RODSCALIP5

Does anyone know the steps for taking off the roof rack???

Mxyzptlk

I think you can take off the rack but the side rails would still remain. Do you have the rail covers?

jmauld

There should be instructions with your pack of covers that show how to mount the rack. Just start from the end and work your way to the beginning. It's easy and takes about 15 minutes to do.

ChrisR

I haven't picked my P5 yet but I already know that i want to remove the roof rack. Sorry if this sounds dumb but what exactly are rail covers?

Don M

Excellent advice, except that the roof rack isn't discussed at all in the P5 owners manual. They don't even show a picture of the car with the rack on it - Suppose it was an addition after the manual was printed??

Don

Mxyzptlk

Well The roof rack doesn't entirely come off. Only the bars that cross the car themselves do. So the side rails remain. The covers go over the metal.

azrakain

I'm wondering if the canadian Protege 5 has the rails and not the crossmembers. If it has neither than us Americans should be able to remove the rails as well. I will look into that tomorrow as I have nothing to do.....Damn its boring as hell here on Sunday!!

azrakain

No way. Not worth it....thanks for the info...

redzoomzoomp5

i've got roof rack instructions if anyone needs them. i installed mine ,dealership hadnt even pdi when i bought.

Don M

Don't bother tearing out your headliner - There's nothing up there you can unbolt.

There is groove in the roof running from the windshield all the way to the back of the car. The mounting bolt locations for the rack are welded into this groove and cannot be "unbolted."

It looks like a much better design than the last car I had a rack on, as the roof is well reinforced with the "channels" and the rack is actually bolted to the car, as opposed to sheet metal screws through the tin.

Regarding roof rack noise - I noticed the cross bars have an airfoil shape, but it looked like the airfoil was pointed the wrong way. I went to the dealership, and all the cars were like mine, so I figured it must not be a mistake. Just to make sure, I removed the front crossbar, and reversed it - - You don't wanna do this!! The noise level in the car from the rack tripled, or more. I put it back the way it was


Don

Brubeck

I was thinking about doing this... and I got the instructions for the rack, plus the plastic inserts. I think it'd pretty much look gay with the two strips sticking up on either side and nothing in between. I thought you could slide the mounts out of the channels, and that might not look bad. But you guys say it's welded in???

redzoomzoomp5 --> as you installed your own, you'd be the best to confirm how they're stuck on there. Did you already have the channels with inserts in them, or was your roof bare and you installed the channels and everything?

-Brubeck

Don M

The rear crossbar "mounts" do slide out of the channels, and the long plastic strip covers everything. The front crossbar unbolts from the threaded plate welded to the car, and the smaller plastic strip covers that area.

I do not believe you can remove everything and wind up with it looking like a seadan though - I haven't disassembled the whole thing and tried to take it off (actually I want it to stay, I just want it quieter) so I can't say with absolute certainty, but when I had the front crossbar off, it sure looked to me like the threaded "mounts" it bolts into were welded into the channel in the roof.

Don

Brubeck

The only thing that has me hopeful, is that I've seen a few pics of pro5's with just the channels showing. It does look nicer that way.

I'll poke around this weekend and see what I find... I'll at least want to see up close what the thing looks like with the plastic strips instead of the crossbars/mounts.

-Brubeck

Hawkeye

The ones with just the strips showing are Canadian P5's

jcilforever

DON
Buy the windeflector for $50 from the dealer and the noise will go away