yet another roof rack question!

[msubullyfan]

Greetings, everyone.

I just picked up my new Protege5 today (auto, leather, 6-CD changer w/ sub, side air bags/ABS, moonroof). Glad to join you guys -- you've been a good help to me so far!

My car didn't come with the roof rack. It does, however, have the two black strips. I'd like to get the rack added. However, I have a few questions that I hope you guys can help me answer.

1 -- How hard is it to install the roof rack? Anyone who's done it care to elaborate?

2 -- Is there a procedure with pictures posted anywhere on how to add the rack? I searched, but couldn't find one.

3 -- Should I consider an aftermarket rack? I've heard a bit about them, and my dealer told me I could get one, but I don't know anything about them.

4 -- Would I be better off without the rack?

5 -- What's the difference between a 2003 and a 2003.5 like I've seen discussed in some other threads? How would I know which one I have?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[xelderx]

Someone did a how-to...maybe it was Elemental. I'm not even sure which forum it was on. You have to take the headliner out of the car and after that its pretty self-explanitory. If you want to trade your black strips for a roof rack let me know. I'm looking to get rid of my rack.

 

[KYREDP5]

If you do not have the rack and you do have the "subwoofer" then you have an 2003.5.

 

[msubullyfan]

I'm not saying that I know more than anyone, but I thought that you could pop off the two black tabs on the rails on each side of the roof and attach the mounting brackets for the rack there. I also thought that you had to remove the roof liner only if you were trying to get rid of the two black strips.

Is my thinking incorrect?

 

[tmht]

IF your car is a US spec car then you have to remove the headliner. The mounting brackets mount from the underside.

IF your car is Canadian spec then it is a different story but you will have to find someone with a canadian car to get the specifics.

That being said... You are probably better off going with a solution from Yakima or Thule. Since you have no rack at all, you can pretty much take your pick. The aftermarket racks are easier to remove if you need to, you can keep them for your next car as well.

 

[msubullyfan]

Sounds like good advice, tmht. I'll look into them and will probably get a dealer/aftermarket person to insall. Sounds like a lot of stinkin' work!

 

[tmht]

If you get a Thule or Yakima system you can install it yourself in about 30 mins with no/minimum tools. They are REALLY easy.

 

[Laser5]

I'm not saying that I know more than anyone, but I thought that you could pop off the two black tabs on the rails on each side of the roof and attach the mounting brackets for the rack there. I also thought that you had to remove the roof liner only if you were trying to get rid of the two black strips.

Is my thinking incorrect?

Your thinking is correct, as I have just removed the rack from my roof. What are you going to use the rack for?

 

[msubullyfan]

Laser5 -- thanks for the response! Are you saying that you did NOT have to take down the roof liner to remove the rack?

Part of the confusion in this post may be due to the exact definition of what the two "black strips" are. My car has the two channel pieces that are flush with the roof line. It doesn't have anything that sticks up above the roof.

I'll mostly use the rack for a cargo carrier on long trips and perhaps for a few other things that won't fit inside the vehicle. I wanted the OEM rack because I liked the sleek look of it, as opposed to one of the blocky, clunky Thule systems or something like that.

 

[msubullyfan]

Also, has anyone had experience with any aftermarket roof racks that look like the OEM rack? If so, what are they, where can I get them, how much are they, and how difficult are they to install?

 

[blynzoo]

Laser5 -- thanks for the response! Are you saying that you did NOT have to take down the roof liner to remove the rack?

Part of the confusion in this post may be due to the exact definition of what the two "black strips" are. My car has the two channel pieces that are flush with the roof line. It doesn't have anything that sticks up above the roof.

I'll mostly use the rack for a cargo carrier on long trips and perhaps for a few other things that won't fit inside the vehicle. I wanted the OEM rack because I liked the sleek look of it, as opposed to one of the blocky, clunky Thule systems or something like that.

Yeah. The 03.5's come with the two black FLUSH strips like the canadian cars. Earlier cars without the roof rack (removed) have the raised humps on the roof. To remove/install the humps (necessary to install the roof rack) you must remove the headliner.

