If you’re the owner of a VW T4 then you have the option to use a really great bike rack, the Fiamma Carry Bike. Trying to find a decent bike rack to fit our Berlingo was a much tougher challenge, until I came across another Berlingo owner who had adapted the Fiamma VW T4 bike rack to fit. The Fiamma VW T4 is not cheap, and the thought of having to drill and cut it made me somewhat apprehensive, but if worked, then it should make for a great bike rack.
First off, if you do this, you’ll void any warranty and you do so at your own risk. If you mess it up, you can’t hold me responsible!
The process involves:
- Drilling two new holes lower down the two top supporting arms (A Berlingo is not as tall as a VW T4)
- Trimming off the excess rack that goes beyond the top brackets. If you don’t do this, you’ll damage the roof of your car when you open the boot
So, in order to help those out there who may be considering the same thing – here’s what I had to do.
Once you’ve assembled the rack, slide the two black brackets onto the top of the boot lid. On the Berlingo Mk 3 (Note – this Fiamma Rack will only work on the Mk3) there are two indentations in the boot lid, use these to slide the brackets on.
Once the brackets are roughly in place, unscrew the feet at the bottom of the rack to about 4.5 cm. The reason is that the whole bike rack is held in place by tension from the bottom brackets pulling the rack downwards. By extending the feet you can ensure that there will be enough slack to tension up (not too much though!).You can rest the rack on the feet when measuring up. Also, just use two of the rubber feet for the bottom. Leave out the middle one – otherwise you will really struggle to fit everything. Then carefully mark with a pen the position of the holes at the top of the rack – using the holes in the top bracket as a guide.
At this point, you can fit the bottom brackets and make sure you can still see the pen marks for the holes at the top. Depends on how careful you want to be! I measured 13.5cm from the top of the rack to the marks I made for the new hole positions.
Then, take the whole rack off and carefully drill with a 6mm bit the new holes you marked out for the top brackets. This is not as easy as it sounds. I took the option to drill from both sides, rather than go all the way through. Ideally, you’d want to disassemble the rack and use a bench drill to get the hole spot on.
Once you’ve drilled your new holes, put the rack back on the car and centre it, then put the bolts through the top bracket. Don’t put the nuts on at this point as you’ll need to take it off again in a minute!
If you’re happy with everything, take the rack off again as you’ll need to trim off the excess rack that goes beyond the top brackets. If you don’t, you will mark or dent the roof of your car as they will dig into it when the boot is fully opened! Take out the red stoppers (a flat head screwdriver will do this). Then mark off where you want to trim the excess. On mine it worked out as 4.5cm from the centres of the new top bracket holes I had just drilled. Cutting is the easiest part of the whole process – just use a hacksaw. Once done, file off the burrs and put the red stoppers back in.
Put the rack back on the car, put the bolts through the top brackets, then open the boot lid (you’ll need to support it) and hook the bottom brackets over the bottom of the boot lid and put a bolt through each one and through the hole on the bottom of the rack. Put the washer and nut on and tighten both up. This will have the effect of pulling the whole rack downwards, tensioning it all up so it won’t move.
Then, put the nuts on the top bracket bolts, tighten up, check all the other nuts and you’re good to go.
You may or may not need a lighting board. Depends on your bikes!
Hi there. Very useful. Will this definitely not work on the mark 2? you seem very certain!
Hi, it will only work on the current version of the Berlingo – which is the Mark 3.
Hi Roman
Did you find a solution for your (I assume) MK2? I, too, have been struggling to find a decent rear-mounted, semi-permamant, rack for my recently-acquired (MK2?) 2014 Berlingo Multispace XTR. I’m not keen on (e.g.)Thule’s offerings and want to avoid roof-rack, or tow-bar, options if possible.
Tim’s photos (showing the lid of a “MK3”) appear to show very similar (identical?) alignments of the “two indentations in the boot lid ” to that of my “MK2”. Is there some other limitation in play, here, that haven’t recognised? Or, have I got a MK3 but don’t know it?!
Any help will be apppreciated.
Hi Campbell,
From what you describe, this bike rack will fit your Berlingo. The Mk 3 title is referring to 3rd ‘version’. However, this is actually the 2nd Generation, so it’s somewhat confusing! Our Berlingo is a 2009 plate, so if you have a 2014 palte, then it’s the same generation and the bike rack should fit. We still have the bike rack on and it’s great! The only modification we’ve made is to install a lighting socket in the boot so we can add a trailer-board on for longer journeys when we have more than 1 bike on the rack. Let us know if you have other questions.
Hi Tim;
Great article on the fitting of the Fiamma on the Berlingo. I have a Maxxrac (great rack) for 4 bikes but require a tow-bar to be fitted at short notice and the expense of £600 approx.
So was looking at these and will probably order up the 4 bike version.
How easy was the socket to fit in the boot for the light board.
Thanks
Graham
We had the socket fitted by a local mobile tow bar mechanic, as unless you know what you are doing, it can mess up the on board electric system… The socket is in the boot on the left hand side – we just run the cable through the boot lid at the bottom (trapped in the closed lid). Works fine.
Hi Tim
Many thanks & sorry for my delay in replying. Especial thanks for clearing up my confusion re “Version” v.s “Generation”; I’m going to give the rack a go & will let you know how I get on.
Cheers,
Campbell
Hi all
It works very well.
After a lot of procrastination I ordered and assembled the rack; If you can put the rack together you will have no problem doing Tim’s modification.
But one caveat: Tim, when he is referring to “indents”, does not mean (as I initailly thought he did) to the boot-lid hinges! Rather, he is referring (I think) to the indents (“out-dents?) on the inside of the Berlingo’s boot! That’s quite difficult to descibe – but it works really well once understood and set up.
Photos and longer explanation on request.
Thanks, Tim.
Cheers,
Campbell
Hi there, we have a T4 rack left over from an older van. Now we have a 2009 berlingo multispace and thinking about your adaption.
My only hesitation is if it will make it harder for the boot to stay open on its own ( with the bikes off). We consider the shelter provided by the boot to be the best asset to the berlingo (getting changed/rainy days etc) and don’t want a boot struggling to stay open/up.
Many thanks for any help. Alex
Hi Alex,
Yes, the extra weight will cause the boot to close, so I upgraded the struts – see post here https://timbarry.co.uk/uprated-boot-lid-gas-struts-for-berlingo/
Ever since doing that it has worked well.
Tim
Hi Tim,
Looking at doing this to the newest model. On Paulchen site they have one rack which fits all berlingo from 2008 on. Leads me to think this may be possible. What were the deciding factors? You talk about the indents. Presume k need to make sure the new one has these.
Would be great to confirm this o. Here when I am done
Thanks
Andy
Hi Andy,
The indents are on the top of the boot lid where the hinges are.
Hi,
Looking to confirm if this works on the newest Berlingo. It looks like it will. Not sure what the indents are as that seems to be the deciding factor. I could do the mod and would confirm the update for others. The rear end of the newest model looks very similar.
Thanks
Andy
I can’t say for sure whether is will or not, but if the boot has not changed design, then it’s likely it will.
I can confirm it does work. Just fitted to my new model berlingo xl. Thanks very much for the Inspiration.
I have a combo xl (same car as the new berlingo) and I’m interested try and make this work too. Could share any photos please?