Roof racks
 

I'm looking at a Yakima roof rack for my new 2006 Mazda 3. I went to the Yakima website to find a compatible rack, and it appears they haven't updated their site for 2006 models. Has anything changed between the 05 and 06 M3 that would make a roof rack that was compatible with an 05 not compatible with an 06?

No change in body style
 

Hi Mcfly... I also just purchased an M3 06 model, and I asked my dealer if there were any body changes from 05 to 06 before I bought the car. He's said no there was no change in body from last year.

Out of curiosity, why would you desire to put a roof rack on your mazda 3? I know not everyone buys their car for style and looks but if you have the sedan - ew. I think it would look okay on the M3 Wagon since any new wagon already look utility like. I'm just opinionated. Anyway have a nice day maybe I'll catch you later

Thanks for the info. I'm putting roof racks on so I can carry bicycles, and I do have the wagon. But I see your point, maybe I'll price out a hitch carrier too. The problem with the hitch mount is that it will make opening the hatch difficult to impossible depending on the type of rack I get.

You're welcome = ). You must be one of those Lance Armstrong bike guys? gotta love em.

Yakima makes one for our cars, and I believe the year makes no real difference on the hatch. I know i am going to pick one up for my car this weekend.

While the thread is a little old, maybe the added info can help. I have a Yakima roof rack on my 2006 Mazda 3 Sport GS. I got the model listed for the 2005, and it worked just great. I kinda wish I had gone with the Thule rack, though; for an extra $100 or so it has much better build quality than the Yakima. I use it to carry skis, by the way.

roof racks
 

I manage a local bike shop and we sell both Thule and Yakima. The Yakima product is a better application for the 5 door due to the curverd roof. With the round load bars from Yakima, all bike trays, cargo boxes and other things will fit the curved roof better. I have seen both in action and unless you have a perfectly straight roofline and are willing to pay a little more there is no reason to go with Thule.

Has anyone carried surfboards with on a Mazda 3 5-door with the Yakima roof rack? I would like to know if 9' to 10' foot boards could be carried safely with this set up.

I carry a 17 foot sea kayak on the roof of my 3 five door. Just watch the tailgate when you open it.

Greeting all. Bought my M3 5dr last Feb and I love it, it's a great little car. I wanted to get some roof racks for it and now that it's summer, it's time to get the gear out. I was reading through the thread and was curious, does anyone have any further feedback on their (or any other) roof racks for their 3?

I've got the "Thule vs. Yakima" debate dialogue going through my head, so if anyone can add to the fray I'd appreciate it.

So far I've heard: "Thule has better build quality" but "Yakima accommodates the curved roof shape better".

Anyone else?

Thanks,

~PB


P.S. Looking to be able to transport my bike, kayak or longboard.

Installing a permanent Yakima roof rack?
 

Does anyone know what I need to look out for, like the location of roof braces? I'm going to install a permanent Yakima rack on my car and would hate to drill into a brace accidentally. I need four places where there is just sheet metal.

Dude, dont screw into your roof, there is a Thule system for the five door and the sedan.

there are factory anchor nuts under the gutters on our cars, and anywhere outside of NA they have little sliding tabs on the gutters so you can access them, but for some reason NA mazda3's have solid gutters. doesnt matter, the gutters pop off easily, and you just mark and drill through them so the allenhead bolt that attachs the tower to your roof contacts the anchor nut. ill try and post pics sometime, but just do a little more research online and im sure you'll find pics of what im referring too. At the time, about a year ago, this fit kit was only available outside of the US. I bought mine from a roofrack shop online located in Great Britain.

This is reversable, you just buy the $40 gutters from any mazda dealer if you remove the rack. Or ive heard of people ordering the non-NA gutters with the tabs.

I'm also interested on permanent roof racks for the Mazda 3 5drs. I just got a used 2008 and I want to load my bikes on the roof.

If soemone has pictures and guidelines to share please let me know.

I took a pick under the covers in the gutters and I see anchor places to receive a fixed rack.

I called a couple of local Mazda dealers and they are not aware of roof rack for the M3.

It turns out you can have M3 roof racks in Canada, for example. (part number B33D-V4-701A for M3) see: http://www.mazda.ca/files/2008_mazda3_accBro_en.pdf

What's up with this? Why can't we order factory roof racks in US?

Cheers.

look for thule parts 460R Podium (specifiy aero to accomodate the aero cross bars) Fixpoint Feet (4pk) should run about $160, and the fit kit for our car, 5dr, is the 3069 (should be around $60). Then get the bar you want, I went with the aero bars cause they're a little lower in profile. I alos got a wider bar than the thule calculator would have suggested because I wanted room for several bikes. I think mine are 52"

oh, and the mazda factory roof rack for our cars is made by Thule, its probably of a lower quality than this and more expensive, though if you ask real nice and have lots of cash Im sure you can get the Canadian Mazda dealer to order and ship the factory rack to you.

There was probably some issue (height?) that would have caused the car to not meet some wierd US spec for import cars if the rack was offered by Mazda.

slone: thank you!

This matches the research I did last weekend: I've ordered podium foot pack (just the regular profile - not the aero), 50" load bars, and the fixpoint fit kit #3069. Unfortunately they did not it in the store and I had to place an order. Without seeing yet the fit kit, I only have one question in my mind: how to attach it to the anchor point? I have a US Mazda3, therefore the gutter cover is a single piece. I guess I can remove it, measure carefully the relative position of anchor on the gutter, drill the roles in the cover, and place it back. I'll only know when I actually see the part...

