There definitely is some noise from the roof rack at speeds above 30 mph. To my ears it sounds like a crackling speaker breaking up slightly. I had the dealer install. They did a good job but it was too expensive. It was my fault because I had them do it at the last minute before pickup.

 

I think it took me about 45 min to set it up carefully. Now probably it takes (I think if I'll try) - about 10 min to take it off and 15 min to put it on.

But for the first time probably I'd pay 50$ (1/2 hr) for someone to put it up and show me how to take it off.

MMM

 

Thanks for the info! Ordered mine from Morristown today.

 

I just installed the roof rack as well. See my gallery for the pictures. The roof has four hidden slots, the rack does not use the rain gutters at all, nor are they strong enough to support a rack. Each mount has expanding feet that press into the holes, and when you tighten the bolts, the feet lock into place. The rack is tricky to remove and reinstall, however, it looks sharp if I do say so myself. I plan on leaving the mounts and rails in place pretty much all the time. I'll get bike kits, a ski addon and maybe the basket down the road a bit. On the whole, the rails seem sturdy and well made/designed. And the roof integration is nice.

 

...I replaced my antenna with a "stubby one" - there is one dealer in the vendors' forum that carries them. It is shorter (about 3-4 inches or so) and it is not squished by the items on the rack (you can see it on one of the pictures in the "post your R56 pictures - at page 10 - I think).

MMM

 

I've got a bunch of Yakima components (for kayak, canoe, bike rails), all intended to fit the Yakima round bars. Are you suggesting these will all fit the "smooth rectangle" MINI bars, or do you think I'd need special Yakima components designed specifically for elliptical bars?

 

I mentioned Powerhound because it has a grip that adapts to eliptical and round bars. The other Yakima item I had (the King Cobra bike rack) did not fit and now it is rusting in the balcony.

So - only the ones with multiple profile adapters will fit. The ones that fit only on the round bars will NOT fit the MINI rack.

MMM

 

Thanks minimax, I actually ordered the stubby antenna first after seeing the Mini cargo box picture and wondering, "where did the antenna go?" LOL

-Dave

 

Does anyone know if Thule attachments will mount to these load bars? I have several bike racks and two different kayak racks by Thule and I am hoping they will fit.

Thanks

 

You will notice that the track around the R56 is unique which makes it more unlikely that Thule will work. However, I'm guessing. Take your car to the dealer and bring the attachments and ask service. They might know?

 

I just wanted to know if the Thule bike, kayak, etc will mount to the Mini roof rack. The roof rack and mounts are two different things. A roof rack will not hold a bike or a kayak, it is the mount that you attach to the rack that will do this.

 

I had the rack shipped to me from the dealer. It seems complex. Many tools, punching out slots in the rain gutter...

It seems like it would be less stressful and less risky to have dealer do the install.

This is no Thule or Yakima install.

 

Yes, it's complex. I had my dealer fit. Not cheap, but no scratches on roof. I will rarely take it off.

 

can you give us the breakdown for the cost. prep cost and install cost
thanks

 

Mine just arrived today, will be checking it out tonight but from the install pdf, it doesn't look that tough.

 

It cost me $200 to have it installed. This translates into about two hours of shop time plus the $240 or so for the rack. It's a substantial improvement over the old one, and it doesn't whistle like the one on my R53.

 

It is easy - the SECOND time you do it. It took me about 30 minutes to do the install the first time. I think I could do it in 15 minutes if I did it again. The hardest part is find the little pieces of rubber you have to pull off. Look VERY closely in your gutter to find them. It looks sort of like:

I_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I (straight up and down line at the edges).

The bottom edge is barely visibly perforated. It's located on the rubber part lying flat against the roof. Slide a credit card or drivers license between the gutter and painted part of the roof to find it easier - the card goes further down when you are in the right area.

 

I haven't purchased mine yet, so remain interested in these shared experiences. Thanks for the updates. I'd love it if I could find one with the main racks in white - with a white roof (LaserB/W + white wheels), I'm not crazy about putting the black racks on, but will do so if no options present themselves. Gotta ride....

 

does anyone know if you can completely open the rear hatch without touching the fork mounted bike rack or wheel?


i met someone who has a R53 and had to placed the fork rack in a backwards postion so they could completely open the rear hatch. thanks.

 

Several things.
First of all, I can honestly say that if dealers are charging $200 to install this rack, that is a complete ripoff! I will gladly install them for people living near DC for the cost of dinner at oneof my favorite restaurants, around $20 (and I don't drink!) Really, this was quite easy to put on. That said, I feel like it is not the kind of rack you and remove and install all the time. Mine looks pretty sharp, so I am just leaving it in place permanently. Haven't bought any accessories for it just yet, but I will probably get the luggage rack, some bike attachments and a ski rack at some point. Also, I went and looked at the Thule and Yakima parts, none seemed like to fit the MINI rack. That said, MINI was clever in designing the mounting points, and if Yakima and Thule want to sell a ton of parts, they can easily design feet that will work. I'd expect aftermarket feet and rails by the end of summer. With so many new MINIs being sold in the US, it would be foolish not to come up with a solution.

Now I just need a reason to put something on the rack and drive somewhere....

 

I'd have to agree with z3bum, $200 is ridiculous for a 30 min install. Total DIY install. Really sharp setup, very secure, and looks good too. I think I'm going to get a cargo box of some sort for longer trips with my kids, keep going back and forth between thule and yakima...can't decide. Would love input from anyone else who has been down this road.

 

Looks unbelivably sharp (the new Thule Xpedition Small matches PERFECTLY the size and shape and lines of the MINI). I'm just looking for a matching MINI badge - to align them with the one on the bonnet.

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/prod..._id=11&sku=695

Why no pictures? Well - my car is in service for the third time (25 days in the last 60) therefore - sorry - no pictures (and no car - I'm driving a loaner that I drove twice the miles than on my own car). Anyway...

I bought the rack when there was a stacked discount on backcountry.com with 20% off Thule and 20% off coupon - so it came around 225 shipped.

Again - sorry no pictures - but it really looks beautiful - solid silver aluminum - nicely curved).

MMM

(ah - I also bought the elastic basket mesh and some really colorful Thule duffel bags - still looking for my first road trip... not on a loaner)

 

That is pretty sharp looking! I may go with a more enclosed version, for security and weather protection, but I am trying to sort out the sizing so it doesn't stick over the front too much. I really like the Thule Atlantis series, the 1600 is the version I am considering:

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/prod..._id=11&sku=686

Sorry your Mini is in the shop, hope you get it back soon!

 

Not to dig up an old thread, but I guess this means that the $535 quote that I got from MINI of the Mainline for parts & install on a new R56 would be a bit over-the-top. I mean, if $200 for install is a complete ripoff, I can't imagine what $300 would be considered. Maybe Ottos is cheaper.

 

It took me under half an hout to install my own roof rack on my R56, and I even carefully razor-bladed the weatherstripping cutouts so they wouldn't have little bumps from tearing along the perferations. No holes to drill, nothing. Follow along:

Lay out the parts, notice all the included tools. First cut is the toughest, no turning back.