I called my local Mini dealership today to get a quote on a roof rack install.
Does $125/hr for labor seem steep to anybody?
They said 6hrs for the base install and another 6hrs to put 2 snowboard holders on the rack. I'd rather not pay $1500 in labor costs. Any suggestions?

 

, they drill 4 holes in your roof and charge 6 hours labor, that's funny.

 

That's what I thought, but they're dead serious. I'm calling another dealership to see if I get the same answer. I'll have to drive a couple hundred miles, though.

 

Check the site here, just a guess, but you probably just have to locate the right place for the holes, pull down the headliner so you don't mess it up, drill the holes and bolt the anchors down with a good sealent under the washers and put the headliner back up. Any shop could do it if you're not comfortable. Try an auto upholsterer shop. I don't think even BMW/MINI could try and void a warranty for a rack installation, and six hours to install the snowboard rails, that's RICH...Remind me NEVER to visit the Vegas MINI dealer, NEVER, EVER...

 

Yeah, I'm not a cussing man, but if I was I'd have more than a few words for their service rep.

 

I guess it's not as hard as I thought to do it myself. All work is done from the car's exterior. The tough part is getting all the distances precise.
Here's where I got the info if anybody is interested.
http://outmotoring.com/how_to/MINI_Cooper_ROOFRACK2.pdf

 

I would also assemble the complete rack and use that to double check the mark where the holes are going to go...I want a rack but I yet just can't bring myself to drill holes in a solid and very pretty silver roof yet. Hey, you might have a case when you show the first page to the dealer where it says installation time is an HOUR and a HALF. Skip the snowboard rails (do them yourself) and then call up the corporate BMW/MINI folks from the dealer service phone.

 

That sounds REALLY steep to me. I asked how much it would be to drill holes and install the roof rack and they said about $415 with tax. That seems "reasonable".

 

At that point, I would just get an aftermarket rack like a Yakima or Thule.

For the setup you are looking for, it will probably cost $400 to $500 Installed.

Gilman.

 

1.5 hours is what MINI says in their own service bulletin, HOLD the LINE or DIY or get someone else. You have to train these service people just like any other dumb animal I guess...

 

I was very impressed with the installation of my roof rack bolts by Sandia Mini. They are extremely rugged attachment points, in exactly the right place, and very well sealed. A week later my bike stuff arrived and I installed them in about an hour or two. Nothing difficult, just big awkward pieces.

My recommendation is have Mini do the roof rack, but any additional Mini items like snowboard/bike/kayak/luggage-pod you can do yourself. There's only one specialized tool required, and it's included free with the roof rack.

My gallery has a couple pictures of the bolts & their cosmetic covers,
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...0&ppuser=25050

Good luck with everything,

--doug

 

I've sent a customer service email to MINIUSA regarding these bogus times and prices (mentioning the rude service rep) and I'm still waiting on a call back from Mini of Monrovia, CA. I thought I should call the next closest dealer to get a quote for the same.

-T2Nav...PM Sent

 

Keep in mind, it is a BMW dealership... a premium German automotive brand. Part of the territory is higher labor rates.

the OEM stuff is made by Thule. Thule recently started selling bars & accessories for the "slot" mounting, aka Rapid Aero



this is my opinion: I don't like drilling into a roof. I don't like the permanent roof rack Mini offers. When you are not using it, you increase wind noise & increase fuel consumption.

For $302.50 (MSRSP) you can get the Rapid Aero rack system:
400XTR Rapid Aero
RB47 Rapid Load Bars
2145 Fit Kit

Then pick Thule accessories-- and remove it when you're not using it.

 

One thing to keep in mind is the load rating on the OEM and aftermarket racks. IIRC, the difference is pronounced- if you're carrying a lot of weight on your roof, you may have no choice but to go with OEM.

 

Thule have 50 kg weight limits, which is 110 lbs for the Mini Cooper with the Thule rack. You can expect the same for Yakima.

The OEM one, since it is physically attached to the roof, has a load capacity of 165 lbs. It is a big difference.

