good day to you all. i've searched and searched and searched and am completely stumped with my Thule rack install. The fit kit instructions don't give you a very detailed explanation or diagrams. it looks as if the small lip on the fit kit brackets mount to the bottom edge of the plastic/rubber rain gutter above the doors. this doesn's seem to be a very strong point to mount a roof rack too. a guy from a different forum sent me a link to the stock mini roof rack and it showed portions of the gutter that was removable to install the brackets to the rack on the metal edge of the roof. i thought, hmmmm, maybe that's the key. i then pulled back the edge of the gutter where it lies on the body of the roof edge, slid my finger nail down it to see if i could see the mounting locations on the metal roof edge, and did not notice anything. i don't have removable portions of the gutter either. am i totally missing something here? i did notice that the rubber i slightly pulled away from the body of the roof is not snug to the roof now. it didn't look like it's a super water tight seal where it's just lying on the metal but i'm now concerned that water will get behind it and run down between the roof and gutter. any ideas?

 

First, you posted in the 1st generation forums when you have a 2nd gen car.

Second, take the Thule kit back where you bought it and get your money back. The ONLY case I can think of for keeping the rack is if you are driving very light objects around town at low speeds and for short distances.

Get the MINI OEM rack. It is solid, strong and dependable. It won't damage your car. There his a high probability of damage to the rain gutters if you use the Thule rack attached to them. The cost of repair will likely exceed the cost of the OEM rack.

All the best,
--
Darryl

 

ah, i didn't notice which generation thread i was in. my only downfall at this point is i purchased this rack brand new through one of the vendors our company uses for raw materials. reason being, this vendor makes all the plastic components for Thule and they get a huge (over 50%) discount. everything i bought was well worth my price. i do wish i had waited. thanks.

 

I had the 2145 with a 400 foot pack and it put dents in my roof with where the rubber pads sit. I worked in bike shops for years and installed 100'S of racks of all Thule implementations. This is the worst rack they have ever produced. Thule paid to fix my roof to the tune of $1200 and gave me the rail mounted rack with all parts need to mount a track to my roof instead. I bought a $100 fit kit, damaged my roof and ended up with $1200 and a brand new rack.

STAY AWAY FROM USING THIS FIT KIT
The funny thing I read similar posts to mine before I bought it and said I'll order it and see how it fits. Huge Mistake.....but my roof is repaired and I have a rack solution for carrying boxes, Kayaks and BIkes

 

I appreciate the advice. I never ended up even trying to install this kit. my reason for purchasing a Thule kit was that one of the major vendors that the company i work for molds all the plastic components for Thule. that being said, they get a huge discount on Thule items, more then 50% off. I purchased a lot of items for a fraction of the cost. I sold the rack right away and went with the Mini OEM rack which is a really nice design. it doesn't have any contact witht he roof whatsoever... I kept the lock kit and the two bike trays and modified them to work with the OEM rack. Thanks again.

 

Hmmmm..I just got my OEM MINI roof rack base installed last night....but I've been using a Thule now for over 5 years on four different MINI's and it always worked like a charm. Only reason I am switching now is various parts of the Thule are just wearing out from age and use, and I wanted to try something different.
I never put any dents in my roof using the Thule setup, and I think the "damage" to the drip rails is really over-rated. Pressure on them is very light, they act more as locaters for the feet, the feet themselves take most of the load. The ONLY complaint I had after five years of use was the marks the feet leave in the paint if you leave the racks on all the time. It will require a machine buff job to get them off. This can be prevented for the most part by cleaning and waxing the roof under the feet regularly and taking the rack off when not in use.

 

Got the 2145 fit kit for my 2007 MINI. Do the hooks hook on to the rain gutter or inside the seal between the rain gutter and the roof? The former seems pretty shaky, although I installed that way and shook the s@#t out of it; it seemed pretty solid.

The manual implies that it goes between the gutter and roof, but I think it might be for the factory rack. My co-worker used to work for Yakima, but says that the 2145 kit is pretty solid even though it might look like it on the surface.

 

Unfortunately they hook onto the rain gutter. The way the pad sits on the roof it end ups denting it with any significant weight. Thule paid for my roof to be fixed and gave me the permanent solution. I had to drill the roof to mount the rails, but it still looks decent without the rack attached. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to not use this solution. I wanted to cry after my JCW became dented. I got the roof fixed and née rack works great.

