335xi installed Thule racks. FINALLY

[StigNV]

Finally got the Thule racks, fit kit, and I am able to use old "square bars" instead of aero bars. Official with photos. Square bars use the 460 foot pack, aero bars use the 460R footpack. Note, you can mix and match Thule and Yakima parts to get the best of all worlds. Finally put this issue to bed!:alright

[Mike36]

I love roof racks! Yours looks great.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t227/anerum21/CIMG1519.jpg

[mryakan]

How is the wind noise!

[StigNV]

Thanks Mike. Your car look awesome also!
If you have the sunroof open with a bike on top, it is LOUD!! I have an adapter for my mountain bike that works with a through axle system, and you might want to keep it off unless you are moving the bike. The adapter has a whistle to it. You need to close the sunroof to listen to tunes, or talk on the phone, while transporting a bike. I'll advise on ski racks when I put them on this winter.
I will also advise on the fuel consumption with this thing on top as well. Hey Mike, does that bug shield make a difference on fuel burn?

[GatorM]

Um....they've been out there a few mos now. I've been using them.

A question tho....can you take them on and off without loosening the tower from the bar?

[StigNV]

Thule had me waiting on the fit kit since January. Said the new products would come out before summer. They were true to there word with me.
The foot packs mount to the roof with those inch and a half or so eye bolts that anchor underneath the little flaps on the roof. Unfortunately you have to take the footbacks off to get the rack off the roof. All the hardware is stored internally in the foor pack for better security. I can't speak on the Yakima, but I'm sure it's similar. If you take it off, those eye bolts will remain and protrude from the roof. It's up tp you to remove the bolts or not at that point. They are a pain to bolt in. They give you a cheesy little wrench to install it. If you have a proper wrench, it may be easier.
FYI, the Thule fit kit, which is model 3039, is compatible with Subaru, so it should be easy to get as time passes on. The bad news is it's compatible with Subaru. Living in Subie country myself, they will likely sell like hot cakes as people get new Outbacks, Imprezas, Legacy's, and the like.

[GatorM]

Thule had me waiting on the fit kit since January. Said the new products would come out before summer. They were true to there word with me.
The foot packs mount to the roof with those inch and a half or so eye bolts that anchor underneath the little flaps on the roof. Unfortunately you have to take the footbacks off to get the rack off the roof. All the hardware is stored internally in the foor pack for better security. I can't speak on the Yakima, but I'm sure it's similar. If you take it off, those eye bolts will remain and protrude from the roof. It's up tp you to remove the bolts or not at that point. They are a pain to bolt in. They give you a cheesy little wrench to install it. If you have a proper wrench, it may be easier.
FYI, the Thule fit kit, which is model 3039, is compatible with Subaru, so it should be easy to get as time passes on. The bad news is it's compatible with Subaru. Living in Subie country myself, they will likely sell like hot cakes as people get new Outbacks, Imprezas, Legacy's, and the like.

My question is, can you get the racks on and off the bolts that go into the roof without loosening the tower from the bar (so it slides back and forth on the bar)? I can't because the bolts are so canted to the outside of the car (in a V shape as you look at the front of the car).

[StigNV]

No, the eye bolt goes into a hole on the foot bed with a very close diameter and is then cinched down. That and the v shaped camber you mention. You can only rotate the footpack on the point of mounting. Not a lot of option with the positioning on the roof.
You can usually make adjustments on the bottom of the trays to mount bikes, cargo carrying trunks, kayaks, or whatever it is you transport. The gap across the roof is small enough to safely transport skis or a snowboard as well. Only real limitations are the 75 pound weight limit restriction and maneuvering stuff around the antennae fin.

[GatorM]

OK, I guess I'm not making myself clear here. One more try.

Step 1 in mounting the racks is to open the little hatch doors and screw the bolts into the static-weld boss underneath.

