Thule roof racks too short, remove small pano glass "door"?

[No CO2]

I have a 2013 MS
I want my roof racks to be 1" taller, further away from the glass.
Some ideas...
- I can buy 1" thick rubber for $40, and cut to size
- I can weld & build my own separate racks. I can use one bolt per corner, but I would want to remove the small "door" that covers the threaded holes when the racks are not installed. Does anyone know how to remove this door? With any mods, this door would be in the way.

Any other ideas to heighten the racks 1"?

 

[ThomasD]

Can you make your own spacers that would bolt to the mounting points on the roof and that will also bolt to the rack

 

[No CO2]

Thanks ThomasD. Yes, that is the "1 inch thick rubber" idea, but one single bolt for mounting if I made custom racks would work real well.

 

[No CO2]

I created a taller bracket for the Thule roof racks.

See attached drawing

At the bend line (the dashed line), bend the sheet metal part up 70 degrees

The other photos show before and after this modification.

My total cost was $35

 

[aerodyne]

I created a taller bracket for the Thule roof racks.

See attached drawing

At the bend line (the dashed line), bend the sheet metal part up 70 degrees

The other photos show before and after this modification.

My total cost was $35

Great work, even did a flat pattern! Need to loosen up a bit on the tolerances, though...