Hey guys,
Just picked up a pure silver '07 MCS with 22k on the ticker and I love it!! But I have a question for you guys and was wondering if you could help me out. So picked up a OEM roof rack last Friday and installed it myself. Part of my job is to install roof racks so I figured this would be a breeze and I could save myself $200. So I followed the instructions in the booklet and upon torquing down the driver-side rear flange nut, it popped back out like it was stripped, before I could get down to the recommended 6NM of torque. I used all of the tools that were provide with the rack and followed every instruction in the booklet, but the screw that holds the nut is completely destroyed, and not like stripped destroyed, like someone took a dremel and gouged out two sides of the threads.
So I called the dealer and they said to bring it in so they could look at it and they said they would hold another rack for me for the next morning. So driving an hour back down to the dealer on Saturday, they said they had sold the previous rack earlier that day and they can't get one in till Wednesday which is even more frustrating cuz I'm supposed to drive back down to school today. So I called another dealer before driving a half hour farther and they immediately said on the phone it was user error.
So I was wondering if anybody had any issues with this or heard of something like this, or how to go about dealing with it?
(Here is a link to a pic of the nut and screw on the footpack: http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/w...y19/IMG013.jpg)

thanks for helping out a newb

 

I'm a newb also, but I did just install an OEM rack this past Saturday with no issues. It looks like the stub may have been damaged when they staked it so the nut would not come off or it was damaged when the stud was pressed in from the back side. I believe the nut is brass and the stud is stainless, so it would be very difficult for the nut to damage the threads on the stud. Over tightening would likely damage the nut and not the stud. It doesn't look like user error to me. Sorry for you frustration, but I'm glad you got that one and not me. Usually I'm the one who gets the bad one.

 

Well here is your problem. after the nuts are installed the end of the threaded stud is peaned over so that the nut can not be removed. Unfortunatley with the nut being brass it is very easy for it to be stripped when turned out to far.

I am not saying that you stripped it it is just that at some time the nut was fully removed.

Also of note is that 6NM is not really even hand tight. I can hand tighten mine more than 6NM and still not have stripped the nuts.

If you did not remove the nuts then it sounds as if you were sold a used part or someone in the service department tried putting it on and broke it and put it back and used another one.

 

Thanks for the help guys, Bob Smith Mini in Calabasas (the dealer that I bought it from) ended up getting in a rack faster than they thought and they warrantied it no problem, even put the rack on for me and washed my car

I havent had any mechanical work done on the car so I can't speak for them on those terms, but in terms of customer service they were awesome and if you are in so cal I would give them a check out

 

Yep, careful with those nuts, they strip very easily. Other than that I am very happy with the rack and how it installs.

 

I'm going to throw in my two cents. Lots of people on here say putting on their OEM rack was a piece of cake, 5 minute job, etc. Mine was a pain in the ***. I've had several Thule racks, and a Votec (same brand as the MINI OEM) on my Audi, and they were all a snap to put on and take off.
I spent three sessions trying to get the MINI one on before giving up. I just couldn't seem to work the compression tool at the same time as the tightening tool, all the while trying to hold everything in place.
I ended up getting an ex-MINI tech to help me put it on. He had me hold things in place while he tightened it on, said when he worked at the dealer, they always used two techs to install them. Now that it's on, it's staying on, at least until I sell the car.