mplsbrian

Specifically on the sedan (yeah I know, #savethewagons, I'm in the US). I'm in the market for a roof system and cargo box specifically to take on a long skiing road trip next season...a friend and I are planning a 15-20 day adventure to hit various resorts in the Rockies. As I budget and shop around I am interested to see everyone's setups / hear the goods and bads about how it works (or doesn't) with the B9, so I can hopefully grab stuff while on sale this summer/fall or maybe even pick it up gently used on craigslist or ebay (or maybe even here if anyone is selling).

Some questions to start the conversation:

• How is Sat Radio/Wifi hotspot/Nav reception affected by your setup? Does it stop working completely, or...?
• How is wind noise, gas mileage, etc?
• Any longterm issues/annoyances or positive cool things about your setup that you didn't really think about while shopping but that are now apparent after using it a bunch? Thinking about nuances about your system's particular way of locking, opening, hinges, durability, etc and other small stuff that isn't super obvious in the store.
• Finally post some pics!

Lastly if there is already a good thread on this let me know! The search feature hasn't been kind to me...

sprior

I'm a woodworking hobbyist, so one thing I had to work out with my previous A4 was how to get things like sheets of plywood home from the store every once in a while. I got the Thule rectangular bar set which takes just a few minutes to install/remove from the car so I only have wind noise/reduced mileage when I actually need it. So when I got my B9 A4 I bought the Thule rack for it within days of taking delivery. Can't say anything about radio/sat interference because I only listen to onboard material.

So a removable option might be a possibility for you. Here's a picture of my B9 with the rack on and a bookshelf on top. Other than the tarp flapping in the breeze I had no problems at all with this set up.

mplsbrian

Ha, transporting lumber on an A4, there's something you don't see every day.

The Thule system (except with aero bars) is the system I am looking most closely at. I'm happy to hear it removes easily in just minutes. Have you noticed any negatives e.g. dulling of the paint where it makes contact, deformation of door seal rubber, issues getting the front/rear placed at the correct distance, etc? Does this system make direct contact with the paint or is there a removable film of some kind that goes between the car and the rack feet?

sprior

The folks at my lumber yard looked at me funny the first few times, but I think they've become used to it. I've got the system all worked out. I have two 2x4's which I strap to the outside of the bars with 4 webbing straps that are cut to the perfect length for that. The 2x4's give the plywood support for the entire 8' length. Then I lay the plywood on top of the 2x4's and I've got 4 long straps to fasten it down. The only real trick is that if I buy 1/4" thick plywood I also need to buy thicker plywood to lay on top of it so it doesn't break off in the wind.

Once I was piling boards on the rack in the parking lot of a big box store and a guy with a pickup truck was watching me. Once I got it all strapped down safely he told me that if I had gone into the store to get that plastic cord he was going to offer to drive it to my house in his truck instead, but then he saw I had it worked out. Nice guy to be so observant.

I really do keep the rack on for the least amount of time possible, rarely overnight, but I have not observed any paint dulling. The rack sits on a rubber foot which rests on the roof - I'm sure you want to make sure there's no grit on that before you put it on. Also you may not have noticed this, but the A4 has holes in the top of the door wells and the roof rack has pins that go into those holes so it won't move around and you always know the correct spot to install it. I've had no problems with deformed door seals, the roof rack attachment mount is fairly thin where it goes through the seal.

The Thule rack for the B9 comes with 2 wrenches that fit/store in the rack base and are what you use to loosen/tighten it, so you've got to move those wrenches from two of the feet to the other two. I called Thule and asked if I could get another two of those and they happily sent me them for free.

ODIE-B9

^^ i thought the wind noise was pretty bad sporting the OE roof rack until i saw sprior's setup. lol

With that said, i've never had a roof rack on any of my previous cars so it's only a nuisance when my sunroof is cracked open.

Once closed, i'm reminded how great the B9's interior sound proofing is!

exboy

I've got the Thule aero bars on mine. I put my bike on the roof. It's very easy on and off, I decided to remove the racks when I don't plan to use them. They're pretty quiet up there.... but not silent.