Cracked roof using roof rack w/ cargo box

[arbitrage000]

I don't really see how anyone could install it without having a bit of the rubber over the glass. The rubber has a certain thickness extending towards the glass behind where the mounting screw comes up from the rubber seal between the glass and the body work. Unless that mounting plate/screw is tilted away from the glass (which it shouldn't be) then you will always have a little rubber over the glass just behind the plate/screw.

The only way I could see that happening is that it is only happening on one side of the car and the roof glass is unevenly mounted and shifted towards one side

Two good install videos:

 

[Tonedog77]

I don't really see how anyone could install it without having a bit of the rubber over the glass. The rubber has a certain thickness extending towards the glass behind where the mounting screw comes up from the rubber seal between the glass and the body work. Unless that mounting plate/screw is tilted away from the glass (which it shouldn't be) then you will always have a little rubber over the glass just behind the plate/screw.

The only way I could see that happening is that it is only happening on one side of the car and the roof glass is unevenly mounted and shifted towards one side

Two good install videos:

its def possible and have seen proper installs but its definitely like a 1 out of 50 have no rubber touching. i remember this summer in vermont i was walking around a parking lot that had like 20 teslas in it with all roof racks and i only found 1 that had no rubber touching and they had a big roof box loaded. spoke with them and they had tesla install it 2 years ago and havnt touched it since, but yes ideally the rubber is there for a reason for a little pressure on the glass but not full support

 

[impastu]

yeah i had tesla install my racks for a reason like this and documented it, i have seen a few people this has happened to, in the end its a bad dseign especially cause sometimes the rubber pads sit on the glass and sometimes they dont even installed correctly, i even spoke with tesla service about it and they said the rubber parts will usually sit a bit on glass but in your case looks like the J hook didnt go in properly as its lifting on the right side of the pad

This...I recently had exact same issue with rear bar pads leaning on the glass (see original post 2nd photo compared to this one of mine). I have installed and uninstalled this rack 5-6 times without incident, so I'm frustrated about this. The design for the roof rack clearly leaves little room for error. Tesla will not cover the repair unless the SC installs the rack which is just not practical if it's being uninstalled after the occasional weekend trip.

I am now contemplating whether to replace it out of pocket or file a claim (barely exceeds my deductible), or try to fill the area with an epoxy resin as a band-aid at least until I see the car. I'm worried about paying to replace the glass then having this happen again because the rack mount fitting leaves so little room for error. But perhaps being sensitized to the fitting of the J-bolts and rubber seats will alleviate future issues.

 

[Tonedog77]

This...I recently had exact same issue with rear bar pads leaning on the glass (see original post 2nd photo compared to this one of mine). I have installed and uninstalled this rack 5-6 times without incident, so I'm frustrated about this. The design for the roof rack clearly leaves little room for error. Tesla will not cover the repair unless the SC installs the rack which is just not practical if it's being uninstalled after the occasional weekend trip.

I am now contemplating whether to replace it out of pocket or file a claim (barely exceeds my deductible), or try to fill the area with an epoxy resin as a band-aid at least until I see the car. I'm worried about paying to replace the glass then having this happen again because the rack mount fitting leaves so little room for error. But perhaps being sensitized to the fitting of the J-bolts and rubber seats will alleviate future issues.

yeah since i had tesla install it i knew i would be covered and i just leave my rack on all the time, missing out on the 10 miles of range isnt a huge deal to me

 

[iamnid]

If you had Tesla install it the first time... would they really know if you took it off and reinstalled it on occasion?

 

[arbitrage000]

I plan to buy the Tesla rack this spring. I will be using my Yakima SweetRoll kayak cradles from my old Yakima cross bars I had on the CX-5.
This and other "cracked glass" threads have me weary. It seems like an easy install based on the YT videos. I was planning to remove the cross bars for winter and maybe even for my one long distance road trip I do each summer (I don't bring my kayak along). If I wasn't planning to remove them I'd have Tesla install and hope that would help with any warranty if the glass does crack. I guess what "iamnid" says above probably would hold true in that Tesla will never know if I reinstall them.

