How to check pop up rollbars in a convertable

[welshjohn]

Hi
The wife has decided now that she wants a convertible for her next car fair enough her money her choice.but one thing is concerning me.i see most now have a pop up roll bar.is there a way to check they actually work apart from rolling the car over?

Thank you

[4G63T]

stand on them?? or then jump???


that should test whether they work



HTH

[Escy]

I tested mine by crashing

[4G63T]

stand on them?? or then jump???


that should test whether they work



HTH

[Riknos]

Escy said:

I tested mine by crashing

Excellent! Did you roll it?

[corozin]

You could try looking at the warning light that tells you if the system isn't working...

[JustADay]

4G63T said:

stand on them?? or then jump???


that should test whether they work



HTH

I assume he wants to know how you test that the firing mechanism that pops them up in a crash is working, rather than are they strong enough? I'd rather hope the manufacturer has at least tested that!

[Mave]

Depends on the car. I've seen video on you tube of someone setting off the hoops on a 3 series then resetting them afterwards.

[mickyveloce]

There's a button on the dashboard to raise and lower my r129 Mercedes SL rollover bar, and you can get it to deploy if you yump the car over a hump backed bridge. Apparently.

[VBRJ]

Do you also test your air bags to make sure they will work?

[AlmostUseful]

I recall Damon Hill testing a Benz of some sort and getting the roll bars to come up when he went over a hump at Millbrook or somewhere similar. Think it was an slk.
So go and jump the car.

[LarJammer]

911's are tested as part of the service schedule.

[VBRJ]

AlmostUseful said:

I recall Damon Hill testing a Benz of some sort and getting the roll bars to come up when he went over a hump at Millbrook or somewhere similar. Think it was an slk.
So go and jump the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ-MPOUBNMA

[gf15]

Our E46 BMW was tested as part of the service. Mechanic had diagnostic type device connected and activated them. After activation they then just pushed back into the head rest.
It is the sort of thing that you hope never to use, but if you do need them, you really want them to work!

[ModernAndy]

Gaz. said:

Are they not pyro charges and a one shot deal?

Not necessarily. I don't know much about this area so there may well be some older cars with this setup but I do know from training I received that Audi rollover hoops are designed to deploy up to 200 times. Other manufacturers would be similar I'd think.

[goneape]

The Aston Martin ones seem to work well, going by the DB9 leaving the Goodwood morning last month. They'd gone through the rear screen, or hood closed over them while deployed. Must be gutted!

[Rich_W]

Dealer diagnostic equipment. They'll lower the roof, remove the cover trims.

Then fire them for you.

Most, (obviously not all) are spring loaded, so they fire up by releasing the latch and they rise under the spring pressure.


Then they'll push back down by hand against the spring and ratchet till they lock down. There's probably a finite number of times this can be done though.

[Justayellowbadge]

mickyveloce said:

There's a button on the dashboard to raise and lower my r129 Mercedes SL rollover bar, and you can get it to deploy if you yump the car over a hump backed bridge. Apparently.

Pressing on round a roundabout can do it too.

[VBRJ]

ModernAndy said:

... I do know from training I received that Audi rollover hoops are designed to deploy up to 200 times. ...

Wow! How many times are you expected to roll them?!

[Monkeylegend]

Rich_W said:

Then they'll push back down by hand against the spring and ratchet till they lock down. There's probably a finite number of times this can be done though.

Probably once in anger.