hi all, i stripped 2 OEM hex nuts that hold the roof rack and need to replace them. anybody knows the size (size name)? i take the rack on/off 10x a year and would rather continue going with brass hex nuts rather than steel ones from HomeDepot. thx a lot

 

If you have a decent hardware store in town -- an old fashioned one where the staff know what they are talking about -- you may be able to get them help you work out the specs for those brass nuts.

I have a friend who is an engineer working for the military and he has access to catalogues that will let him find almost any piece of hardware you can think of. I once asked him about the fastenings on my OEM racks, and he said it was highly unlikely that BMW would design a custom nut and that he could probably find the nut if I brought him in a sample. At the time, I was just curious, so I didn't follow up. But if you know any mechanical engineers....

Finally, there are a couple of store in town near me that specialize in fastening hardware. I went in once and they have more nuts, bolts, cotter pins, etc. than I'd ever seen before. You might have a similar source near you.

HTH,
--
Darryl

 

I don't understand how people are stripping these nuts. I have put my rack on and off my car over 300 times in the past three years of ownership and mine are still in great condition.

The only thing I can think of that would cause them to be stripped is if someone was "over tightening" them. If that is done then there are also other repercussions to the way the system works. Like bending the anchoring plates or damaging the mounting points in the car.

As for putting steel nuts on there it can cause a hose of other problems like rust and possibly not getting the racks off after being on there a while.

 

what can i tell you, you might be a genius when it comes to playing with nuts.
i don't think i am over-tightening them - i use the OEM torque wrench the rack came with. the only mod i made was to use steel washers in between the plates and the nut. i also taken the rack on and off a ton - the end result is 2 out of 4 nuts are totally stripped.i am not going to use steel nuts, last thing i want to do is to strip the anchoring bolt.

 

Then the nuts and plates are together incorrectly.

the nuts have a grove in them (at least mine do) where the plate is supposed to sit. this makes the plates move in and out when the nut is moved. I.E. when the nuts it rotated clock wise it will force the plates in and when turned counter clock wise will force the plates out.

I will try to remember to take photos of the "proper" nut plate mounting when it take the kayak racks off the car this evening.

 

no need for the photos, thx though. i know exactly what you are talking about. even though i am using washer between the tongues and the nut, i always tighten the nut so that the tongues at proper angle to each other (i.e. OEM angle).
anyhow, this is going to be trial and error process - M6 and M7 metric nuts don't fit. will be trying 1/4-20 and 1/4-28 nuts tomorrow.

 

Mine stripped from loosening the nuts too much and going past the stop at the end of the bolt that really doesn't stop the nut from coming off, it just strips it.

 

alex123 - what did you end up replacing them with? I just bought a used one and first time trying to install it, I stripped a nut. Thanks!

 

Zinc Plated, M6 x 1 nuts - i picked mine up in HomeDepot. you'll have to file the bolt ends to remove the "stop" which doesnt really stop the nut from coming off and only strips it. for good measure i also re-threaded the bolts, but prob not necessary.
fyi, i also played with nylon nuts, but they dont hold the tongues....

 

Thanks for the fast response. Right now I've got the front one on and the back one in the house

Are these the same?

http://www.amazon.com/Jergens-19827-.../dp/B003H4RF90

 

i guess, but you can get them cheaper at HomeDepot or other similar hardware store. fyi, you'll need some washers for these or HD ones. good luck

 

ok thanks. I'll go by HD tomorrow... should I use a locking washer? I guess my concern is that the original nut has an extended washer and the mounting bracket slides between the washer and the nut, holding it in place.

If you used just regular washers and these nuts and have had no problems, then I guess I'll do the same.

 

I finally got it installed today. I got those nuts from home depot and used one washer underneath the rack and two between the nut and the rack. It seems pretty sturdy.... Guess I'll find out when I take her for a ride later. Thanks for all the help.

 

Can someone explain the process of removing the original brass nut?

I have a stripped nut, i dont think that the tounges can slip out over but i want to replace.

Thanks

 

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