New 2010 Mazda5 Owner ... storage question(s)?

[lindsayt]

I have a comment and a question. First, a comment: I believe you do not have to pay the list price ($360) for the roof rack. You can get an OEM rack from a number of places (Mazdagear.com comes to mind), including some eBay vendors for ~$280. Now I'll ask my question: Thule website gives you two options for the 5: one involves using kit 3069, the other one calls for kit 3005. My understanding is that 3005 mounts to pre-drilled holes in the car roof. Does 3069 do the same?

Re: the price, you're correct - $360 is the list price, may get it cheaper.

Re: kit 3069 vs. 3005, a quick google search brought me to www.rackattack.com, which has the full instructions (pdf) and information on 3005 and 3069. Both attach the same way as the factory rack fit kit, except that they're not tool-free like the factory kit. The 3069 is specifically designed for the 3, 5, 6, and CX-9 while the 3005 is specifically designed for the CX-7. My guess is that the 3005 kit would work fine, but the 3069 is the correct kit. And it *does* attach to the factory fixpoints with bolts just like the OEM.

 

[pingisi]

Don't pay anyone to put the rack on, you need to be able to do it yourself and it's incredibly simple. It'll take you a half hour the first time, but after that it's a five minute job. Here's the whole process for the first-time install:

(1) Get the four riser pieces and snap the rubber feet on them
(2) Slide the two front riser pieces (labeled "fr" and "fl") onto the long bar and the two back risers ("rr" and "rl") on the short bar.
(3) Pop off the four plastic caps on your roof - I found a light push with the flat side of a flathead screwdriver made it easier.
(4) Set the front bar assembly on the front, and rear assembly on the rear, being sure to get it the right way (fr and rr on the passenger side, fl and rl on the driver side).
(5) If they're not already on, spin the thumbwheels onto the big bolts. Slip the lock washers on underneath the thumbwheels
(6) Slip the bolts through the holes in the risers, and thread them (BY HAND!) into the threads embedded in the roof of the car.
(7) Once the bolts are hand-tight, back them out an eighth-turn and spin the thumbwheels down until they're tight against the base of the risers. Make sure they're good and tight, but only as tight as you can get them by hand.
(8) Snap on the covers and lock them shut.
(9) Open a cold one and tell your significant other to admire the mighty works you have wrought.

That's it, your rack is now installed. To put the box on, you just open it up, turn the four thumbwheels to open the clamps, set the box on top of your car, slide the clamps forward or back until you have all four lined up over the two bars, then tighten the thumbwheels down until they're good and tight, being careful to keep them centered. This takes five minutes in the parking lot of REI the first time you ever do it, or two minutes once you've done it.

I *love* how easy it is to put the rack on and off.

Hey linsayt, do you have a sun roof? If so did you install the fairing as well? Just wondering about the wind noise.

I ordered the OEM roof racks for $280 and free shipping. But I'm thinking I might do the hitch as well ... a buddy of mine has a basket for the hitch so I could use that in conjunction with the roof racks.

Thanks!

 

[pingisi]

The hitch was about $80... I put it on. The box is deeper than a top mount. It tilts out of the way, and is easier to get to. I have it on a Saab wagon many years ago... We also use it on our other vehicle. Suitcases and strollers fit in very nicely.

What class hitch do you have installed on that? I'm thinking of using both the roof rack and a hitch ... especially when going to the beach ... the hitch with a basket is perfect for the cooler! Oh and other beach stuff like the chairs ... atleast that's what I'm telling my wife!

 

[mpvue]

What class hitch do you have installed on that? I'm thinking of using both the roof rack and a hitch ... especially when going to the beach ... the hitch with a basket is perfect for the cooler! Oh and other beach stuff like the chairs ... atleast that's what I'm telling my wife!

I think there is only one hitch available, a class 1 IIRC. mazda says you can't tow w/ the M5, so the hitch is only for bike racks and such. I didn't get one because I still wanted easy access to the hatch and I was concerned w/ the cantilever effect of all that weight hanging off the rear.
we have 3 kids also, 9, 7 and 1.5. we just did a round trip to Louisiana from Pennsylvania, almost 3K miles! the youngest and oldest were in the middle, and the 7yo was in the back, w/ the other seat folded down.
we borrowed a roof box but didn't use it going down (well, maybe one or two items, but I could have gone w/o). coming back we were packed! (lots of seafood and groceries!)
the little guy is still in a stroller, but we just brought a cheap umbrella stroller and used it once, when we went strolling around New Orleans. before you know it, they are out of the stroller stage, so I wasn't making 'stroller friendly' a part of out vehicle decision.
I went w/ the thule rack because I wanted the longer bars, instead of the fixed length of the mazda/thule setup. the 3069 fit kit is the metal brackets and rubber pads specific to the car (ALTHOUGH, I'm not really happy w/ the way they sit on the roof. there are aluminum spacers under the bolt which I feel are too long, I might cut them down).