LB, I have the same situation as you, let us know how it goes removing the gutter cover and cutting or drilling it.
I am wondering if the non-US gutter cover has cut outs or a slider/cover over the mount points ?

Done.
1. I removed the gutter covers: it seemed the best way is to start from the hear end. Open the trunk to give better access and use something flat (screw driver) to pop the end up. It's basically spring loaded on top of a metal piece that looks like a nail head.

https://www.mazda3club.com/picture.p...5&pictureid=15

2. Then work your way towards the front and use your hands to remove the cover completely. The rails are metal on the inside, so you will need to be careful.

https://www.mazda3club.com/picture.p...5&pictureid=16

I read somewhere that if you get the European cover they do have access covers to the anchor points.


3. You will find the anchor points that are welded into the roof. I believe they can receive a 15/26" bolt/screw.

https://www.mazda3club.com/picture.p...5&pictureid=17

4. The Thule fit kit uses a 15/64" bolt and a 23/64" spacer.

https://www.mazda3club.com/picture.p...5&pictureid=21

5. So, I carefully measured the position of the anchor and drill 23/64" holes in the covers to match the spacer.

https://www.mazda3club.com/picture.p...5&pictureid=19

This is what really took me time because I wanted to make sure I'd drill on the correct place.
6. Summarizing. The only trick is to know that the anchor points are there. Then remove the cover, drill the holes big enough for the spacers and follow the instructions from Thule on how to install the fit + tower kits.

https://www.mazda3club.com/picture.p...5&pictureid=20


I like the results: looks almost like a factory rack to me.

well... now I still need to add a fairing and fit my old bike racks there...

LB, very good ! Thanks for the great photos.
If you take the whole rack off the car; how obvious or wierd does it look to have 2 holes in the gutter covers ?
X5toM3

x5tom3: well.. there'll be 15/26" holes. so they should be visible if you're close to the car.

if i'd to remove the rack for a long trip, for example, i'd just leave the roles open. i guess someone craft could just get a 15/64" short bolt/screw with a head big enough to cover the role, paint it black, and put it in place... - you got the idea.

if i was to never use the rack again, a good black tape around the area and placing the cover back would do the job.


if you really want it done right, i understand you can order the european part. it should have the access cover that you can remove and place back.

best!

Can anyone confirm if the MS3 has these same factory mounting points?

Hello all - First post.

I currently carry my bike via a hitch rack. But I'm interested in a roof rack. Has anybody done this rain gutter mount on a 3s hatch with a sunroof? From what I've read I will have to get a spoiler to cut down the noise. On a previous vehicle I could not make a spoiler work with its sunroof. So before I invest $$ for this outfit, I'd like to know if anybody has been successful with it.

Thanks!

Hello 9speeder,

You definitively will need a fairing for the rack, otherwise it will sound like you're flying an airplane every time you go over 50 ;)
To find out if the anchor/mount is there just "wiggle" the rain gutter a bit and you'll be able to notice if there is a dark metal piece underneath it. Take a reference from the previous picture: the front anchors are located about 1/2 the front door and the back anchor pretty much 1/2 way the back door.

I don't know about sunroof. The point where my fairing touches the roof is about 7in behind the edge between roof and front windshield.

best.

I'm looking at a Yakima roof rack for my new 2006 Mazda 3. I went to the Yakima website to find a compatible rack, and it appears they haven't updated their site for 2006 models. Has anything changed between the 05 and 06 M3 that would make a roof rack that was compatible with an 05 not compatible with an 06?

I'm coming to this thread late, but I just signed up.

For those looking at Yakima racks, I've got an '05 3s and I have a Yakima rack with round bars and the Q towers. It's never fit right on the curved door lines. The clips that Yakima recommended for the Mazda even say that the fit may not be perfect. I really had to noodle around with the placement to get it to stop slipping back off the car.

Who knew there were posts built-in (as I slap my head in surprise). Is Thule the only company that makes a rack mount that would fit in those points? I'd hate to have to ditch all of my Yakima accessories because Thule don't have round bars, or do they?

the yakima landing pad #11(Product # 8000221) is the base that attaches to the mounting holes under the black plastic rails. the control towers (Product # 8000214) attach to landing pads. i plan on getting this setup for my 3 hatch, when i do, i'll get pictures up.

Awesome. Thanks. I'll be getting those parts as well this summer. I won't post any pics though, because my steel-wheel havin', starting to rust, '05 3s hatch isn't too impressive. But I do like it. :)

Hi, first post here, I'm 99% sure I'm buying a 2005 Mazda3 sedan this week, 60K miles, and may have the dealer install the rack for me. I'll be carrying an Ocean Kayak Malibu II on it.

It has the sun roof, any problems with the sun roof getting in the way? Also, does the antenna bend far enough down or should I just remove it? Not a radio guy anyway.

Thanks!
LMJ

Rola Roof rack installed on '05 Mazda 3 4d
 

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/5144/xchange007.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

LB, you're info was right on, my installer didn't know the factory mounts existed below the rain gutter covers, 4 screws and 4 holes and here it is.

I've carried my 13.5' Ocean Kayak on it a few times already, w/and w/out bow/stern straps, not a problem.

I chose the Rola over Thule and Yakima (eTrailer dot com) mostly for weight capacity, and I like the round ends vs. rods over the supports. Not noisy w/out fairing either, at least not that bad. Aftermarket sunroof allows more noise than factory anyway.

Thanks again LB for the heads up on the factory mounts.
LMJ