Important Carrier Maintenance:

Owl rear door carriers (and all your off-road gear) need to be properly maintained to keep them functioning well for years to come. We designed our carriers to have the load on the hinges. This was purposeful as the door is not intended to carry load. Therefore, it is critical that the bolts that connect the carrier to the Mercedes hinges (VS30 Vans particularly) are kept tight. We recommend 30ft/lbs and adding some thread locker.

What you need to check and how often:

To maintain your warranty it is critical you periodically check your carrier bolts. The important bolts to check are those that attach the carrier to the van’s hinges. If these bolts come loose it can allow too much force into the third mounting point. If left unattended, this can cause damage to your door.

If your bolts are loose: Tighten them to 30 ft/lbs. Always tighten the nut not the bolt. If you don’t have a torque wrench Owl Off-Road can take care of Checking torque free of charge. These bolts should be checked every 60 days if you use your van frequently. Check them biannually if you use your van sporadically. If you drive on a lot of dirt roads or washboard roads, we suggest adding some red loctite or thread locker to the bolts.

Tools:

• 9/16” Socket
• 7/32” Allen bit/wrench
• Torque wrench (set to 30ft/lbs)

If you want to have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to support support@owlvans.com