KAMEI Fosco 420 matt black roof box no. KM551 (0 81551 01)

What's so special about the KAMEI Fosco?

Compared to the standard shape of roof box, some might think the new Fosco looks like a fish out of water when first removed from its carton, but put it on a modern car roof and it's obvious that it's now back in its element. Stand to one side and you'll see that the long raking nose follows the line of the car windscreen, and the Fosco's gently falling lid-line follows the car's gently falling roof-line. And now that the whole box is correctly poised, its gently falling lid to base line draws the eye forwards to the front of the box, and echoes the same falling styling line (above the door handles) that you'll see on so many of the latest cars. The KAMEI designers have done something really smart with this box design.

The Fosco's styling follows the 'teardrop' contours of the modern car, reckoned to be the most aerodynamic shape available - wider and higher at the front than at the back, to minimise drag and to maximise fuel efficiency.

We are really interested to note, as roof box nerds, that the designers have taken the stiffening ribs out of the base and put them instead into the box sides - this might not make much difference to the nominal capacity but, together with the use of the lowest possible profile ClickFix roof bar fittings, this near flat base gives a lot more real world load carrying space than would otherwise be the case.

So now you only need to add KAMEI's exceptional build quality, and features including DuoLift opening (opening the box from either side) and Stabilus gas-strut assisted lid openers (extra wide, extra smooth) and a 'Just pull to shut' lid closing system, and this Fosco is a box that ought to be on your short list if it's within your price range and you are looking for a large, spacious box.

More information on core features

ClickFix: The ClickFix system is claimed to be "the world's fastest roof box mounting system". Certainly we can't see how it could possibly be any faster. Place the ClickFix above the aluminium roof bar T-track slot and push down the handle. Done - it automatically adjusts to all T-track profiles (where the channel is at least 20mm wide), even to BMW profiles that usually require special adapters.

Just pull to shut central locking: KAMEI's central locking systems have the benefits of central locking without the potential drawbacks. Turn the key and the lid opens wide on its gas struts, but to close it you just pull the lid until it clicks shut - no need to hold the front and back shut while simultaneously turning the key. And you can’t lock the keys in the box inadvertently because the keys can’t be withdrawn from the lock until the box is properly shut. This is clever engineering.

Duolift with gas struts: This Duolift box opens from either the left or the right hand side, making it very easy to fix to roof bars (no need to stretch across the box), as well as providing full choice about where you position it, depending e.g. on what else you are carrying on the roof, and which side to load and unload. The DuoLift system includes patented gas struts for wide and easy opening and closing. There are wel-integrated handles on each side of the lid to make opening and closing even easier.

Some other features:

• Externally 195cm x 80cm x 40cm
• Internally 183cm x 66cm (front) / 60cm (back) x 35cm
• The empty box weighs 18kg, and it's certified to carry a maximum load of 75kg. You should note your vehicle's maximum roof loading limit, and the weight of the roof bars and roof box, before working out what maximum weight you should carry.
• All KAMEI boxes are TÜV and GS (security) tested and approved.
• The ClickFix box to bar fittings slide at all four fitting points so there’s never a need to drill new holes if the distance between your roof bars is non standard.
• The 3 combined locks/hinges are at just the right places for optimum security.
• Includes an anti-slip mat for the base of the box

About KAMEI

There's a general consensus that KAMEI, based in Wolfsburg in Germany, makes the best quality boxes on the market. Don't just take our word for it! They're a specialist box manufacturer, Quality Assured to ISO 9001, represented in over 40 countries, with numerous Best Buy awards over the years, including the last 6 consecutive Auto Express "Best Buy" awards!

With their innovative and intelligent designs, top quality materials and engineering, and outstanding build quality, it's no surprise that KAMEI are Original Equipment box suppliers to several major manufacturers, including Audi, Mercedes-Benz and VW. And their boxes have the longest guarantee of any manufacturer in the car rack systems sector - 6 years!

In summary:

KAMEI's whole heritage is in forward thinking automotive design. The Fosco is an exciting addition to their line up and deserves to be a great success.

Do you need roof bars as well? If so, check out our amazing box and bars package deal which provides everything you need, including this box, and locking roof bars, all for a fixed price! Click here for more details.

