Hey everyone,

Since I live in the land of the ice and snow, and right now it is currently snowing, it just reminded me of something that I love to do. Skiing and snowboarding! Woo! I want to go alot this year, but as many of you know, the MINI is small, and snowboard equipment takes up space. Can anybody give some good recommendations on roof racks?

If this is a dupe, sorry I searched for a second, but its good to ask again at this time of the year!

Medic

 

www.performancebike.com has house-brand racks made by Barrecrafters, most Thule accessories fit 'em and they're removable. I have the same racks, they're 20 years old and work great. IIRC, you need #287 clips for the front and may need different ones for the rear though. I've had large loads on mine with no issues.

The only Thule accessories that didn't fit were RockyMounts bike racks, since the Barrecrafters bars are s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y wider in cross-section than stock Thule bars.

Thule and Yakima are also excellent, I've used Thule products for years with only good results to report.

All are a little pricey. I'm sure there are other racks that can work more economically if all you're transporting is a snowboard or two (less wind resistance than bikes and such, which is where you'd want a sturdier rack like a Thule or Yakima (or the above barrecraters).

OEM racks are good, but require drilling and then mount covers when off the car. Sturdy, but unsightly IMHO. The above racks have rubber "feet" that sit on the roof and, if left on forever or installed on a dirty car, can scratch the paint.

Another option is installing a trailer hitch and using the various hitch-mount racks that are available - they don't touch the paint at all. www.minidomore.com has a hitch for the "S", and there are several at half that cost that fit the non-S (check www.hitch-web.com, among others).

Good luck, and happy 'boarding!

 

I have a Mini OEM Rack with two fork mounted bike sleds and I like it a lot. I had a Subaru 2.5RS with Yakima which I liked as well but see minuses below which is why I went with the OEM on the Mini. A lot will depend on how much you will use it and if you will be taking it off and on.

Mini Rack Pluses:
Sturdy (drilled in to roof), no noise due to sway in the car, good load capacity, no brackets wrapped around the edges of your doors & windows.

Mini Rack Minuses:
Drilled in to roof (many do not like this and are adement about it), can be $$$ to have done, I cannot find front wheel fork holder for my bike (still working on this), limited accessories (but still pretty good)

Yakima Pluses:
Round bars (better than square of Thule IMHO), can buy all kinds of accessories anywhere and online, tried and true system

Yakima Minuses:
Rubber gooeyness (because I leave mine on all of the time), creaking noise due to sway, bracket around the edges of doors and windows which in some cases can loose the seal of your car, side bracket wind noise

 

I have the OEM rack and can not complain. Although more expensive, it is worth the money!

 

another vote for the OEM Rack. I love mine. Ive attached the Thule Atlantis box on mine to hold snowboards and luggage with the only problems being i need a smaller antenna and my hatch doesn't fully open (it still opens enough for me to get back there though).

 

Another vote for the OEM rack. The plastic rain gutters on the MINI really are not strong enough to hold significant amounts of weight. If you only occasionally want to carry a snowboard or two then you'd be fine with an aftermarket rack, but if you want to carry a wide range of cargo and use the rack all the time, the factory rack can't be beat.

But it does require some holes to be drilled and lots of people can't stand that idea and I understand that.

 

The Thule, Barrecrafters (Performance), and Yakima don't put weight on the gutters but rather use that lip around the roof ("gutter) as a place to anchor the "L" bracket that holds the roof rack pads to the roof.

Anything that gets dirt between the pads and roof (;eaving the rack on, putting the rack onto a dirty car or putting a dirty rack on) can mar the paint - that said, I've had my rack for almost 20 years, kept the pads clean, and had no problem. I'm not keeping a "show" car, however, and my roof's silver - which doesn't show scratches like a black roof may.

Thule and Yak bars are about the same sturdiness (many debates about this on both sides, the net result being both are very good). I've had Thule for years, but do admire the availability of "bar spoilers" for the Yak rack. The only spoiler available for a Thule is the full-frontal spoiler, but it works marvelously at cutting rack noise. I like that Thule single-bar attachments (front wheel holders, kayak bars) just won't rotate. I like Yak bars better for being able to hang onto many hold-down hooks directly (Thule bars are a little wide).

 

Love my OEM rack! I have the cargo basket attached which gives a bit of a rally look to it. Only complaint is the wind noise that comes with the basket. MINI needs a wind fairing!

 

ahammer

Thule makes a universal front tire carrier that clamps around the oem bar. I dont leave it on the car all the time because it locks down with thumb screws.

 

I believe Thule makes the roof rack for mini but the bard are the Aero bars not the square bars. I have been to the Thule web site but I do not see any front wheel holder for the Aero style bars.

Can you email me a link?

-Alex

 

You could try one of these racks
http://www.acsyellowpages.com/images...leMINI2005.jpg
But I don't think their good for ski gear

 

If I could do it again, I wouldn't get the OEM racks. Not because of the racks themselves, but because of the problems I have had with the dealer installing them. First they dropped the drill and scratched the roof and the door. Then they repainted the entire roof, without removing the silicone slop from the rack install. The paint is now chipping off. I've been fighting them now for two months trying to get this fixed. In the last rain we had, I noticed a discoloration in the headliner. I don't know if it is from the rack brackets or from the loose moulding from the repaint. I loved the racks for the little time I had them on. I just can't stand the dealer who put them on.