Step 2 is to take each rack and set it down onto the bolts such that the hole at the base of the tower passes over the bolt and rests on both the plastic foot that goes around the bolt and the nut that's part of the bolt itself.

My problem is I cannot perform Step 2 as written because the bolts are so canted to the outside of the car that if I slide one tower down over the bolt, the opposite tower cannot move outward enough to pass over its bolt UNLESS I loosen the tower itself from the crossbar and slide it a couple millimeters toward the end of the bar. That extra milimeters' clearance allows the tower's base hole to pass over the bolt, but I then have to re-tighten the tower to the bar once it's in place.

I was just wondering if you have the same issue, but it looks like you don't. What I have to do is not that big of a deal, I just wondered if there was a way around it.

[StigNV]

There is a fit kit (model 3039) that makes the foot pack fit underneath all the rubber and attach to the car. It is a metal L shaped grommet that mates the BMW to the foot pack. Do you have that fit kit?
That is the part that Thule just put into production May 15th. The whole rack system wouldn't attach to the car until that part was made.
You bolt the housing assembly to the car via the eye bolt through the bottom of the grommet (fit kit.) the vertical face of the grommet mates to the foot pack. Put the mounting bars through the foot pack before you tighten everything down to help you align the whole thing. Measure the overhang of the bars, and match it up, then tighten. Then you use the cover with the lock cores to secure it all from the public.
I can take a picture of it assembled with the locking face off if you need to see it.

[GatorM]

There is a fit kit (model 3039) that makes the foot pack fit underneath all the rubber and attach to the car. It is a metal L shaped grommet that mates the BMW to the foot pack. Do you have that fit kit?
That is the part that Thule just put into production May 15th. The whole rack system wouldn't attach to the car until that part was made.
You bolt the housing assembly to the car via the eye bolt through the bottom of the grommet (fit kit.) the vertical face of the grommet mates to the foot pack. Put the mounting bars through the foot pack before you tighten everything down to help you align the whole thing. Measure the overhang of the bars, and match it up, then tighten. Then you use the cover with the lock cores to secure it all from the public.
I can take a picture of it assembled with the locking face off if you need to see it.


I guess, but I can't imagine I don't have exactly the same system. Do you not take the whole thing off once you have it on there?

[StigNV]

If I wanted to take it off, your'e right, I would have to take the whole thing off. Probably take 20 minutes or so. I just put it on the car, and haven't taken it off yet. I'll pull the locking cover off and take a picture of it and hot it installs. Like they say, a picture says a thousand words.

[GatorM]

Do me a favor when you do take it off...JUST remove the covers, then the nuts holding the rack onto the bolt. Then try and lift it off and see if it goes.

[StigNV]

No, you would need to take the bike rack off first, and then remove the crossbars before removing the foot packs. Your'e right about the V angle of the mounting bolts, it wont allow you to remove the whole unit assembled. I get what you'r asking now. I'm not sure I would do it that way anyways. That type of harware out that far on a crossbar makes it easy to scratch the paint while putting it on and taking it off. I'm not that graceful to do it that quickly. I would end up bashing up my roof. Here are the pics.

[ss109]

Join the club!!!

http://photos.larryblunk.com/images/A_7/1/7/6/6717/IMG_9210_41cc1.jpg

[GatorM]

No, you would need to take the bike rack off first, and then remove the crossbars before removing the foot packs. Your'e right about the V angle of the mounting bolts, it wont allow you to remove the whole unit assembled. I get what you'r asking now. I'm not sure I would do it that way anyways. That type of harware out that far on a crossbar makes it easy to scratch the paint while putting it on and taking it off. I'm not that graceful to do it that quickly. I would end up bashing up my roof. Here are the pics.


OK, good, I didn't fuck it up adjusting the bars. We have the same system. I don't like to leave them up there, so I do take them on and off a decent amount. But I'm only biking 1-2 times/week and my Volvo has a rack too, so I take it sometimes.

