When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
We're about 900 miles into our new Q7. The dealership installed crossbars have been fine up until this weekend. We were coming home and heard some some sort of noise from the roof, it went away quickly and we didn't think much of it. Later that day we heard a similar sound, popped the sunroof screen and say the front crossbar's rubber strip hanging on by a thread. We lost one and saved the other. Obviously this can't be normal...has this happened to anyone else?
Never heard of such a thing. It takes quite a bit of force to properly seat the rubber in the rack channels, so it looks like the dealer didn’t install them properly.
When I got mine, the rubber cross bar strips had to be pressed down in order for them to stay on the crossbar. If u just put them on without pressing them down, they'll definitely fly off. I don't think they were installed properly.
Yup, whoever installed didn’t do it right. I installed them myself and it takes pressure to push them in. Also got the cargo box. Used the kit last weekend to do some spring skiing up at Squaw. Here’s a pic of the entire set-up.
Thanks guys, had /i not already had a Thule box I would have purchased the Audi version....it looks awesome.
I almost went Thule who supplies Audi’s, but when I added up rack + box and compared prices along with shipping the Audi version wasn’t that much more. I’m super happy with it and it matches the Q7 perfectly.
PS, the strips are also easy to get on Amazon when needing replacement. OE as well.
I kinda chopped mine a bit too much, to get the perfect fitment. One comes out a bit, but i only have CROSSBARS only when skybox is on, so can't fly off. I just tuck it in again, maybe glue it nex time.
Yes this happened to me although I was able to save the rubber when I pulled over after hearing a flapping noise on roof. The plastic end caps on those crossbars tend to pop off very easily sometimes when loading items on rack and they don't stay secure. When they pop off, wind gets in the bar and pops the rubber stripping out. The rubber stripping should be trimmed so the plastic caps can slide in deeper and lock better in place. The issue is if the rubber stripping is too long, the end caps pop off very easy and then the rubber stripping gets popped up.This has been my experience. Here's another article on this.
Yes this happened to me although I was able to save the rubber when I pulled over after hearing a flapping noise on roof. The plastic end caps on those crossbars tend to pop off very easily sometimes when loading items on rack and they don't stay secure. When they pop off, wind gets in the bar and pops the rubber stripping out. The rubber stripping should be trimmed so the plastic caps can slide in deeper and lock better in place. The issue is if the rubber stripping is too long, the end caps pop off very easy and then the rubber stripping gets popped up.This has been my experience. Here's another article on this.
When you cut the strip, cut it back 1/4” from the ends of the metal bars, the end caps slip back on securely. If the rubber strips are flush to the end of the bars the caps will not secure properly.
04-28-2019, 05:22 AM
OEM crossbars rubber strips flew off on highway
