HiLo roofs - a great way to extend your Transporter!
Already a lifelong VW enthusiast, when we got our first VW Transporter (5.1) I was so excited at the prospect of making it ours; getting the outside looking cool with some flair And individuality but equally the inside needed to serve the family’s needs including our large male greyhound!
One of the biggest changes I was determined to make was adding a pop top roof to it (my other half required a bit of convincing!)
I had already been doing research into getting the right roof for us and there are lots of types available on the market. For me though one stood out from the competition- Hilo roofs. Although not the easiest to fit their roofs are simply the best for the reasons I will come on to. Being a mechanic and very hands on with everything I also wanted to fit my own roof and this was something I could do with training from Hilo.
I travelled to Preston to do a four-day training course with them and at the end of it I had fitted a Hilo sport roof. Making the first cut into the roof was definitely a nervous moment as the measurements are critical with very little tolerance!
When I got home, I carried on customising the inside of the roof and the base/ roof part. I added a bespoke remote-controlled fibre optic galaxy scene to the ceiling of the roof and trimmed the roof base to match the interior of the van that I had already done.
So the reasons that Hilo roofs for me are incomparable are that they are the lowest sitting roof when closed (#thepoptopyoucantspot) and the highest elevating roof providing more room within. They also have panoramic unzippable canvases and colour choice. I can also still park in normal multi-storey car parks and when we travelled to France by Eurotunnel it didn’t have to be classified as a camper which was a bonus!
We have now had the roof installed for approximately three years, but it still looks as good as it did when I fitted it!
I have also had the responsibility of fitting these roofs to more Transporters after customers have seen mine and am currently awaiting delivery of another roof as we move onto a really exciting project we can reveal more details of soon!