billyjk

I need a roof bike rack and am looking into Audi OEM, Thule and Yakima. I've read the posts on this site, but I have additional questions. Here they are:

- Have you folks leaned toward the Thule and Yakima so that it'll work on a future car?
- Do these racks scratch the finish regardless of how you try to protect the finish?
- Where are the best discount sources for these brands?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Economatic

I don't have any experience with putting a roof rack on an Audi but I do recommend getting a Thule or Yakima for compatibility with other vehicles. This helps if you need to sell the rack, as different cars require different designs so buying xyz rack now may not work with a future car you might buy.

The rack will scuff up the paint where the foot pads contact the roof if you don't protect it. That's easy though--just buy some paint protection film like 3M and put it where the foot pads and fairing contact the paint. You can pick up a small strip of that stuff online for about $10-15.

There are not a lot of discounts on roof racks these days. I used to buy from ORS years ago that would give 20% off both brands but last I checked (a couple months ago) their website was down. Sometimes you can find one-off sales or Craigslist for used if you're in no rush and don't mind hunting for a deals. There's always REI if you're a member where you can use their annual/bi-annual 20% off coupons or get 10% back on regularly priced items in your dividend.

I hope this helps!

billyjk

Economatic,
Thanks for the info!
-bk

Darryl Johnson

Sorry for the delay in replying: the Google login option wasn't working for me for a while there.

I have had roofracks on all my cars for the past twenty-odd years. On my S3, I went with the Audi racks. The main reason was the method of attaching the racks to the roof.

The Audi has a small recessed hole above each of the doors. The Audi racks have a pin that inserts into that hole and serves to locate the racks in the correct fore and aft position, and locks the rack in place when the racks are tightened down. Although the manual suggests using two people to mount the racks, I simply place a towel on the roof on the side opposite to where I am working and loosely connect one side then switch around to lock the other side in.

While Yakima and Thule are both great companies (I have had warranty work done from both of them over the years), they do use a "tower" mounting system that has a flat flange that fits between the top of the door and to roof edge and kind of "hooks" under the edge of the roof. In my experience, over time, this scratched the paint in that area, as the original protective wrap on the flange gets worn away. On cars with a rain gutter -- are there any of those still being made? -- the racks grip the edge of the gutter instead. You have to do your own measuring to position the racks on the roof, and unless you put a discrete mark on the car where the racks should be, you really should do that measuring every time you mount the racks. The kit for the Audi from third party racks will include the two measurements: one from the top edge of the windscreen to the front crossbar and the other from the front to the rear crossbar.

Yakima crossbars are round; Thule's are square. Thule also has an "aero" crossbar which is oval in crossection. The Audi bars are very much like the Thule aero bars.

There is a noise issue with all crossbars, increasing at speed. I have found the aero style bars significantly quieter when just the bars are on the car. People have had some success with Yakima and Thule bars by wrapping cord in a spiral from one end to the other. But if you only have the bars in place when you have your bike up, the noise from the bars will only be a small portion of the noise. If you are only concerned with putting one or two bikes on the roof, the Audi bars are wide enough. If you plan to start putting larger (wider) stuff up there, then there is something to be said for the Yakima and Thule bars which come in different lengths. When I had Yakima bars on my old Maxima, the bars stuck out about 8" on either side. (You quickly learn that it really hurts to bang your head up against them getting in and out of the car!!)

This is strictly my personal opinion: I would never consider roofracks from any retail outlet that did not specialize in them. And, while there may be other reputable companies out there making roofracks and mounting kits, I would only consider Yakima, Thule and Audi racks for my own car. (In fact, my suspicion is that the Audi racks are made by Thule, as were the racks on my Mini. But maybe they just copied the basic design.)

billyjk

Darryl,
Thanks for that informative post. I haven't pulled the trigger yet. A good roof rack for two bikes is quite an investment. I like the way the Audi rack is fitted to the A3, but I like the fact that a Thule can transfer to my next car with just a fit kit. I sent an email to my dealer inquiring about any available accessory discounts or promotions. It's pretty difficult to find any discounts on Thule, but my dealer might offer me something, which would make me lean toward the OEM rack.

Blue Smoke

Apologies in advance if this isn't answering your question, but have you considered a hitch rack instead?

The A3 supports a hitch (example). Note that I'm not sure if the RS3 is compatible, but assuming that it is then I'd suggest you consider the hitch instead. Like many people, I've carried bikes on cars for years and here's what I've learned:

1. You have to be pretty careful and it can be avoided, but a roof rack is prone to scratching when installing or removing the rack, or mounting or un-mounting your bike
2. If you're not used to driving with a bike on the roof, then you run the risk of driving into things too low (like your garage)
3. If you run into your garage, you damage your car, your bike, and your house all in one accident

By comparison, a hitch means that:
a. Your rack doesn't touch your paint
b. Your bike doesn't touch your paint
c. You don't have to worry about driving into things too low

Good luck!

billyjk

I looked into a hitch briefly, and I recall reading that the panel beneath the bumper needs to be cut to accommodate.
In your link, I am not seeing A3 owners saying that.
Very interesting. I am going to look into this further.
Thanks for bring this back up. I thought hitches were out for A3 owners that don't want to modify there cars.

billyjk

Just did a little research, and an owner of a 2017 A3 (what I have) says that the heads of the bolts are too big to fit into the holes in the chassis. Curt Mfg suggested that he file/drill-out the holes to make them bigger. Not sure I am down for that.
Maybe I'll call Curt Mfg to see if they've addressed this.
-bk

arudson

I went with the Thule Rapid Traverse and Aeroblade option for my Nano gray 2017 S3. It looks great and the dedicated A3 fit kit (1748) has the pin in the that goes into the slot on the door sills to ensure proper alignment. I matched that with the new Upride bike carrier, everything in black, and I am really happy. With Thule and Yakima it sometimes is hard to find sales,especially for the current and popular products. While I paid full list, I always have had success negotiating for the inclusion of free locks and keys - in this case 6.

I will add that I too explored the option of putting on a trailer hitch. I was going to go for the Curtis hitch and do it myself. I asked around at a few hitch installation companies for some guidance and, frankly, they scared me off it. So I went with a roof system and couldn't be happier.

billyjk

arudson,
Thanks for your perspective. I too have a 2017 A3, but in Monsoon Gray. I am still exploring the hitch option, but haven't dismissed the roof rack option.
Questions for you:
- Do you plan to keep the rack on all year 'round? If not, how much time does it take to put on/take off?
- Is there much chance of damage to the finish with the OEM Audi rack?

Fortunately I heard back from the Manager of my local dealer, and he is happy to provide a discount - don't know what that is, but I am happy to hear that they are flexible.

-bk