I bought a 2007 Cooper S and the base support rack from the dealer. What a pain to install! It took 4 hours and a trip to the dealer (the service was too busy but the sales manager was very helpful). Learn from me and it will take you less than an hour! It’s really a two person job. Don’t bother cutting away the rain gunnel. The trick is to find the correct slot to stick the bracket into the roof. Use the plastic card as vertical as you can and then pry the gunnel toward yourself to reveal the steel slot. The plastic card will want to go into the slot but what you want to do is push it down past the slot and then pry the rubber gunnel back to reveal the proper slot. There are other slots so don’t be fooled, you must find the one that has a steel frame around it. Don’t use the book as a guide to find them. Measure from the front of the car door window 9 1/4″ (23.5cm) and 36 1/4″ (92cm) and you’ll find the beginning of the slot. The slot is just wide enough to fit the bracket into. The other trick is to loosen the nut until the brackets brake loose and opens out AND then push them back down and tighten the nut just enough so it holds them in the groove of the brass nut. If you don’t do this the brackets will be too wide for the slot and it won’t go in all the way. Do this step before you try to put it on the roof. As you tighten the nut down the brackets expand and keep it snug in the slot–its all based on tension to keep it in place. Therefore, its much easier if you use two people. Put one side in the slot and then for the other side pull the bar toward you and there should be just enough give to get it in the slot. Make sure you are careful as you can scratch the paint on the roof. Do not begin to tighten the nuts until both are in the slots all the way. Only then should you tighten the nuts. Tighten one side only a few turns of the wrench and alternate between the left and right side of the rack until both are tightened. You’ll know if you have the brackets in the slot correctly because the rubber pieces touch the roof and the rack doesn’t wiggle when you push on it. My front rack was much more difficult to get in the slot correctly so you might want to start with the back one first.