Another HiLo that been poorly fitted

[dennismo]

It would be good to hear from another source

Just spotted this on Companies house:

THE HILO ROOF COMPANY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

THE HILO ROOF COMPANY LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

Looks like that’s the confirmation!

 

[Deaky]

Just spotted this on Companies house:

THE HILO ROOF COMPANY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

THE HILO ROOF COMPANY LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

Looks like that’s the confirmation!

I've been checking for a couple of weeks. The directors addresses were changed to the registered office address a week or so ago. I guessed this was coming. In true VW convertor style they'll be back up again shortly as with a different incarnation of their name

 

[djgriff]

Spoke to surf bud and a deal has been done to continue to supply three companies , surf bud will be the only one in the UK fitting HiLo for the moment , one in Holland I think it was and another in Germany. Details are being ironed out next week then they should be taking bookings

 

[Insert Coin]

Hopefully someone like Simply Surf Bus buy them out, it just needs somebody with some money behind them to reorganise the whole business.

The product is good, it was just the way things were run and dealers appointed that was hopeless.

 

[Bav]

I have a conversion slot booked with VisionTech Automotive and plan to have a HiLo roof fitted by them, so the news that HiLo have gone into liquidation was alarming news for me (especially as I have already paid VTA for the roof).

I have just received this reply from VTA, following my urgent request for an update...

"We haven’t heard of anything being confirmed as of yet [re Hilo going bust]. However for a while now we have been buying Hilo parts direct from the supplier and building our own kits on site. So if this does turn out to be the case we will just rebrand the roof as our own roof. Your roof has been here a while waiting for the arrival of your van."

I have since sent them the gov.uk link provided by @dennismo, above.

I'm not sure if there would be any patent-type issues with what VTA are proposing (I'm presuming they will have checked all that sort stuff out), but it struck me that at least there would still be somewhere around with expertise and experience of the HiLo roof, should anyone have any problems with theirs (albeit, VTA will charge for such a service).

 

[Insert Coin]

I wouldn’t have any concerns about VTA doing the work, I did wonder how they were managing to fit so many and not having supply issues.

I’ve seen their roof fitting up close, it’s better finished than my HiLo and mine is pretty good.

 

[Skyliner33]

I have a conversion slot booked with VisionTech Automotive and plan to have a HiLo roof fitted by them, so the news that HiLo have gone into liquidation was alarming news for me (especially as I have already paid VTA for the roof).

I have just received this reply from VTA, following my urgent request for an update...

"We haven’t heard of anything being confirmed as of yet [re Hilo going bust]. However for a while now we have been buying Hilo parts direct from the supplier and building our own kits on site. So if this does turn out to be the case we will just rebrand the roof as our own roof. Your roof has been here a while waiting for the arrival of your van."

I have since sent them the gov.uk link provided by @dennismo, above.

I'm not sure if there would be any patent-type issues with what VTA are proposing (I'm presuming they will have checked all that sort stuff out), but it struck me that at least there would still be somewhere around with expertise and experience of the HiLo roof, should anyone have any problems with theirs (albeit, VTA will charge for such a service).

I know HiLo have taken action (and won) about other companies producing something too similar, so I can't imagine them letting a company get away with rebranding the roof.

 

[t0mb0]

I have a conversion slot booked with VisionTech Automotive and plan to have a HiLo roof fitted by them, so the news that HiLo have gone into liquidation was alarming news for me (especially as I have already paid VTA for the roof).

I have just received this reply from VTA, following my urgent request for an update...

"We haven’t heard of anything being confirmed as of yet [re Hilo going bust]. However for a while now we have been buying Hilo parts direct from the supplier and building our own kits on site. So if this does turn out to be the case we will just rebrand the roof as our own roof. Your roof has been here a while waiting for the arrival of your van."

I have since sent them the gov.uk link provided by @dennismo, above.

