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Hi,
My new to me Clubman has no roof rack. According to the dealer parts dept it is an 8 hour job with drilling to install a new one and recommended against. This possibly conflicts with this post's information:
Not familiar with the CM but I do remember it does come with gutters and if so, the link below is the step-by-step procedures on how to install it.
It is quite easy and it does not take 8 hours. R53's do require a template that will require drilling (ouch). I did mine in 2 hours with interruptions so expect the same.
There is another link out there with pictures that I could not find for you but below should be spot on.
I think the terminology is what is confusing here. A roof rack is the bask or actual holder for MINI. The Roof rails are the metal rails running along the front to back on the roof allowing any roof attachments to be connected directly to those. This is probably where your dealer is coming up with the 8 hour intall. The crosbars made for cars with roof rails or without are the ones you are probably looking up. If you don't have rails, then yes, you would need to cut out the pre-marked strips along the weather strips. Hopefully that clears up the issue.
Okay, success, rack cross bars are installed. I could not have done it with out the video. A couple things:
1. Finding the perforations on the roof grubber rubber was greatly aided sliding the card along the rubber looking for them per video. The tweezers used to tug/pull/remove the rubber took a *lot* of pulling to free that rubber. I felt very very tentative on the first one.
2. This next part is so much easier to explain with the video/pictures, but I will try. The concept is when he loosens the nut to prepare for installation, two separated pieces "flaps" of metal open forwards like french doors, causing a gap in the middle. They also come out from behind the nut (which is in the center and more like a spool with a nut on top, so the flaps come out of the groove). By the flaps opening wide at the front (where the nut was), they get closer in the back/bottom where the tabs are that will expand horizontally under the cleats of the body are. Later, when he uses the leverage tool he pushes these "french doors" closed, it expands the tabs horizontally in the back/bottom to catch the cleats one each side.
It took me a bit to figure out it was okay for the flaps to come completely free of the nut/spool. I thought it was goofed when they came out of the slot initially. Not to worry, when the leverage tool is applied it forces the flat parts back over the nut, past the top of the spool, and in to the cylinder part.
The roof cross bars on my Volvo V70r were super simple and easy to put on/off; literally place, click flap into a slot, and tighten a hand nut like a tule one. Not these. I plan to just leave these MINI ones on now.
Thanks so much for all this information .I would have failed badly with out it
Okay, success, rack cross bars are installed. I could not have done it with out the video. A couple things:
1. Finding the perforations on the roof grubber rubber was greatly aided sliding the card along the rubber looking for them per video. The tweezers used to tug/pull/remove the rubber took a *lot* of pulling to free that rubber. I felt very very tentative on the first one.
2. This next part is so much easier to explain with the video/pictures, but I will try. The concept is when he loosens the nut to prepare for installation, two separated pieces "flaps" of metal open forwards like french doors, causing a gap in the middle. They also come out from behind the nut (which is in the center and more like a spool with a nut on top, so the flaps come out of the groove). By the flaps opening wide at the front (where the nut was), they get closer in the back/bottom where the tabs are that will expand horizontally under the cleats of the body are. Later, when he uses the leverage tool he pushes these "french doors" closed, it expands the tabs horizontally in the back/bottom to catch the cleats one each side.
It took me a bit to figure out it was okay for the flaps to come completely free of the nut/spool. I thought it was goofed when they came out of the slot initially. Not to worry, when the leverage tool is applied it forces the flat parts back over the nut, past the top of the spool, and in to the cylinder part.
The roof cross bars on my Volvo V70r were super simple and easy to put on/off; literally place, click flap into a slot, and tighten a hand nut like a tule one. Not these. I plan to just leave these MINI ones on now.
Thanks so much for all this information .I would have failed badly with out it
GOOD JOB!
Just a heads up... In my own experience, my mpgs dropped 37.X mps down to 33.Xish mpgs and brought in some wind noise. That said, a wind fairing could be installed but I never got around it yet. Ideally, Thule makes a fairing that can be perfect for MINIs but it can also be custom made. This is the main reason why I only have the load bars on the car whenever.
Thanks. Pre-rack I got 39.6 MPG going from North of Denver to Cheyenne WY, speed limit 75 we might have been faster . Thought to take rack off to get back to that milage, and learn how to do so.
To remove the rack, I had to pry the flaps apart with a flat blade screwdriver until they passed the gold nut. Then push them back together to remove the rack. It felt hard and clumsy, as though I would bend something. Can anyone advise a different/better way?
The black plastic clips used to fill the now empty roof slots went in with plenty of force. They are quite hard to pry back out again. Maybe with repeated remove / insert they loosen up.
When I compare the video earlier in this thread to my experience there is a difference: the "flaps" pop out freely in the video, but mine are extremely stiff, hence all the prying. I tried to loosed the lock nut above the hinge where they attach but it seemed to make no difference easing the flap movement. It seems likely my rack has these too tight. At this point I am just going to leave them on the car.
A couple more notes: It is easy to not close the two flaps completely before tightening the gold nut/spool down. Thus, the flap will not be securely/safely held in place by the nut. I did this twice and only caught it on final check. Keep the leverage tool squarely in place when applying it (not tipped to a side) or it will bend as mine did.
For Roof Rails not installed. Mfg Part#82712149225
Loosen the nut then wiggle the rack back and forth , the system that clamps into the gutter rails system can be very tight. Then lift one side up slowly at a time.
06-28-2015, 08:09 AM
