places with him, but after the birth of our wonderful son Leonard, we started to get small. My idea for a jack originated here.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't find it anywhere on Mica (our caravan). In addition, the Micina was a short version as the long one is only made with the steering wheel on the right side. If you could get it with a left-hand drive and a 2,8 Delica engine as in the second photo, I don't hesitate for a second and I'll take it right away. Not to mention the new version of D4, which is in the next picture. I would have to, but had to move to Japan. Unfortunately, this is not realistic, so we had to proceed with the exchange for a larger car. So we bought a Mercedes Viano, which is, but also small, so it was time for a lifting roof ... Yes

You tell me why I didn't go straight to a large apartment or van. I rejected the large van after a holiday in Tuscany, where my friends borrowed it, and I found no advantages in it, only disadvantages compared to our car. I was considering a large living room and I first borrowed 7,5m with a boot bed in the front and then a 6,5m all-integral also with a boot bed in the front. sad

A summary of the apartment is as follows:

The first car on the road seemed very uncertain and maneuvering a 7,5 car in the city was a disaster. The interior is purposefully filled with what, but it means that you still have to avoid it here anyway. In addition, it's a car that I can't get to the places where I normally get with Micina, I'm not even talking about draining and filling the tanks. It really bothered me as much as the smell from the toilet. I know that everything is a matter of tuning and habit, but I don't want to get used to this ..wink

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I liked Celointegral much more, the space is much better designed and the comfort and stability on the road is incomparable. Unfortunately, problems with filling and draining and the need to connect to electricity remained. This is not a wild camping car. After two days, our electricity knelt completely, which means that it doesn't even fill with water. I don't want EEEE either, even though I know it can be done differently.indecision

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The decision was clear. We stay with a smaller delivery and get the most out of it. Why Mercedes, when there is a large number of vans to choose from. Well, for me, it worked out according to the following logic. I've never had a car other than a German or a Japanese one and I've always been happy, so the French and Italians are eliminated straight away. Ford has never liked me as a brand, although I must admit that the Nugget did quite well. I also considered it because there are only a few vans that can be used to finish the lifting roof.

For orientation, I will give a list of cars that I know are made with sunroofs.

VW California - it's a classic since T1 from hippie times. It is made in two versions where one has sleeping for four people (Beach) and the other has a fully equipped kitchen and cabinets. There are a lot of improvements to it, but the disadvantage for me was that it is only made on a medium-long version of the T5 and it is shorter than the Long Mercedes. It's front-wheel drive and I'm used to the butt or 4x4. I had a 4x4 Mica and I know that while the children are not growing up, I don't need it again. In addition, the T5 had a very bad reputation with its engines. Yes

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Ford Nugget - is currently made in two versions, where one is a fixed raised roof and the other is a jack. A solid roof seems like complete nonsense to me, I prefer to buy a Ducato van, which is wider, at that height. The jack opens upside down, as with the VW and MB. The solution of the kitchen in the back is not completely bad, but it doesn't suit me very well. The Ford is also shorter and the front forearm without the 4x4 option, so I don't want to.angel

Ford Nugget - Camping in the wild

Mercedes Marco Polo - is a car that enchanted me at first sight and immediately froze the price. Anyway, to buy an older Viano was no longer such a bat and we will finish the lift in time. Marco polo is performed in three versions. Either with or without kitchenette. Where the cheaper versions are called Horizon and Activity and differ only in equipment. In any case, they are also made in the 4x4 version and the Viano is a snag. Where I go winter loaded without chains, it has a problem climbing the same loaded T5 with chains. Real life experience. wink

Marco Polo van

Other residential vans on which lifting roofs have recently appeared and I think are worth noting are the Peugeot Traveler from Tinkervan, the Citroen Spacetourer from Possl, the Renault Trafic or the Hyundai H1. The latter interested me mainly because of the version of Starex, which can be considered a segret of our Mičina. All of these cars can be bought at a much lower price than the above-mentioned premium brands, so if you don't have prejudices against French people like me, be sure to look for them. The Citroen Rip Curl concept looks really nice. If it was available when I bought a Mercedes, I would definitely consider it. cheeky

Residential French vans

You know how to buy the first three cars directly from the manufacturer, and Westfalia supplies them with roofs. Unfortunately, they won't sell it to you separately at MB, so just look for it from a wreck or another brand. The roof became a necessity because in the meantime we had grown to include Princess Elizabeth and it was no longer possible to sleep four on the bed downstairs. Although I made Leonard a bed over the front seats, which was a temporary solution, but with a view to the future, we knew that the roof would become a necessity, so why wait. In addition, my mother bought the same Viano as we have and also wanted a lift. So let's install two straight away, maybe it will be cheaper.Yes

Mercedes van

We finally chose the roof from the German manufacturer Reimo. I also considered a roof from SCA, but the quality did not convince me and the price difference was minimal. I also found a Czech manufacturer, but still it was not a big price difference and I heard not the best reviews of the leakage of this roof ..crying

Reviews of lifting roofs

The installation of the roof is a big intervention in the construction of the car and I did not dare to do it myself. I finally found a company in Poland. I also considered KRS and I approached them, but they had delivery dates of half a year, which would mean losing another season for me and my mother. In addition, my mother wanted to leave as soon as possible. I made her the whole superstructure in the car, including lockers, beds, solariums and everything I needed to travel in the wild. Maybe I'll get to that description one day. blush

Within three weeks of depositing, both roofs arrived and were assembled in the next two weeks. The price for one with assembly and certificates was 6300 euros.

