Roof rack intended to be permanent install?

[Johnny Vector]

The stickers put on the car before applying the roof bars, will these last even if the roof bars is taken off for extended periods of time.

If not, can these be bought seperately.

If i for example only need roof bars a couple of weeks every year for when i go on holiday, and take the roof bars off, when i get home, will these stickers still be there and usable, next year when i go to put the roof racks on.

Mine are still there almost three years later, and I've only put the bars on once or twice since the initial time. I keep carrying them to Maine in the back in case I need to carry some long lumber. But so far I've managed to get everything I needed delivered in the initial order, so the "uh-oh I forgot" bits have all fit in the car and I didn't have to put on the bars. The first year I decide not to take the rack bars will be the time I need several extra 12 foot 2x6s, won't it? Anyway, the stickers are still there if I need them!

 

[Dinian]

As I say below, it's easier than any other removable roof rack I've had. Here's a quick run-through of how to attach the rack, in case you don't want to sit through a 10 minute video in which the first minute is spent making the same penis joke multiple times. (I gave up at that point myself.)

Slip the weatherstrip retractor under the weatherstrip and retract it:
View attachment 559170

Slide the hook under the retractor:
View attachment 559171

Jiggle the hook a bit to make sure it's centered in the receiving slot. It's easy to feel the ends of the slot:
View attachment 559172

Put the foot base over it. Notice the little image of the car on the base, indicating which base goes in which location.
View attachment 559173

After doing the same on the other side, drop the crossbar over the hook threads
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Finger-tighten wingnut. Leave that little vertical mark pointing toward you, as you see here. That really only matters after the next step, but it's easier to see in this photo.
View attachment 559175

Tighten with the hex wrench to ~3 N-m of torque. That's about 25 inch-pounds if, like me, you're still living in a backwards country. The wrench is about 4" long, so that's ~6 pounds of force on the end of the wrench. I found one half turn seems to work great. Leave it with the mark facing out.
View attachment 559176

Lock the lock, snap on the cover, and you're done.
View attachment 559177

For me, it takes about a minute and a half per crossbar.

To remove, reverse the procedure. Just be careful not to drop the crossbar on the glass! The hardest part, for me, was getting the plastic snap-on cover off. My solution is to pry it off with the key via the slot on the top of the crossbar. Takes almost no force, so I'm not worried about bending the key.

View attachment 559202

I'm still gonna be nervous about placing those 2x4s on the rack, and taking them off. And making sure my tie-downs don't slip and crash into the glass. But this is an SUV, dammit! I'm gonna utilize it.

I looked all over for this removal step. Thank you!!!

 

[ptf1]

Mine are still there almost three years later, and I've only put the bars on once or twice since the initial time. I keep carrying them to Maine in the back in case I need to carry some long lumber. But so far I've managed to get everything I needed delivered in the initial order, so the "uh-oh I forgot" bits have all fit in the car and I didn't have to put on the bars. The first year I decide not to take the rack bars will be the time I need several extra 12 foot 2x6s, won't it? Anyway, the stickers are still there if I need them!

Any chance you'd be willing to post a photo of what the tape “stickers” look like after they’ve been exposed to the elements for almost 3 years? I’m thinking I’ll probably only put mine on once or twice a year, for 1-3 weeks at a time for trips, but take them off & leave them stored most of the time.

 

[Johnny Vector]

Any chance you'd be willing to post a photo of what the tape “stickers” look like after they’ve been exposed to the elements for almost 3 years? I’m thinking I’ll probably only put mine on once or twice a year, for 1-3 weeks at a time for trips, but take them off & leave them stored most of the time.

Frankly I'm disappointed; it's kind of dusty and there's some kind of growth that looks just like a bird poop!

I wiped the dust off the aft section so you can see what it looks like when clean too. As far as I can tell they all look just like they did when I put them on.

 

[nate704]

just get any PPF film from Amazon and replace them as you wish. no need for panic or concern.

Amazon.com

 

[Sean2sean]

I have mine on for about 1 year. Only a couple percent hit. But about 25-30 percent hit with a cargo box on top.