It seems that in the two posts that have cracked glass that the photos show the rack torqued towards the glass side and lifting from the car side. Compare that to the photo of the non-broken glass in this thread where the rubber is perfectly touching and contoured to the outer body and the rubber just floats slightly over the glass. I wonder if there was just too much torque/wind/weight at high speeds that caused things to shift and crack in the two examples in this thread??

Since I'll only be transporting a 48lb kayak for 20km distances I'm not too worried but still a bit concerned. I guess I'll contact Tesla and see how much they charge in Canada to install the rack. I'd rather just be able to do it myself.

 

[arbitrage000]

Also wanted to point out that if you watch the Rack Attack video you will see that the required torque is less than hand tight even with the allen key in the vertical position. When he gets to the correct torque with his torque wrench he can still easily turn the nut with his the vertical key. I wonder if some are over torquing the rack on and not checking with a torque wrench?

 

[PNWLeccy]

guess your lucky lol only seen a few folks get it to not touch the glass at all, even when i had mine done at tesla and watched them do the torquing i had asked about rarely seeing some in the wild not touch and they said technically its suppose to touch a tad which is why the rubber pads extend over but he had come across a few folks they didnt have them touching at all and were fine

I make sure the rubber base is contoured to the roof rails and they never touch the glass. I also make sure to only hand tighten the nuts since there were many reports of over-torquing the racks early on. I've done this on 3 different vehicles and never had issues. Attached is a clear picture to show the gap between the roof glass that I have. I suspect people are not placing the rubber mounts in the correct locations if they don't fit nicely like this but who knows.

 

[Vaildriver]

Skis in the pass-thru.

Boots in the roof box is a no-no — they’ll be freezing cold when you go to put them on!

Unless you want to take 3 kids and a wife skiing...

 

[Tonedog77]

I make sure the rubber base is contoured to the roof rails and they never touch the glass. I also make sure to only hand tighten the nuts since there were many reports of over-torquing the racks early on. I've done this on 3 different vehicles and never had issues. Attached is a clear picture to show the gap between the roof glass that I have. I suspect people are not placing the rubber mounts in the correct locations if they don't fit nicely like this but who knows. View attachment 894650

Yeah I am not sure. I watched the head tech do mine and he was using his little digital inch torque wrench so they were done properly. I actually tried 5 times in my garage before just going to tesla as I was just not a fan of how they were sitting and it ended up coming back from tesla the exact same as I did it so who the heck know.

 

[impastu]

Also wanted to point out that if you watch the Rack Attack video you will see that the required torque is less than hand tight even with the allen key in the vertical position. When he gets to the correct torque with his torque wrench he can still easily turn the nut with his the vertical key. I wonder if some are over torquing the rack on and not checking with a torque wrench?

a few things:
1. SC told me that installation is included when the rack is purchased...I did not know this, but wasn't expecting to need assistance to install so wasn't looking for it
2. video is helpful. I certainly tighten more than what's described.
3. I do not believe that wind shifts the rack. I think that greater care and focus on the positioning of the J-bolt and seats is required during installation.
4. I remain frustrated that this system is so delicate. An own-goal shouldn't cost over $1k to remedy

 

[Jpandes]

I was hoping to reply to this thread sooner. I finally heard from my insurance and they have instructed me to go to Tesla and get an estimate and for them to approve it before allowing Tesla to perform the work. I will report back after my appt. Feb 8th (soonest available). I am not expecting Tesla to cover it under warranty. It sucks because a set our deductible to $500.

 

[Jpandes]

Hopefully, your insurance will cover it. Good luck.

Thanks!

 

[Jpandes]

Looks like a faulty install.

It's possible that screwed up the install... But, I did watch the videos/pictures, measured, and I made sure that the J-hooks were installed correctly, by feel, in the correct spots contacting the metal anchor points under the glass. I have used the Thule cargo box many times with our MDX and it has never shifted from the center to one side. And when I removed it from the car, the Thule mounts were still tight and secure. I think the heavy winds that we experienced during the storm were able to exert enough lateral force combined with the glass misalignment to cause the J-hook to contact the glass.

