Roof Racks for a clubman

[googoogaga]

Hi all!

Was wondering if anyone has bought thule roof racks for their mini clubman or coopers?

Also where was the place you bought them from? thule website or a reseller?

How easy is it to put up and take down?

Thanks for reading!

[SiBradbury]

Quote: Originally Posted by googoogaga (original)

Hi all!

Was wondering if anyone has bought thule roof racks for their mini clubman or coopers?

Also where was the place you bought them from? thule website or a reseller?

How easy is it to put up and take down?

Thanks for reading!

Guide - Roof Racks - Thule Web

As a seller of Thule products I may be biased but they are great. They have a 5 year warranty, fit exactly as you'd want them too and are very easy to fit and remove. Thule make bars for some OEM manufacturers which tells you how good the quality is. Also, spare parts are often sent out free of charge depending on what you require. Shop around as prices do vary a bit but try and buy from somewhere who will show you how to fit them. Most places will be very willing. I always offer to fit Thule stuff because its so easy but I never offer when the customer is buying Mont Blanc or AutoMaxi

[googoogaga]

Quote: Originally Posted by SiBradbury (original)

Guide - Roof Racks - Thule Web

Shop around as prices do vary a bit but try and buy from somewhere who will show you how to fit them. Most places will be very willing. I always offer to fit Thule stuff because its so easy but I never offer when the customer is buying Mont Blanc or AutoMaxi

Thanks for the reply and I appreciate the fitting link. Just a question though, where the diagram shows that I am suppose to lift or squeeze into part of the rubber on the clubman roof (not sure if i am describing it correctly..), is it going to leave a pernament indentation?

[SiBradbury]

Quote: Originally Posted by googoogaga (original)

Thanks for the reply and I appreciate the fitting link. Just a question though, where the diagram shows that I am suppose to lift or squeeze into part of the rubber on the clubman roof (not sure if i am describing it correctly..), is it going to leave a pernament indentation?

I couldn't say for sure but i'd be very surprised if it did. I've certainly not had a Thule product leave any marks on a vehicle before. All the parts that contact the vehicle are rubber-coated and by the look of the diagram, the load is taken on the underside of that section rather than perpendicular to it.

[Pom Down Under]

I have a Thule Roof Box and Cycle Carrier (for my non-MINI) and they are both great.
From looking at the Thule Aus website the prices for the Clubman roof rack are pretty decent:
Foot Pack 950 - $155
Roof Bar 769 - $60
Foot kit 2198 - $60
I may have a look at my local stockist.

[billyclub]

Hi, I have a similar concern about damage to the roof edge when the installation happens. I bought my rack through the Thule site and it was specifically fitted for my 2010 Clubman with no roof rails. I started exploring the installation today and found the perforations along the rubber gutter edge where the Thule 1507 Kit should be clipped onto, but I can't see how I am going to get this clip on unless the gutter part is pulled out. Does anyone have any experience here?

[marmite66]

Yes guys, sadly you do have to (very carefully) take out the trim where the edging is perforated (I did it with a sharp modelling blade). This then reveals the holes for the bars to slide into. I taped all round the edge of the hole (not into it) to avoid damaging the remaining edging or scratching the paint as the installation of mine (the squeezing of the "foot" pieces to be inserted) was VERY difficult and the bars are unwieldy to say the least!

Good luck with it - they work well for our bikes but have a mate round to help put 'em on and if they are anything like mine you'll never take them off...

Andy

[billyclub]

Thank you marmite66! I think I will find a Thule install place and have someone else do it. Did you notice any added wind noise as a result of the bars? If you had to do it all over, would you have gone with the Mini bars instead?

[Remo]

I have the genuine Mini roof racks for 2009 my Clubman. I had the dealer fit them so I knew it would be done right, but I've since taken them off as I don't need them everyday.
The roof rack kit comes with little plastic plugs that fill the perforated slots when they're not fitted. Only takes about 5 min to install and remove once they have been initially fitted.
As for road noise, you do notice it but it's nothing too concerning and can be tolerated.
Funny enough, my wife said she likes the look of the Clubby with them on. They kind of work with the whole utilitarian vibe of the car and I'm fortunate they match my silver & black theme.

[pwp]

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon trying to fit a Thule rack onto my Clubman using the 754 foot and 1507 fixings. It's on there, but I'm pretty sure it's not on right. Since the 1507 is actually metioned in this thread, maybe someone can help!

The 1507 pack came with issue 2 of the instruction leaflet. This shows the clamp brackets being inserted between the gutter and the rubber seal above the door, with a card being inserted horizontally to seperate the two. This is different from issue 1, which I found on the web, which shows the brackets being inserted between the gutter and the roof, using a card inserted vertially to peel them apart.

The issue 1 approach makes most sense to me, however all the images Google finds of the the 1507 kit in use seem to agree with issue 2. Fine, except none of them show the bracket fitted above the Clubman's fixed window. Here I cannot seperate the rubber seal from the gutter, and if I simply put the bracket over the seal I end up with a gaping hole on top of the glass where the English summer rain can enter. Not good.

So how exactly are these backets supposed to be inserted? Can anyone post an image showing the bracket installed above the fixed window?

Also, I assume the end of the bracket should rest against the steel plate in which the MINI branded rack would fit (but not go in them as they are too wide). What seems to happen as the rack is tightened is that the brackets slip off the plates and start to bend the guttering up. That tells me that the rack is not fitted properly. Aaarrgghh!

Can anyone help, or should I invest in a MINI branded rack

Guess I'll be driving our other MINI tomorrow...