For a snowboard or 2 with the bindings facing up (especially when you have Flow bindings), that won't exceed the 110 lb capacity of removeable racks.

If you have many trips to IKEA buying furniture-- the fixed rack would be the best bet.

 

How does that Thule "fit-kit" work exactly on the MINI? Do you have any pictures with it all on the MINI with a cargo bag?

 

I have had dealer-installed roof racks on both of my MINIs. I was told that there's a template that locates the mounts beneath the roof's sheet metal. I thought the price was a bit steep for the roof mount install, but I wouldn't even consider a DIY project.

I would find a different dealer for the installation of the roof mounts. BTW, the OEM rack is very quick and simple to take on and off the car. I do it by myself and takes all of 5 minutes (OEM roof rack fitted with two retrofitted Thule bike racks). I don't know about snowboard racks, but I cannot imagine spending the money for the dealership to assemble/install those... but IMO it is definately worth the money to have them drill the holes for the rack mounts.

 

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/inst...45,%202145.PDF

 

i did it myself, wasn't that hard, it comes with templates, that are a little tricky to get perfectly fit on the roof, once that is done, you drill one hole then you double check your distances then drill another hole, check your distances again, and so forth. really not that hard. definitely not worth $750 for someone else to install. haha, i also like how they charge you 6 hours for putting on the snow board rack which any preschooler probably can do in 10 minutes.

 

You know what's really funny about the Thule, when you read the instructions for the cargo bags, they don't even say load them on the rails, they are supposed to sit on the roof (so what's the point of the 20KG weight limit, it's sitting on the roof, anyhow??) and then you anchor them to the rails so they don't blow away. Now when you add the rails according to the fit kit they are only about 24 inches apart, so none of the bags will fit on the roof according to the instructions. I wonder why they don't have you putting the cargo bags on the rails, I guess being a bag they can't hold much shape between the rails. I'll have to visit a dealer and see how they work in person, and probably pay a premium for it as well. I may end up with a drilled roof in the end, although I hate that, really.:impatient

 

The soul purpose for the rack is for 2 snowboards. Thule's cheapest snowboard holders are $100 a pop. Mini's are $62 per. Plus I don't have much confidence that the gutters will stand up to the wear of a clamp-on rack for very long. Has anybody had aftermarket racks on for very long?

 

Those weights include the rack, which cuts about 20 pounds off your capacity.

To the OP I paid $400 to have mine installed, but if they effed it up, they bought me a new MINI. If you eff it up, you will be buying yourself some expensive body work...Food for thought

 

Want to BET on that? Plenty of lousy workmen in MINI dealers and everywhere else out there, I doubt if any one gets a new car. One reason I started doing some of my own work is that I am a terrible mechanic, but still better than some of the folks who expect me to PAY them for their shoddy work.

 

Well I just got in touch with Assael MINI in Monrovia, CA. They quoted me $369 plus parts (not including the snowboard holders--those are definitely DIY). The service rep said they have a 3-hr standard for that job now, previously 5 hours. 5 hours? Talk about on-the-job training!
I'm still not sure if I want to drive 260 miles and pay to have it done or take a chance on doing it myself. I'm a mechanic on air vehicles, not a sheet metal technician on land vehicles, but I think I could manage it. Then there's the option of complaining to Desert MINI here in Vegas, but then they might do me bad and screw me over somehow.

 

Afnos,

As I mentioned previously, I had the dealer install racks on both of my MINIs. The labor was in the $350-$400ish range. I DO NOT REGRET IT.

The OEM rack is solid. It fits very well and (with bicyle mounts) easily goes on and off with 5 minutes effort. I haven't taken the time to look at snowboard racks so I can't tell you how easy it will be to remove the rack with snowboard attachments included...)

When the rack is not in use, there are plastic covers that go over the mounting brackets. I have a black roof and they blend in. I totally respect those who wouldn't dare drill holes in their roofs, though. However, it's not a dealership butcher job. The mounting supports are already there, on all Minis. When I traded in my '03 (and kept the rack for my '06) nobobdy questioned it, nor was there any depreciation for the "holes."