I worked in a bicycle/kayak shop for many years and have installed hundreds of all type of Thule racks. This is the worst solution for a rack I have ever seen implemented. The gutters are not like an old school Volvo, and they flex too much for this to be a viable solution.

I wish you the best, but I would return it if I were you.

And by the way the first gen kit is the same as the later models

Adam Sinuc

 

Also, if your like me you bought the rack to actually carry a decent amount of stuff. These dents ocurred with a whitewater kayak = ~30lbs, and a Roofbox with light camping stuff. Sum total of much less than 110lbs.

Unless you hate your new car and want to damage it, I would do the mini factory rack, or.......SHudder go with drilling the roof to install the permanent tracks. Pretty awesome i can install my entire rack in less than 2 mins.

Gas is obviously a concern with JCW especially these days, quick removal to get some better mileage is Awesome

 

I wasn't comfortable with using the Thule rack either. I returned the rack and fit kit. I went with the Mini rack that securely mounts to the reinforced locations specifically designed for the rack. I kept the bike trays and modified them slightly to make them work with the rack. I also kept the wind deflector and modified that as well to work with the mini rack. all went very well and i have no doubts when carrying the expensive mountain bikes.

i would definately suggest returning the rack if you can i go with the mini rack.

 

Is there any part of the Thule stuff that I can take with me? I also have the Big Mouth Thule bike mounts and the 400XTR aero feet pads. Is that all obsolete if I were to get the MINI rack system?

 

You can use thule accessories with the mini rack with slight modification. The T slot in the mini rack is a bit bigger than the thule rack. I just used some washers to keep the square bolts from the thule gear in the slot.

 

I picked up the Thule rack from REI and promptly returned after looking at it. Ended up with the OEM MINI rack. Saved almost $200 between the rack and the carriers, too.

 

I just purchased a used 2008 MCS hatchback w/ sunroof (R56) and need a roof rack. I've been debating the mini cooper base roof rack vs. Thule 480 traverse foot pack. I previously have a Thule Glide-N-Set which I want to use on the rack for my kayak or paddleboard. Does anyone know if this can be adapted for use w/ the mini cooper base roof rack? I know the bolts are not long enough. I'd have to find longer bolts some place, but don't know if they would securely fit onto the the MC roof rack which is larger and more contoured/rounded.

I also want to be able to be able to quickly snap the MC roof rack on & off as needed. Is this possible after the initial installation?

Thanks,
Sandi

 

I'm not familiar with the Gline and Set from Thule. With a little trial and error I'm sure you could make it work. It took me a little time to get my Thule racks to work but all in all it went smooth. I've installed my rack twice now with one removal an it fought with me a little both ways. With the 2008, I'm assuming that it uses the clamp style vs the drill holes on the roof?

 

I was thinking of installing the 2145... Just curious about the bent roof.. Where on the roof was it mounted.. Mini has exact measurement where to put it that has the support under the sheet metal.. Where the mini rack goes.. If not mounted there it's on just sheet metal and will not hold much weight..

 

I used to work at a bike shop and sell hundreds of racks a year and install them. The rack places pads with the aero feet on the flt section of the roof just above the rounded area. Then a hook grabs the black rail and pulls upward placing pressure on the rubber pads. Essentially its pretty much designed to either annihilate the black rail bending it or smashing pad into roof and denting it.

I ended up doing whatever kit they have that you drill and mount rails to the roof. Unbelievably happy with it. Thule actually paid for my roof repair and the new rack, feet, and bars.
Happy to forward pictures of install if interested

Cool thing is it takes about a min to take the bars off, just push a button on each of the feet and pop them off.

I vehemently urge you not to purchase this rack solution. In all of the Thule racks I have owned for different vehicles and installed this is the worst design i have ever seen them come up with. The black metal rail is a gutter, but not the same solid type gutter of BMW's and Volvo's of days gone by.

I just wish I trusted the voice in my head that said wow this thing fits like crap

 

Should re-read my posts from a year ago being so mad about this. Responding to latest guy I basically got just as pissed again with the same wording.

Anyway the drill and mount rail solution if the best thule rack if you have the gumption to do it.

Stupid easy and quick to remove and get better mileage