 

[Vin_L]

It's possible that screwed up the install... But, I did watch the videos/pictures, measured, and I made sure that the J-hooks were installed correctly, by feel, in the correct spots contacting the metal anchor points under the glass. I have used the Thule cargo box many times with our MDX and it has never shifted from the center to one side. And when I removed it from the car, the Thule mounts were still tight and secure. I think the heavy winds that we experienced during the storm were able to exert enough lateral force combined with the glass misalignment to cause the J-hook to contact the glass.

It looks like your rubber feet are on backwards

 

[arbitrage000]

It looks like your rubber feet are on backwards

I don't think they are on backwards as that would be very difficult (read impossible) to do and still have the main part of the bar fit over them.

They are however pulled upwards off of the car's bodywork and into the glass. So something failed. If you read through some of the older cracked glass threads there were some people who received M3 rubber parts that caused misfitment and cracked the glass. There were also others where upon inspection the SC discovered that the metal bracket wasn't welded on properly and therefore lifted and cracked the glass.

 

[MikeGracz]

I plan to buy the Tesla rack this spring. I will be using my Yakima SweetRoll kayak cradles from my old Yakima cross bars I had on the CX-5.
This and other "cracked glass" threads have me weary. It seems like an easy install based on the YT videos. I was planning to remove the cross bars for winter and maybe even for my one long distance road trip I do each summer (I don't bring my kayak along). If I wasn't planning to remove them I'd have Tesla install and hope that would help with any warranty if the glass does crack. I guess what "iamnid" says above probably would hold true in that Tesla will never know if I reinstall them.

It seems that in the two posts that have cracked glass that the photos show the rack torqued towards the glass side and lifting from the car side. Compare that to the photo of the non-broken glass in this thread where the rubber is perfectly touching and contoured to the outer body and the rubber just floats slightly over the glass. I wonder if there was just too much torque/wind/weight at high speeds that caused things to shift and crack in the two examples in this thread??

Since I'll only be transporting a 48lb kayak for 20km distances I'm not too worried but still a bit concerned. I guess I'll contact Tesla and see how much they charge in Canada to install the rack. I'd rather just be able to do it myself.

I used the Yakima Big Catch saddles with a Tesla rack I installed myself. I bought a low-range torque wrench to be certain I got the torque to spec. Nearest service center is over 2000 miles. No typo, 2 thousand. No problem with much larger kayak, and longer carrying distances- over 300 miles including highway speed and gravel roads.

 

[Eto Demerzel]

This...I recently had exact same issue with rear bar pads leaning on the glass (see original post 2nd photo compared to this one of mine). I have installed and uninstalled this rack 5-6 times without incident, so I'm frustrated about this. The design for the roof rack clearly leaves little room for error. Tesla will not cover the repair unless the SC installs the rack which is just not practical if it's being uninstalled after the occasional weekend trip.

I am now contemplating whether to replace it out of pocket or file a claim (barely exceeds my deductible), or try to fill the area with an epoxy resin as a band-aid at least until I see the car. I'm worried about paying to replace the glass then having this happen again because the rack mount fitting leaves so little room for error. But perhaps being sensitized to the fitting of the J-bolts and rubber seats will alleviate future issues.

That is really frustrating.
Such a poor design and easily rectified with redesigned landing feet. I guess the take rate of racks is so low it's not worth it at this point.
Good to know about navigating roof racks

 

[jeremymc7]

Based on forum posts cracks seem not be uncommon even with official products.

Given how thin the glass is and much variation there is in how centered the glass is or inconsistency of adhesive it doesn’t surprise me.

 

[AlexHung]

Based on forum posts cracks seem not be uncommon even with official products.

Given how thin the glass is and much variation there is in how centered the glass is or inconsistency of adhesive it doesn’t surprise me.

Forum posts aren't good indicator of how common cracking is. People who don't have issue (like myself) don't post/reply to forum posts in general just to show things work as designed.