Unfortunately I have come not to respect or listen to most sales people, as much of the time they do not know what they are talking about.

Glad to hear this is working out for you. One quick question on the racks though if i may. How long does it take you to put the rack on the car now that all the settings are done for the first time? Just curious.

 

About 10 minutes to get the base rack on and another 5-10 for two bike carriers.

 

atlas,
Thanks for the photos. Your installation (and frustration) match mine!
I feel confident with the racks after running the issues thru this group.

 

Thanks for the excellent posts. I just purchased a 2009 Clubman S. I went with the Thule install instead of the factory rack. I wanted to reuse all of my Yakima equipment. From the pictures and debug on this thread it looks like I have it installed correctly. My question is this:

Does the rain gutter deform once you apply torque to the rack? I am using the supplied wrenches but it looks like it is deforming the gutter. Following the Thule directions (which are terrible), I never get to 3N*m of torque using the supplied wrenches.

Thanks

 

My gutters didn't deform after torquing down the feet. I don't trust the Thule instructions anymore so I tightened the feet until I could rock the car without the rack moving. I found it best to alternate tightening the feet only 1 turn at a time (once you've snugged them). This prevented the feet from pulling each other out of alignment.

Only made one 40 mile trip with 2 bikes mounted and I didn't have an issue. Could you post a picture of your gutter?

 

The driver's side rear is the non-typical condition. My gutter pulled up but went back to the original position when the rack was removed.

 

Sorry for the delay. I didn't get a picture of the rack before I returned it to my LBS. I ended up going with the OEM rack and will install it over the weekend. I still need to get a bike mount. Probably will end up getting a Thule, even after the rack issues.

 

What length of cross bars are appropriate on a Clubman? Will the 48" be appropriate? OP, what length bars are you using?
Thanks

 

on a different note i like the look of cutting off the end of the bars to make it flush and looks more clean on your car.

 

I purchased the 50" load bars with the 480 traverse foot pack. Width is adequate for 2 bikes. I also use the rack to haul ladders and lumber so having a little extra width comes in handy when positioning the load stops.

 

Besides keeping the rubber pad clean that's contacting the roof, does anybody have any recommendations for preventing the pad surface area from scratching the roof?

 

I installed small pieces of 3M paint protection film where the feet touch the roof. Works for keeping the roof safe, however it picks up dust and dirt on the edge of the film. The film squares are visible in certain light, especially when the roof is clean (dark silver w/black roof). I have the same paint film on the bonnet and it is practically invisible so I was a little disappointed by this.

I did 5-6 short trips without these patches and the feet didn't do any damage to the roof. Make sure to wipe them off before using them as the rubber tends to attract dust.

 

So do you leave the 3M protection film on indifinitely, or just one summer while the rack is on? Is the film easy to remove? Nice solution

 

Atlas,
Thanks for the reply! It looks like your 50" are just passing the feet. I am looking at Yakima parts and they offer a 48". That will work but might be a little short. Unfortunately, getting the next larger size will mean cutting most of it off!

 

Was planning on leaving the film on year round. It has a 3 year warranty not to peal or dis-color. I haven't tried to remove it...

 

I wouldn't go any smaller than 48". I frequently use the Thule load stops and they just barely fit outside the feet. Btw, the rear of the car is about 1/2-3/4" wider at the mount point than the front.

 

I'll have to check back in 3 years Thanks for your help

 

atlas8000: thank you very much for your posts. I bought the same kit today, and sad to say, the Thule instructions are the same WRONG ones that you discovered. Thank goodness I found your posts - otherwise I would have wasted a lot of time and have gotten very frustrated. Shame on Thule for continuing to ship incorrect instructions...

 

I dont want to further bring up a well discussed topic but can someone please post pictures of their entire clubman with a Thule roof rack installed? I tried to install the base system and the driver side problematic area came loose after applying force upward on the bar. I just cant drive with a bike on top knowing I can simply push the bar up and it will pop off. I don't know if this is possible to show once the system is installed, but maybe a close up picture as to where the angled portion of the fit kit clamp connects to the roof? Has anyone thought of a solution to the unsightly gap between the window and where the clamp connects? Thanks and appreciate all the help!

 

Also... Has anyone tried the short roof adapter on the Clubman? Is that possible? Think it would look terrible?

 

No problem, glad I could help. I completely agree about Thule. What was more disappointing for me was their terrible customer service.

I've mentioned this before in other threads...buy the OEM rack.

 

I had posted some small pictures of my install earlier in this thread. Check out my gallery for larger images, including a photo from Thule customer service. (It's the blue clubby) If you need something from a different angle, let me know and I'll try to get you pictures the next time I use the rack.

As for your comment about the bar coming loose with upward force, it sounds like you haven't torqued down the feet properly. I can grab the bars and rock the entire car back and forth without the feet/rack coming loose. I've hauled 2 bikes at highway speeds with zero movement of the rack. Once hauled a replacement window on the rack that I couldn't shoehorn into the back with no problems.

For the gap behind the driver, it doesn't concern me any more. I generally use the rack on nice days so rain/snow hasn't been an issue. Other Clubman owners have discussed using duct tape to cover the opening in case of moisture.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted and for the valuable info. I have the OEM racks but IMHO the noise is way too loud when the roof is open. There is no need for such a massive cross section of the load bars. I have ordered the Thule system and have also ordered the fairing. Hopefully this will take care of the noise. I had this on a different car and it made a world of difference.

In case someone wants a set of the OEM racks and 2 OEM bike racks... got them for sale at a great price.

As far as rear carrier for tow bar mounting... Tried it too. Have a minifini trailer hitch but it is simply a hassle using a bike carrier with the rear doors the way they are. PITA. Live and learn.

If anyone hears that Thule finally gets a good set of instructions out for the 1507... post them if you can please.

 

All my goodies came in and are now installed.

Here are photos of the install and the close-up of what happens to the driver side rear mount. Sent to Thule for comment. Saw little deflection of the actual gutter but then again if mounted correctly these are at the mounting points for the OEM roof rack.

The biggest issue for me was noise. The OEMs are too noisy and no option of a fairing (without customization). There is no need for the bar cross section to be as large as they are and then the OEM bike racks with the large flat fronted clamp closer makes things worse so a faring would not help much. The car might not have a drag coefficient of .27 but there is no need to exacerbate things with chunky clunky roof racks and accessories.

All in all I can use the sun roof and take my bikes when I need to.

 

I just bought the Thule 1507 fit kit and the instructions still indicate that the feet should be installed under the gutter by pulling back the rubber. I too found that impossible with this fit kit. When is Thule going to update their instructions? I was very frustrated until I found this forum. Thank you.