Sections: Ask MotoringFile Aug 20th, 2008 31 Comments 
This time around, Motoringfile reader Brad asks about a Roof Rack. I know many of you out there have the factory unit and some of you use or have used other solutions. Hopefully you can help!
I own a 2007 Cooper S and had a couple of questions. Does the roof rack make any noise when driving? Is it really hard to install?
This is a discussion we’ve had here before I’m pretty sure. Always good to revisit these things. But since we don’t have a lot of experience ourselves, we’d like to open this up to MF readers. You know what to do, let’s hear opinions in the comment section below…
Lewis Aug 20th, 2008 Link
I just got a new Clubman S and they said the rack systems for the Clubman were NOT being installed due to word from MINI. I’d be interested in knowing if they are actually working on a solution for that as well…especially with winter right around the corner in New England…
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Jon Aug 20th, 2008 Link
I know that for the first generation MINIs, the factory roof rack had and awkward and ugly way of mounting; to install it, they literally drill through the roof, in four spots, leaving a permanent black plastic cap in place, when you’re not using your roof rack. It is quite an awful execution.
Is the factory rack for the R56 and Clubman any different?
(I hope so)
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James Aug 20th, 2008 Link
Brad,
Although racks for Clubman have been put on hold for the time being, this doesn’t affect your R56 MCS. (As a side note, racks for Clubman should be available again within a few months).
I don’t find the base roof rack system noisy in the slightest – though depending on which attachments you put on the noise may increase.
As for installation, your dealer will have to do the initial install because the gutter system on your MINI needs to be swapped out with a replacement unit which is load bearing and has pre-set mounting points for the feet on the crossbars. Once this has been completed, installing and removing the racks is a snap.
Rack up and rallye!
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James Aug 20th, 2008 Link
Sorry for the double post – I didn’t think the first one went through so I retyped.
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robble Aug 20th, 2008 Link
I’ve seen couple wrong things posted already. I’ll clear up some stuff.
The new roof racks do not need drilling. There are 4 spots around the rubber rain gutter that are perforated. Remove the rectangular perforated sections and it exposes the mounting points for the racks. Look VERY carefully at your gutters and you can see them. Sometimes it is hard to notice them though. The gutter is NOT swapped out.
The racks WILL work on a clubman but since the roof on the clubman is a tiny bit narrower than the coupe it is harder to install – it can be done though. Just loosen the bolt on the bottom of the rail that holds the mounting clamps on so you have more play. Once the clamps have been tighted on the roof you re-tighten the bolts.
The new racks don’t make noise like the old ones mainly due to a smooth rubber strip instead of the “grooved” one the old racks used. The rubber strip is what used to cause the whistle.
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Brad C. Aug 20th, 2008 Link
I installed a Monte Blanc rack a few weeks ago on my ‘04 MCS, with a single “Barracuda” full upright bike holder attached. It attaches easily and seems to work well. Concerning noise, I can hear a very very faint extra “buzz” when the sunroof is closed, but I doubt I would have noticed it if I hadn’t been listning for it. However, with the sunroof open, I get a very load roar, which becomes unbearable at speed. I noticed that all I have to do is stick a single figure up in front of the front load bar and the noise completely stops, so with a little experimentation I am sure I can stop or at least greatly reduce it. Even before I installed the rack, I rarely open the sunroof at speed because of the high noise level it created, so I havn’t been too concerned about it.
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Shamus Aug 20th, 2008 Link
The noise is pretty minimal, even without a dedicated wind deflector. There is a slight, very deep sounding hum that develops around 65-70mph and builds as speed increases though it’s not intrusive or annoying. I’ve actually had Yakimas that made much more noise even with a fairing!
As for the installation, it’s a royal pain in the you-know-what. The main problem is with the design of the brass nuts that tighten the feet into the roof’s slots. It’s hard to explain without a detailed picture, but essentially, a little nut on each side screws down onto two plates, swiveling them outwards and tightening them into their slots. A nice design. Sadly, the issue is that the nut’s flange isn’t wide enough to properly cover the plates and you end up having to jam the plates into position with your thumbs. They do include some sort of lever that you are supposed to use to press down on the plates, but it’s flimsy and ends up bending out of shape, rendering it completely useless.
If you just install it and leave it, great, it’s a nice rack. But if you’re planning on putting it on and taking it off repeatedly, get ready for some sore thumbs.
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Shamus Aug 20th, 2008 Link
Oh, and the problem with the Clubman isn’t the width (they’re all tight width-wise), it’s that the clearance on the rear clips is too tight which causes the clip to push down on the rubber gutter, which in turn, pushes on the Club-Door’s glass. Apparently, the issue is also not consistent across the Clubman’s production, some work fine, some push down on the glass. It’s a MINI-thing.
