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Hi guys,
I have a general question for those who have fitted roof racks to Audis w/ naked roofs (A4, A6, etc).
As pictured below, the rack clamp which attaches the towers must pass thru the door seal area, meaning that when the door is closed the rubber strip on the top edge of the door which forms that seal will be slightly deformed to "go around" the clamp.
I've had the rack installed for just a few hours now and as you'd expect, that rubber seal instantly returns to its natural straight shape when the door is opened or the rack is removed, but my question is what if I leave the rack on for months at a time e.g. a whole ski season--am I likely to see that slight deformation of the rubber seal strip become permanent?
I'm asking because I do not want to unwittingly create permanent gaps in my door seals come spring when I remove the rack, which will then be super obvious all summer or when I go to sell the car someday. Just looking for experience with this from anyone who's had a rack on for a while so I know what to expect.
(Note, picture is from an A6 for illustration purposes...the amount that the door seal must conform is slightly worse on the B9 A4).
I am again speaking from experience with my old, non-Audi, car, but I had no issues with the door seals returning to shape. i kept my roof rack on from late spring until I sold the car a few weeks again and there was no issue. I used to keep a different rack on yet an older car, and for much longer periods of time with no ill effects when I took the rack off. I suspect you'll be OK. Just out of curiosity, what rack did you get for your A4?
Thanks man, that's great news. Removing the rack to prevent deformation after each weekend use was going to be an absolute hassle.
I went with a Thule 480R Rapid Traverse towers and the 53" AeroBlade load bars, aka pretty much the system pictured in that photo I posted except again that system is on an A6. List price on the setup, for everything you need, is $510 (bars + towers + fit kit aka the clamp brackets).
It is a marvelous system: I chose it after renting a 2017 A4 with that setup via SilverCar out of Denver for a ski trip last winter. That trip is actually also what made me decide to buy a B9...though I actually went full bananas and got the S4... heh.
Anyway, the system is great. It goes on and off in less than 5 minutes, generates almost no noise, has t-tracks for accessory install, and looks great. I'll be leaving it on all winter with an Inno 660 Wedge cargo box attached so that my skis aren't exposed to the elements while in transit (and I can throw my wet gear up there so the car doesn't get all fogged up/stinky). I don't have the box yet but I'll post some photos of the whole setup once I get it on.
Glad I could help, and thanks for the feedback. I am familiar with Yakima racks, but am beginning to get the feeling that Thule are slightly better in design. Have you gotten a look at the Audi brand at all?
Not firsthand, but my understanding is that Thule is also the OEM for the official Audi-branded racks. It is however not the 480R/Aeroblade system I believe, but rather I think might be based on their older line, e.g. the 460R/symmetric aero bars.
...I might be wrong on that last part, but I am 99.9% sure that Thule is the OEM.
Man, that looks really solid. Thanks for sharing the pics, I really appreciate it. It makes me feel more confident about going that route. (I miss being able to throw my bike up and take it places.) I didn't realize that the rack system sat the bar etc. so high off the roof. Wonder how that might impact gas mileage? But at least for me it means pedals won't come close to the roof. Cool. Enjoy.
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Roof rack long term fitment?