 

I bought mine about a year ago from a shop that specialized in racks. I believe its the "wheel on 593" unless they had a design change in the last year. (according to the shop they changed most of their designs to be more universal last year) Also depending on what your looking for in bike racks if you use the VW adapter for thule racks and a washer (I dont remember what size but large enough to slide in the oem bar) you can adapt the rack safely. I had to do this initally because my 2 bikes have no down tubes and the original oem bike rack clamped on the down tube. When the fork mount oem was released I purchased it instead. I am at work now I will check when I get home for a label on the wheel mount. but it looks like the picture of the 593.

 

i really like my MontBlanc rack!, bought it on here used for almost half the new price. i think Moss Mini sells it. check it out

 

I went through some research and discussion on the roof rack years ago, and it basically came down to this:
IF you are going to use it often/year round OR you need to carry heavy weight (lumber?) then you should get the $700 drilled roof OEM rack installed.

If you are using it for occasional ski trips, maybe some biking, as is my case, then get a custom-made removable rack. Unless thule and yakima have improved their racks recently, consensus also said that the MontBlanc rack (available at mossmini etc) is the best.

I've had it and used it for a few years and am very happy with it. Installation takes about 15 mins (unless your fingers get numb!), removal about 3 minutes.

Instead of getting the 4-pair ski mount attachment from moss, I got the 6-pair mount for about the same price somewhere else on the net.

 

Josh is right... if you need a roof rack, get the factory one. It's far superior to everything else.

If you want a roof rack from time to time, get a Thule / Yakima / Mont Blanc / etc. Cheaper, no holes drilled in the roof, no plastic caps to turn yellow and lose. But nowhere near as sturdy as the factory rack and more likely to mark up the paint on the roof if you use it often.

 

That's a sad sight..... lot full, not a flake of snow in sight..... recent pix I assume

 

Civil MCS Sorry to hear about your experience with the OEM rack I would be very upset as well. Makes me angry and sad to hear stories like that. Hopefully that gets sorted out.

Mini in Mountain View, CA did a great job on mine. I here San Francisco, CA athough very popular is not consistent in their service. Mountain View was also a better deal...

Btw, what is the Hyper Blue Owners club? I have a Hyper Blue Mini black roof as well.

 

Nope, that's from two years ago, early season. On the way home from that day I hit a guardrail. The roofrack and skis were fine, the body of the car, not so much.

 

I've been reading all the threads on the racks with great interest. I'm all but decided on the OEM rack, but I'm curious about pricing. My local dealer (in north Atlanta) quoted $623 for the rack + install and another $238 for one fork mount tray. Can anyone let me know what they've paid for the factory racks (including installation charges)?

 

I got the Thule rack and it works great. I got 4 pillars, fit kit, 2 cross bars, 1 alluminum basket and a roof bag for about 700 bucks. Many say the thule is not a good option as it mounts to the somewhat flimsy rain gutters but it is very sturdy. The pillars support all of the weight.

 

MedicMan55 and xymetry

Please keep in mind that the prices I am quoting are from the Chicagoland area, but I cannot see why there would be a large discrepancy in prices. Maybe between $10 to $20, but not in the hundreds. On top of that the pricing I got was consistent with what was shown on miniusa.com and the local dealers' brochure: Roof Rack Base - $235 & (1) Fork-mounted Bike Holder - $125.

I cannot recall what the exact numbers were because I managed to talk down 5 OEM items into one sum: Alarm & Installation + Roof Rack Base & Installation + Fork-mounted Bike Holder + Boot Box + Ipod Adapter = $1,000.

Also consider the possibility of the warranty being voided or severely shortened if not installed by the dealer. Could be worth the money. But that's just my opinion. Plus, I would rather have the dealer pierce the skin of the MINI.

Lastly I went to 3 dealers in my area comparing pricing of MINI's, accessories, etc. I felt most comfortable with Dan Kuhn of Knauz MINI. When it came time to talking about extras he had a printed document listing all items and their cost for installation. No guessing games or number crunching. It was all out in the open. Give him a call at 847-604-5050. Maybe he can fax or e-mail you that document.

In the end, I did not buy my MINI at Knauz (Lake Bluff, IL), but at Patrick MINI (Schaumburg, IL). P.M. ended up giving me a better deal on the MINI and financing. BUT I also made him match the $1,000 package that Knauz had agreed to. The dealer remarked that Knauz was "taking that package at a loss!" I replied with, "Don't you want to take a loss for me?" (Really, it sounded great at that moment!!!). Anyway, I added this paragraph to ensure you that I do not endorse one or the other. At the least it is an example of how to make the dealers work for you. Plus, the clincher was that I brought the Knauz document to the Patrick dealer. Jaws dropped all-around.

Also, be warned. With the roof rack installed and the sunroof fully opened, it gets noisy. I believe it has to do with the wind turbulence created by the front roof rack. Gets better. When you place the rubber weatherstrip in the track to keep snow and water out when not using any mounts, it creates a high pitched whistling sound starting at about 30 mph. It can be heard even with the sunroof fully closed. It was annoying at first, but I did finally get used to it. I was willing to put up with the noise in order to properly protect the MINI and its parts. Plus, the whistling has actually grown on me. It's like a harmonic signature. I could pick out my baby in a driving line-up.

Anyway, sorry this got a little long-winded, but I sincerely hope this helps somehow. I would like to hear about your decisions and outcome.

Thanks.

 

I would like to acquire a large "luggage basket" for my 2009 MCS.

It was OEM part number 82 72 0 142 530.

Does anyone have any ideas on where I might source this. EBay was not a productive endeavor.