2022 CX-9 Roof Rails and Cross Bars - Retrofit

[Yoram]

Hello all,
Our 2022 CX-9 Touring came with flush roof moldings. We decided to add roof rails and cross bars to be able to carry our Yakima Rocket Box, kayaks, long ladder etc. After some investigation I decided to skip the OEM kit and find a good aftermarket one.
I ended up ordering and installing the following kit:

https://www.amazon.com (commissions earned)

This is initial feedback after installation and a short test drive with no load on the cross bars.

Pros:

• Well designed and generally well made.
• Good packaging, all parts received well protected.
• Roof rail installation instructions quite good.
• Roof rails fit roof channels very well.
• Cross bars clamps fit roof rails well and cross bar length is easy to adjust to the positions you choose along the rails (they are not parallel!).
• Very little extra wind noise at 70 mph, especially if sunroof shade panel is slid shut.

"Opportunities":

• Installation not difficult but easier if you are mechanically inclined and experienced in similar assemblies.
• The "protective film" to be installed over the 6 attachment locations per side are actually sticky rectangular rubber pads with holes - either a design change not reflected in the instructions or a mis-translation.
• The decorative plastic plugs used to cover the rail attachment holes are flimsy and easy to push deeper than flush with the surface and then difficult to pull out and fix - metal springs would work much better than the flimsy plastic legs.
• Instructions for cross bar installation workable but not as clear or detailed as desired.
• The "forward" direction arrows should be on the cross bar clamps rather than on their plastic covers - note the directionality before removing the covers for installation or based on the contour of the clamp's lower fairing
• The cross bar clamp covers could be a bit longer at the bottom for cleaner aesthetics.
• The sunken hex key features of the cap screws used for the cross bars are soft and easy to bugger - be careful!

All in all a decent kit and very good value; recommended if you are comfortable with such assemblies and have decent tools (beyond what comes with the kit).

(Disclaimer - I am not associated with the vendor or any business entities related to this product. This is posted simply as a service to this community.)

Cheers,

Yoram