Fitting boxes with KAMEI ClickFix to Thule WingBars

If you wish to fit this box to Thule’s WingBars, you should not insert the rubber strips into the bars, because they will be caught up by the ClickFix mechanism, and pushed into the T-track slots in the aluminium bars. This will put too much strain on the ClickFix system, and will not be a safe fitting.

Fitting the rubber strips into WingBars is not an easy task; if it were easy, it would be done at the Thule factory! Spare yourself the hassle!

When a box is fitted to roof bars there is no need for noise-reducing rubber strips anyway; this is true if anything is fitted to roof bars, e.g. a bike carrier or a kayak carrier – all these items make some noise.

If you wish to leave your bars in place with the roof box removed then there is sense in cutting and inserting the rubber strips, but not in the area of the ClickFix fixings. It is best to use the box a few times before doing this, so you can be confident that the box is in the optimum position on your roof bars. Removing the rubber strips is easy; putting them in again a second time, neatly, is very difficult!

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

These are our standard charges; there are usually surcharges for all offshore destinations and some remote postcodes - for details please see our delivery information page.

Delivery of this item

Delivery of other items

Delivery times

Delivery times are calculated in working days (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank holidays).

Cut-off times for Express Delivery orders
Express Delivery orders placed before before the cut-off times shown below will usually be desptached on the date of order. Express Delivery orders placed after these cut-off times will be despatched the next working day.

Delivery FAQs

When will my order arrive?
There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays, except for postable items where Royal Mail has a Saturday delivery. Express Delivery orders placed on a Friday (before 1pm) should be delivered on the Monday or Tuesday, Express Delivery orders placed on a Saturday or Sunday should be delivered on the Tuesday or Wednesday. The arrangements for Very Heavy Items are different and are shown above.

What about Next Working Day delivery?
Most Express delivery orders will arrive on the next working day, if the order is placed before the cut-off time (see above). Some will arrive on the second working day if there has been a "split-delivery". So-called “split deliveries” happen when the couriers do not have enough trailer space for everything that should be moved around the UK, so they will load what they can and leave the rest for the next trailer.

Is my delivery day guaranteed?
No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. As well as split deliveries, all courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.

Do I need to be at home?
We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver to an address which suits you – this does not need to be your home address. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

Payment options:

We take the following cards, and also PayPal. Please note that the entry on your card statement will be from "The Roof Box Company".

Secure payments

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Very few customers know much about the roof box market before they visit our site. We have a lot of information about the things to think about before buying, and the “real world usefulness" of various roof box features, but you’ll be buying sight unseen, and you probably won’t have used a roof box before, so there is inevitably some luck in getting a box that you’ll be happy with.

We want to remove the risks of buying these large and often expensive items, perhaps from brands which almost every other roof box retailer doesn’t stock, and so we have a unique “90 day Exchange Scheme” for roof boxes.

This allows you to use a roof box and, with the benefit of experience, to exchange it for a new one within 90 days of invoice date, only paying a contribution to our carriage costs. Most exchanges are from a shorter box to a longer one, or from a wider box to a narrower one.

These are the rules of the Exchange Scheme:

• You are allowed one exchange only.
• The original box must be in "as new" condition, subject only to fair wear and tear.
• The replacement box must be a different model. Not just an alternative colour.
• The replacement box must not be part of a package deal or be from our Bargains section.
• Roof bars are never part of the Exchange Scheme.

This is how the Exchange Scheme works:

• We charge in full for the replacement box, including carriage charges, and a charge for any packaging needed for the return of the original.
• If you want us to collect the original box, there will be a £50 carriage charge (please note that regional surcharges may apply).
• We arrange the collection, if requested.
• When the original box arrives back here we refund you for the invoice value of the original box, but you won't get back more than the invoice value of the replacement box. In other words, if the replacement is cheaper than the original we won't be giving you "extra cash back".

Please note: we can only collect roof boxes from mainland UK.

To find the spare parts you need, please see the diagram below, identify the product codes, then choose them from the list below. If you need more than 1 of any item, change the quantities in the Shopping Basket.