Here is the how-to on INSTALLING the roof rails. You can figure how to remove them using the very good instructions:
http://www.geocities.com/shareafile/index.html

And here's ANOTHER (god, I'm sexy) How-to from our own website from Elemental 59437 (always buy in-house!!!)
http://www.mazdamp3.com/vbb225/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22209

Thanks, Elemental.

 

[msubullyfan]

Yeah. The 03.5's come with the two black FLUSH strips like the canadian cars. Earlier cars without the roof rack (removed) have the raised humps on the roof. To remove/install the humps (necessary to install the roof rack) you must remove the headliner.

Elemental -- Thanks for the informative response and the links. I do have the black flush strips. However, there are two tabs on each that are removable (as shown in the first pic). If I remove the tabs, I see a threaded hole (as shown in the second pic). What are they for? Do the roof rack anchor bolts not screw into these holes? If not, what are they for?

 

[msubullyfan]

First pic

 

[msubullyfan]

First pic

 

[mtnbiker26]

You have a 2003.5. If you wanted to use the factory style load bars you'd need to pull down the headliner and install the tracks that the load bars sit in. You're better off with an aftermarket rack. The stock rack sucks. Here's a link to a page that I slapped together about the racks.

http://home.comcast.net/~gtolley/rack.htm

 

[dsm_rally]

I disagree about the stock rack sucking. I just bought and installed the OEM bike attachment and bracket on my '02 with the stock rack and I think it worked out great. I got it from mazdastuff.com. The fit was great and the P5 specific brackets work like a charm. See the thread below for pics of the setup.

http://www.msprotege.com/vbb225/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24747

 

[mtnbiker26]

Well "suck" is a relative term. I have a 2003.0 P5 andI use my rack constantly and it's not uncommon to have a pair of six or seven thousand dollar bikes (each) up there so I need a secure setup and I also wanted it to look good. I don't like upright mounts because they're too unstable and goofy looking for my tastes so I wanted to use my fork mounts and have them mounted with the "heads" at the front. With the factory load bars being WAY TOO FAR BACK ON THE ROOF the wing would hit the tray or the cargo when the hatch was 3/4 open. The factory load bars also creaked and groaned horribly when there was a bike or snowboards up there. I checked all the fasteners and everything was tight so I chauked it up to poor quality. The Thule 400 feet that I already had wouldn't fit because the track that the load bars sit on is in the way (another reason the stock rack sucks) so I had to go buy some Yakima feet and bars and I used my Thule 589 fork mounts and 725 ski / snowboard carrier and the problem was solved. No more creaking, no more bumping / scratching the wing on bikes, boards when I open the hatch, no more worrying that my s*** is going to blow off on the highway, and I was able to put my fairing on so it looks trick...in my opinion.

 

[msubullyfan]

mtnbiker26, Thanks for the info. I appreciate the advice.

 

[erockp5]

Yakima racks

Just got done installing the Yakima rack on my car today. It looks fine and I always carry lot of stuff on my cars so I'd recommend the thule/yakima set ups. The cost difference between the 2 is 10-15$ so it's your choice.

I saw the factory rack and the mounting rails and thought they looked chunky and they aren't removable from the previous forum posts.

The only limit is the rack is rated at 100lbs not the normal 165lbs. But since I've put 400lbs loads on my escort GT with a yakima this is not that big a worry. The guys at the lumberyard thought I was nuts, 16ft 4x6s.

The installation isntructions on the yakima are dead on and once you have it set up it unclips in a minute. All tools and pictorial instructions are included, even a tape measure for the tower ajustments.

 

[ELEmental59437]

Whoa you guys talk about me a lot...

For your car it would be a million times easier to install an aftermarket roof rack if your really going to need one. Sometimes those dont look as nice as the stock US roof racks but it can get the job done and be installed easier.

If you were to install a US roof rack you would need to follow these instructions:
http://www.mazdamp3.com/vbb225/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22209

It doesnt take as long as it looks to take the car apart, but you will more than likely have to make 8 holes in the roof of your car (at least the canadian P5's dont have the holes already, I doubt the rack-less US models have them either) I traded my roof rack with a canadian P5 for the strips like you have on your car. The strips are a bit costly from the dealer so it makes it worth it for a person who hates the roof rack to trade with a person that wants one and just pay shipping. That may be your cheapest bet on getting a roof rack, but its not the easiest to install. Aftermarket racks will be a bit more but easier to install.