I'm considering Yakima or Thule roof tracks on my 2010 MCS (with sunroof). These allow towers and crossbars to mount at any point along the tracks instead of attaching at specific points on the gutters.

I'd like to know if anyone has had any experience with these. Is DIY install wise? Are there any serious drawbacks or limitations?

Thanks for your input.

MAK

 

you may want to post this in second gen. not sure how the roof differs between generations

 

Hi,

I have a Thule 400XT rack on my R50 and so far no problems with it. I carry my dad's and my Trek bikes on it no problem. To me it was a no brainer since I didn't have to drill onto the roof (not a problem for the 2nd gens).

A friend of mine has the same roof rack on his clubman, so far it's holding up nicely.

Install wise, it takes me about 5-10 minutes to get it set up and tightened/locked properly to the roof. Building it should be no problem, you can't really go wrong, just a few measurements here and there.

 

Limitation-wise: because of the way they mount to the rain gutter, my understanding is that aftermarket racks can't support nearly as much weight as the OEM rack -so watch out for that if you're planning on hauling more than bikes or skis.