I'm not sure if there would be any patent-type issues with what VTA are proposing (I'm presuming they will have checked all that sort stuff out), but it struck me that at least there would still be somewhere around with expertise and experience of the HiLo roof, should anyone have any problems with theirs (albeit, VTA will charge for such a service).

I wouldn't have many concerns about them fitting the roof in the sense that they appear to be one of the few people recognised as quality HiLo fitters. It is worth thinking about the longer term implications on maintenance, guarantee and spare parts though of the company behind it going bust. Maybe VTA can continue to get access to parts in some way, but even so, you're reliant on a single fitter staying in business, you staying local to them, etc etc - especially if they 'rebrand' it.

 

[Bav]

I wouldn’t have any concerns about VTA doing the work, I did wonder how they were managing to fit so many and not having supply issues.

I’ve seen their roof fitting up close, it’s better finished than my HiLo and mine is pretty good.

That's great to hear @Insert Coin - it confirms what I'd heard previously about VTA and my thoughts having seen their conversion work.

 

[Pauly]

If a company goes bust who is going to take action against them, the only people that could dont exist anymore ?

 

[Bav]

I know HiLo have taken action (and won) about other companies producing something too similar, so I can't imagine them letting a company get away with rebranding the roof.

If a company goes bust who is going to take action against them, the only people that could dont exist anymore ?

Not sure how patents/IP work in the context of enforced liquidation tbh. I would have thought they would be treated like any other asset-type - i.e. sold-off by the administrators to pay the creditors (and, failing a sale, they become the property of The Crown).

 

[Bav]

I wouldn't have many concerns about them fitting the roof in the sense that they appear to be one of the few people recognised as quality HiLo fitters. It is worth thinking about the longer term implications on maintenance, guarantee and spare parts though of the company behind it going bust. Maybe VTA can continue to get access to parts in some way, but even so, you're reliant on a single fitter staying in business, you staying local to them, etc etc - especially if they 'rebrand' it.

I take your point re a single point of supply for parts and maintenance, but as long as they remain in business I'm confident VTA will continue to support their customer base. As for being local to VTA, they're about a 4-hour drive away from me anyway (decided I needed to go that far afield to get the best HiLo fitter ), so that aspect would be no more or no less problematic than now.

 

[Insert Coin]

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pendlebury’s have squirrelled away a patent somewhere in a phantom company.

But their reputation is dead, nobody’s going to touch anything that they are involved with in future so maybe VTA or similar could approach them and make a deal.

There’s certainly nothing stopping VTA from supplying spares if they know the suppliers.

 

[Absolut5]

I quite like the idea of no hinges. Not sure how it holds up. Never read of one failing though.
I like the real carbon fibre idea as well. Should be lighter.

The one I’ve worked on had a big hinge along the back edge, hidden quite well

 

[Skyliner33]

The one I’ve worked on had a big hinge along the back edge, hidden quite well

Yes, I remember that. I really meant the scissor type hinges on the sides (the ones I could see myself trapping the canvas in ;/ )

 

[Dogs Dung]

We've just had a HiLo fitted and have a couple of problems but the fitter is going to investigate just got to take it back to them (2.5hrs away)

View attachment 164874

Im more interested how you’re going to get that TVR down from there

 

[Insert Coin]

Im more interested how you’re going to get that TVR down from there

Looks like Simply Surf Bus’s premises to me?

 

[Bav]

Im more interested how you’re going to get that TVR down from there

I'm so glad it's not just me that gets side-tracked by such things.

 

[Keaney]

I've been checking for a couple of weeks. The directors addresses were changed to the registered office address a week or so ago. I guessed this was coming. In true VW convertor style they'll be back up again shortly as with a different incarnation of their name

Still happy with mine sort of… could be better here and there

 

[amo1968red]

Still happy with mine sort of… could be better here and there

VTA sent me a picture on Thursday of my van with a great big hole where the roof used to be. I'm hoping when I go and fetch it they've put in one of the few remaining Hilo's to plug the gap