HiLo or SkyLine?

[Duds]

Hi all
I’m currently going with aurora as my conversion company use these but I’m more set on Hilo , love the fact it drops so not visible as a pop top from outside. The company I’m going with on conversion question reliability of Hilo and say it quite significantly reduces internal area when down, the new Aurora sits 45mm off original roof height . Please tell me your experiences, my gut is with Hilo purely on looks. How does it weigh up with practicality and reliability please?

 

[Niknak]

Hilo seems like such a flaf to put down

 

[Deleted Member]

I’ve got a HiLo, my mates have Skyline’s. Horses for courses, I think mine looks better up or down, but it’s dearer and HiLo have a shitty rep for quality and fitting although mine has been faultless and used pretty much every weekend over the last two years.

 

[Duds]

Thank you , no doubt it looks far superior, nice pics , good to hear you’ve had no issues with Hilo, be nice to hear more of the same and that would swing it for me. I’m being charged around £200 less for Aurora and I’m struggling not to bail and get Hilo elsewhere .

 

[Deleted Member]

HiLo is all about the fitter, go by recommendation only.

I can get my roof down on my own in about 5 minutes, probably less. Pull on the straps and bring the roof down 80% of the way, walk round and tuck in the bellows, drop down the last 20% whilst pulling the latch across, fold the bellows into an envelope shape, slide the hatch closed and then 2 thumbturn knobs at the front and two nylon bolts at the rear.

Up and down pictures

-

 

[Duds]

Nice , that’s exactly what I’m after. Keeping the lines of the van. Yours looks great . I want to lower mine also and get wider wheels as suits the van so much. I don’t mind more labour to keep this more purist feel and look. ( I dj vinyl not digital ). This thread has already backed my gut feelings. Cheers .

 

[t0mb0]

Did you search the forum? There’s no shortage of HiLo posts! It really is something to go into fully informed.

 

[Duds]

Okay , thank you and noted.

 

[Skyliner33]

Why don’t you ask your converter about the Skyline Skylo roof? Maybe they will look at fitting one of those.

 

[Duds]

Did you search the forum? There’s no shortage of HiLo posts! It really is something to go into fully informed.

I’ll research some more.

Why don’t you ask your converter about the Skyline Skylo roof? Maybe they will look at fitting one of those.

thanks, my installer only fitting skyline Aurora. I can get Hilo done elsewhere ( Marlow Hilo) before full conversion by them for very similar cost . I am really torn between the two roofs here having researched all the threads . It seems skyline in general less issues with reliability but plenty people no problems with Hilo. Like the idea of further mattress option with Aurora and bit more head room and easier to put up but that’s not a real issue as won’t be up and down loads. I want to get nice wheels and lowered so aesthetics are high on the agenda. Really struggling to see past the Hilo tbh and really seems a personally decision as nothing is neither seems to be stand out winner from what I can tell.

 

[Duds]

I will ask that question though , I’ve not heard of the skylo, more research coming . Thank you skyliner33

 

[Deleted Member]

It’s all down to the fitter, my roof was only the second HiLo he’d ever done, but he did do quite an intensive course a month before mine was fitted.

There’s two bits of rough finishing on mine inside, he was under pressure to get it fitted and handed back to me, another 3 or 4 hours and it would have been perfect.

When the three of us were parked up the other day, plus another 15 or 20 Transporters spread along the same stretch it was my roof that got asked about, pointed at and commented on. (Not sure if that’s good or bad)

I believe Visiontech do a good HiLo install?

 

[Duds]

It’s all down to the fitter, my roof was only the second HiLo he’d ever done, but he did do quite an intensive course a month before mine was fitted.

There’s two bits of rough finishing on mine inside, he was under pressure to get it fitted and handed back to me, another 3 or 4 hours and it would have been perfect.

When the three of us were parked up the other day, plus another 15 or 20 Transporters spread along the same stretch it was my roof that got asked about, pointed at and commented on. (Not sure if that’s good or bad)

I believe Visiontech do a good HiLo install?

Certainly the Hilo looks best up and down . Vision tech booked up until January . I’m interested in the skyline skylow now having just been alerted to it. Could be very good option. I’m putting trust in my installer , have checked some of their work and no need for concern from what I see.

 

[Deleted Member]

Be cautious with new roof products, the HiLo Surf was an unmitigated disaster due to a lack of development and testing.

Get your deposit down now, wait it out and get the roof you want. In the VW world you have to wait for the best conversion companies.

 

[Duds]

Be cautious with new roof products, the HiLo Surf was an unmitigated disaster due to a lack of development and testing.

Good advice thank you. It appears the trail on the skylow lwb version has gone cold from what I’m seeing . I’ll chalk it off .

 

[Deleted Member]

There’s also this that a few members have - https://www.facebook.com/2016lowhttps

 

[t0mb0]

Certainly the Hilo looks best up and down . Vision tech booked up until January . I’m interested in the skyline skylow now having just been alerted to it. Could be very good option. I’m putting trust in my installer , have checked some of their work and no need for concern from what I see.

If you’re set on it, just make sure you get reliable first hand evidence of your installer having a track record of successful HiLo installs. In your original post, you say that your conversion company question the reliability of HiLo - this sets off serious alarm bells for me if the convertors themselves are questioning it, it may mean they aren't confident fitting it. You really don't want to end up another forum HiLo horror story!

 

[Duds]

Like the reasoning and advice there

 

[Skyliner33]

Be cautious with new roof products, the HiLo Surf was an unmitigated disaster due to a lack of development and testing.

Get your deposit down now, wait it out and get the roof you want. In the VW world you have to wait for the best conversion companies.

Ypou cant really compare the disaster of the Surf roof, with one that has undergone rigorous testing and is TUV approved.

 

[Skyliner33]

I have spoken to a well know and very highly regarded converter who fits both Skyline and Hilo and he said there is no comparison in quality with the Skyline far better. He also said the guy who owns Hilo was a complete $%$£.