We didn't want them painted because I know how the sun hell on our red roof before, so they're white. My mother wants to keep it that way, because she promised her niece that she could make some drawings for her there. I have my hips sprayed when I spray the car because after three years the rust reappears. Tribute to Mercedes and its plates. The company offered us the opportunity to exchange the origo canvas on the sides of the roof for a goratex of their production with three windows and I will tell you that it is a big difference. Strength, breathability, water and cold resistance is excellent. Be sure to consider this ..wink

The roof from Reim, unlike the older Westfalia shock absorbers for lifting from the outside, so it will not interfere with your sleeping as much as a friend on the California T4. It rises up all by itself and you can pull it down by the two handles without any problems. The clever rubber strap is cleverly in the middle, which wraps the fabric inside, so you don't have to go around the car and push it in before closing it. cool

pop up roof

The closed roof is held by two retractable courts, which you tighten quickly. The whole packing of the roof is a matter of minutes.

A small rubber spoiler is glued to the front of the roof to prevent understeering while driving ...

The interior of the roof is tapered and insulated on the ceiling, which we tested in the hot Greek sun. Following the line of the roof ridge and opening the side windows, it is not a problem to stand in direct sunlight without cooking in the car. This pleasantly surprised me ...heart

The upper bed is equipped with a hard foam mattress, which suits me because I don't like a soft bed. The mattress is in one piece and the bed rises completely, which creates a feeling of a large space inside, unlike, for example, from older California, where the bed is divided and a smaller part opens. You can easily put your sleeping bags into the roof before closing it, because there is about 5 cm of space above the mattress. You can climb on the bed through the front seats and even little Leonard can do it himself without any problems. The size of the bed is 115x200cm .. cheeky

I could even better imagine the end of the cut-out hole in the roof, as far as there is only a rubber Keder, but it is probably the only complaint I have about the roof ...angel

I have a white roof, but it doesn't look nice from the side and they shout from a distance that the car is a camper. Inconspicuousness is important to us, so I sprayed the sides, front and rear of the roof in the color of the car. At the same time, I immediately fixed a few rusty places. The rubber Keder can be removed. I first sanded the roof, Leonard also helped, then degreased it and then, after thoroughly wrapping the whole car, first spray it with plastic primer, then metallic paint and then paint. The result looks good and at the same time I have a white area in the middle, so the sun should not bake on my roof. cool

Leonard helped .. :-D

Of course, I still glued the solar to the roof at home, basically just like it was glued before. By the way, after peeling from the roof, an unattractive look awaited me. I hope there is no danger of a similar on the laminate roof. Anyway, in the back, I left gaps in the silicone so that the moisture could escape. In my mother's case, I didn't stick the back part at all and it has two panels with a new surface, because she only has one flashlight. The solar cables just carry out so loosely because they peeled off. I still have to come up with this better. For my mother, I planned to install it on the lifting roof when ordering, so the cables are almost invisible there. Tilting the roof with solar has its advantages if you are standing with your back to the south, but also disadvantages because it is not always possible. In any case, the mother had already tested her solar panels and gave it permanently during the day over 9A, which means that it lasted for three weeks on one AGM traction battery without connection to electricity with minimal movements. I was surprised by how well I did it to her ... :-)

The roof is not a cheap affair at all, but I seriously recommend it to anyone who thinks with comfort when traveling. The views in the morning after waking up and the opportunity to stand in the car are just worth it ... Yeswink

View from a residential van

 

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Comments

Picture of Michal K
michael k (unregistered) 19. April 2023 - 12: 31
I would also like to ask for a contact with a Polish company. kaspa@post.cz thanks MK
Lukas Chudik's picture
Lukas Chudik (unregistered) 15. October 2022 - 11: 06
I would also like to ask you to contact the Polish company, no one here wants to do it in a reasonable time, thank you very much
Viktor brno's picture
Viktor Brno (unregistered) 11. May 2021 - 12: 39
Thanks for the great article, greatly described, in connection with our MB Viano I consider going the same way. We tried the stress tent once and it's great. :-)
LubošS's picture
LubošS (unregistered) 19. March 2021 - 18: 56
Can I ask for the name of the Polish company? KRS are really still too busy. Thanks a lot.
Noro's picture
Noro (unregistered) 20. March 2021 - 12: 26
Hello You can find the California team group on FB. I had it done with them. https://m.facebook.com/vwcaliforniateam/

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