Got a call from MINI of South Atlanta today. The roof rails have arrived. I should have them this week.

 

Roof Rails??? Do you mean the roof rack or the rails which I didn't think you could get post production? Inquiring minds want to know

 

Roof rails that go from the front to the back of the Clubman. Shaun Johnson and I plan on installing the rails.

 

Cool...

 

I'd be really interested in hearing how that goes.. I bought my clubby used so didn't have roofrails as an option- as a cyclist and skier, I'm dying for some roof storage!

 

We will post what we find. I have the rails and the MINI load bars. It's going to be next month before the fellow that's going to help me with the install and I can get together. My goal is to have them installed before MOTD at the end of April. We'll see if that happens.

 

What did they cost(roof rails)?

What all comes with them?

 

We installed the roof rails yesterday. Once you take the headliner out you can see where the holes go. We drilled pilot holes from inside the car to the roof. Then we drill the big holes from the outside. We use a 7/8 inch and enlarged the holes with a dremel tool. I think 13/16 would have been been the right size. That way if the holes were off a little we could mover the hole in the right direction.

We did a dry fit with the rails. Then we put a little black silicone around the gaskets and put the rails on. We tighten the nuts and put the headliner back.

The mirror has a plastic cover that splits off in two pieces. Then push up on the mirror and twist, clockwise I think. Mine has a wire that had to to unplugged and plugged back.

Lawman has the photos and will post. This is the quick and dirty post. Woody

 

Nice! I look foward to the pics and writeup

on a scale 1-10 how hard was it?

how long did it take?

 

On a scale from 1-10 it was a 6...but the pucker factor was a 9.

I told Woody that it didn't bother me, but then again I wasn't drilling 10 13/16" holes in the roof of my MINI either.

Seriously, it went really well, the biggest pain was reinstalling the headliner. I'll post photos tomorrow!

 

Great to know it can be done after the fact, but it's not exactly a DIY for the average Clubby owner, is it?

BTW, a step drill might have been easier to use to enlarge the holes, rather than a dremel tool, just FYI.



So, what did the rails themselves cost?

I'm betting this is one of those cases where it's definitely better to order them from the factory...

 

I am about to have this done . I just love the way the clubbly looks with the rails on.

I am eagerly awaiting pics and maybe a "how to" so I can get started on this .

Thanks in advance!

 

Here they are, the long awaited photos!!!

 

Here are a few photos of the install:

 

Thanks

 

Do you have any pics of the inside roof without the headliner in?

I am curious to see how much bare metal in underneather when you have a sunroof . I am think of putting some dynamat in when I take mine off .

 

I'm digging up a slightly dated thread, but I never saw an answer to the price question for the rails.

Could you also provide the appropriate part numbers?

And finally, any guidance on the headliner R&R would be welcome.

thanks,
twj

 

The rails were priced at like $180 each. I was able to get a 20% discount after talking to the parts department manager. Sorry, I don't have the part numbers. But your parts department guy can find them on the computer. There's a left and right rail and ten flanged nuts.

The biggest hint on the headliner is that the rear view mirror twist off. (Ours is the self dimming mirror, not sure the other style mirror comes off.)
It easier with two people. We took headliner out through the open passenger doors.

Hope this helps. Woody

 

Hey,
I am in the market for a clubman and really want the rails. I have read a few threads that discuss needing to mess with the side airbags in order to do this job. Is that true? I also wonder what it would cost to get the anthracite headliner and parts do make a switch while doing this job.

 

Woody

Good to meet up up at Fontana this past weekend. Didn't put together that you were the same one as on this thread. I can attest that the rails look great. Some day I may get up the gumption to do this.

-Mark

 

No need to even mess with the side air bags, but removing the headliner is obviously a must. Not sure what the cost of an anthracite headliner is, but on NAM there is a detailed post of how to dye/paint the headliner, it will oviously be a huge savings if you dare take up the challenge to do that.

Cheers

 

Thanks Lawmann. I was wondering if you used any special tools for this considering the possibly tight space. Were you able to use a punch to mark the spot on the inside where you drilled the first hole to prevent the bit from slipping? i wish there were a lot more threads on this subject. And on people removing their headliners! I would also hope to add wiring for the auto dimming mirror. UGH! sucks to buy used!

 

Went to the dealer today to inquire about the rails. They told me that they could not sell them to me because the roof on a clubman built with them is different from the roof without them. He mentioned support bars. Frankly, i dont believe him. What do you think about this?

 

Hey, would anyone by chance have the instructions for installing the OEM rails? I live in Germany and the BMW/Mini dealer here is telling the shop I went to that these can't be installed after the fact. Something to the effect that the roof won't support them and due to the sunroof. I don't think this is really the case.

 

I (and when I say I, I mean Lawmann) was able to install the factory roof rails on our 2008 Clubman with a sunroof. Once the headliner was removed we saw notches in the frame that lined up with the bolts on the roof rails. There were notches in the sunroof frame that lined up too.

It's ten 13/16 inch holes in the roof and ten 1/4 inch holes inside the car above the head liner.

We've put a cargo basket filled with pine straw on our roof with no problems. We've put a 13 cubic foot cargo bag filled with luggage in the basket too.

There is a thread with a few photos of the install. Good luck with your install.