[pwdrskr]

What does your 3028 Fit Kit look like? I recieved mine today and it doesn't fit my 335xi sedan. It also doesn't look like the pictures I have seen on the web. Mine is a three part system. A rubber boot to cover the attachment parts and a two part system to attach to the towers. The part that attaches to the roof has to is too tall and when I assemble the whole thing the rubber boot doesn't sit flush with the roof.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense...

[StigNV]

Mine is the 3039 fit kit. It's a 2" long bolt that secures an L shaped metal plate into the little door in the roof. The rubber boot is part of it as well. Look at the pictures I posted a couple of postings ago. Click on the picture thumbnails and the and the pics will expand. That should give you an idea of what it looks like.

[StigNV]

The whole foot pack system makes a soft seal and goes flush when the whole assembly is cinched tight to the car. The boots and pack are roughly shaped to the camber of the roof, you have to flip several boot around to make them fit on the front of the car.

[pwdrskr]

Hmmm. Interesting. The Thule website Fit Guide says the Fit Kit for the 335xi Sedan is 3028. How did you figure out that you needed the 3039 one?

Thanks.

[pwdrskr]

...although, now I wonder if I just need to use only the metal bracket and not the third piece. I will have to try that when I get home.

[pwdrskr]

OK, called Thule. The 3028 is supposed to be the correct one, however the first ones made were too tall. So I need to return and get the corrected 3028. Pain.

[StigNV]

I got mine out of the 08 Thule catalog. Be warned, the catalog is in 3 parts. The first part is for the aero bar kits which nearly rope a doped me the first time. The middle part are for traditional kits. The catalog said 3039 fit kit for all 3 series for 07/08 in the catalog. I got mine at Sports LTD up here in South Lake Tahoe by the Gondola, if your'e familiar. 5 minutes from Heavenly since your name is Powdrskr. Maybe they classifly things differently by region, but the Bay Area is pretty close to Tahoe.

[Eric]

Is this the BMW rack base system? Is it made by Thule? Does it have locks? Just wondering because it's over $100 less than the Thule system and I really need to get a rack for my 3...


Join the club!!!

http://photos.larryblunk.com/images/A_7/1/7/6/6717/IMG_9210_41cc1.jpg

[GatorM]

I'm sure the pricing varies, but the BMW rack system ended up substantially more than the Thule system when I added it up. Plus with the Thule system I got to use the bike and ski carriers I already owned.

[dougjuliet]

Hi all -

I just purchased a 2007 328xi and was disappointed to learn that Yakima does not have a roofrack mount kit available for it yet (surprising since their main competitor, Thule, does). Looks like my only options are Thule or the BMW factory system.

Anyone have experience with these systems and do Yakima products (which I currently own) work with the BMW rack system?

Thanks,

Doug T.

[ss109]

The search function is your friend.

But you could've also scrolled 8 threads down to find this:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1015117

[StigNV]

I just fueled my tank since getting the racks put on. I was getting 21.3 MPG previously. It's still pretty close. I got 21.1 MPG after filling up, only drove with the bike on for 6 miles. The racks alone don't affect fuel burn all that much. I can accept that, I still get to drive like a jackass without being taxed (other than the fuel crisis at the pump) woo hoo.

[GatorM]

I drove 130 with the bike on on Sunday. Stewart Park pwned me. 18 miles offroad in 95 degree heat and humidity.

[GatorM]

I drove 130 with the bike on on Sunday. Stewart Park pwned me. 18 miles offroad in 95 degree heat and humidity.

[pwdrskr]

I have joined the Thule mounted ranks. For the E90 it was a bit of an adventure getting all the correct parts. I needed an additional adapter for the rear of the Echelon bike carrier on top of tracking down the correct adapter for the the towers.

After years of owning Yakima racks, I have to say that I am impressed with the Thule. It is quieter than previous Yakima's and the Echelon is excellent and easy to use.