vtheman

I used an aluminum foil tape for HVAC which will last a lot longer than scotch tape, I also contacted the company, they said whey will look in to why the racks didn't come with the inserts.

marioec

Any pictures of this roof rack on a Q7

BMWBig6

I don't have any, but Prorack has some on their website under the "Finy My Car" section. Once you have selected Q7, click on the "See it on my car" link (w/ camera icon).

nsurg

Hey, thanks again... I have delayed buying (obviously) but am about to pull the trigger. Sorry to dig up an old thread, but it's the definitive roof rack thread for this model as far as I can tell.

I'm sold on the rack, but will probably mail order all the stuff. Can you tell me if the Yakima Skybox pro 21 would also be likely to fit the car? It is 92 x 36 x 18 inches, whereas your skybox pro 12 is 92 x 24 x 15 inches, so a foot wider. I can't find a picture showing the attachment points that the box dictates.
Thanks for any help!

BMWBig6

I have a Skybox Pro 16S. I am 99% certain a Skybox 21S will fit just fine. There is enough margin on the bars to accommodate 6 more inches of width on each side, but even though the Yakima attachment hooks can slide forward and backward (on tracks), I don't think you'll be able to open your liftgate all the way up with the Skybox 21 mounted. I only had a few inches of room with my 16, and from my research it appears the 21 will protrude into the space where the liftgate raises (at its maximum height). The good news is that you can reprogram your liftgate's opening height. (Mine is still set to maximum opening height but I wouldn't mind losing a few degrees if it meant I could fit the Skybox 21.)

nsurg

Is that because the 21 is taller? Because the length is the same... or do they have different attachment points?

By the way, I think you have the power liftgate and therefore can reprogram the height, but without the power liftgate is it possible to change the height (I doubt it)?

BMWBig6

The Skybox Pro 18 is longer than the 16 (but around the same height). The Skybox Pro 21 is same length as the 18 (which is longer than 16), and taller than both 16 and 18. The attachment points on the 21 are thus different than the 16. They slide backwards and forwards a few inches in each direction, but I don't think they will allow you to open your liftgate all the way (according to my rough calculations only, not personal experience).

I don't know if the non-power liftgate can be programmed to remember a certain height (I guess not?).

Sourdough Josh

This review was absolutely wonderful. I have a question for you: you said that you can remove the audi rack in "25% less time."

On my previous A4 wagon back in 2003, I found the Thule bars were too much of a pain to remove, so I left them on and just turned the radio up. On my new avant (coming this month, God willing), I'm considering finding bars I can just pop on when needed -- how long does it realistically take you to remove/install the Audi bars? These bars? Do they pull off in a single piece, or are you left with bolts and whatnot to store?

TIA
- Josh

dism0rph

Any other models that compete with the whispbar? I feel like I've seen some even nicer racks driving around but now that I have my avant, I really want to get the right ones as i'm bound to leave them on there.

BMWBig6

Hi Josh, instlaling the bars is slower than removing them, because it takes time (with both models) to make sure the male pegs on the bar feet go into the female holes in the roof rails properly. So while I can remove the Audi bars in almost no time at all, it takes around 1 minute per corner to install them because I double-check the indexing of the pegs, and that's being extra careful not to nick the paint, etc. Add a a few seconds per corner on the Whispbars because you have to fumble with a small key and slide a plastic cover to access the release ****. And the male pegs on the Whispbar are a tighter fit (closer tolerances), which makes positioning take slightly longer. Everything comes off in 1 piece (per bar) for either model, not including the Audi wrench or the Whispbar key.

I haven't seen many others for B8 fitment. If you value utter silence, I recommend the Whispbars. If you value maximum compatibility with all accessories and attachment types, maybe try something else as the Whispbar cross-section is pretty thick and may preclude the use of certain accessories that have narrow attachment openings.