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dstock Aug 20th, 2008 Link
Personally I think the rack is great. I have an 07 R56 S and factory rack is by far the strongest rack you can put on the roof. I did the install myself as well which is pretty simple as robble pointed out, took all of about 5 mins to remove the perforations, and then about another 15 to put on the rack. Sometimes it is a little tricky getting the rack on but the key is to just take your time. I have not had problems with the lever bending like Shamus mentioned.
As far as noise, I have only noticed additional noise when the sunroof is open, but again I’m sure it depends on what attachments you have on the rack.
I have a Thule cargo box and it doesn’t seem to add any noise. Just got back from a 2300 mile road trip, loaded to the max, and the rack was flawless. No one could figure out how we got so much camping gear in a Mini! Highly recommended.
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ke4sfq Aug 20th, 2008 Link
I’m glad to see this question. I hope to be buying my first MCS soon and was considering the rack but didn’t want to create noise, leaking, etc. It sounds like it is a well made system I plan on adding now. Kevin
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GregW Aug 20th, 2008 Link
The Clubman I am driving has a genuine MINI gutter mount rack. The different attachments slide into the two cross bars. I have not noticed any wind noise even when the ski board holders were in place. To me this looks cheap and not much of a difference from racks of old. I thought that the roof line creases either side were going to accomodate a specially designed roof carrier system. Does anyone have any similar knowledge of this new rack?
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dstock Aug 20th, 2008 Link
GregW, I’m surprised you think it’s cheap, it’s rated to 180lbs which is more than most factory racks and more than aftermarket Thule or Yakima solutions. All things considered, at a certain point you only want so much weight up there anyway.
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ontheroadagain Aug 20th, 2008 Link
For those of you who are Clubman owners who are interested in the never-ending roof rack base installation that was initially offered for sale under the auspices of MINI, and now is officially not – you ought to read through the now 25 pages thread on NAM. (For the 2009 there – the factory installed roof rails are available.)
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ontheroadagain Aug 20th, 2008 Link
P.S. If you follow that Link, you’ll find the thread, but if you go to the Clubman forum on NAM there is an extremely well done pdf on the roof rack base installation that has been made a sticky.
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KevinK Aug 20th, 2008 Link
Funny you should post this Ask MF feature today…
I just had the MINI roof rack installed on my 07 R56S this morning by MINI. I had MINI do the installation. I had the car up and over 70mph on the freeway afterwards for quite awhile and heard no additional noise or howling. The shape of the cross bars seems to be specifically designed to eliminate noise. The kit includes black plastic clip in plugs to insert in the permanent slots if you want to remove the rack later. My sunroof is still fully functional with the rack installed.
I have been using a Yakima roof rack since February and grew increasingly dissatisfied with it over time. The clamps hook over the rain gutter and leave marks, eventually start pulling the rain gutter up, and the bottom of the hook actually sits in front of the window so if you open the door faster than the window auto-drops the glass will hit the clamp. Opening or closing your door with the battery dead or disconnected will also cause the glass to hit the clamps. The rubber pads that rest on the roof (the upper end of the C clamp) leave scuff smears that are very hard to remove with wax or polish and actually dug into the paint in one area. The rack also howls like crazy unless you wrap pads around it or buy the optional wind diffuser. If you have a sunroof, it will no longer open with the rack installed. My MPG went down about 5% when the crossbars were left installed, even with the actual bike sled removed.
The Yakima and MINI solutions were all exactly the same price. The MINI rack takes longer to remove, but since it doesn’t make noise, I don’t see myself removing it between my twice-weekly mountain bike rides. The decision is really a no-brainer.
One other option to consider is the rear bike rack. Positives to that solution are that you can carry two bikes and don’t have to lift them up to the roof and you’ll suffer from less wind resistance with the bikes on-board. The downside is that it is the most expensive and requires cutting the bumper and drilling through it to mount. If you have MINI do the installation, it will probably cost double what the roof rack costs. It also won’t be useful for any other cargo purposes.
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Brad Aug 21st, 2008 Link
Hey its Brad! I just knew you guys could help with this!! I’ll definetly give it some thought now that i have some input. Thanks everyone and thanks mnotoringfile!!
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Drill Aug 21st, 2008 Link
I’m interested in what info MotoringFile can find/provide on the new Clubman Roof Rails. I think it could help folks who are curious about either option (i.e. Rails vs. Rack)
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schatzy62 Aug 21st, 2008 Link
For all info related to the Roof Rack vs Roof Rail please go over to the NAM site http://www.northamericanmotoring.com to the Clubman section and you will find a number of threads on this subject with some very good information.
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Jason Aug 21st, 2008 Link
I can confirm that the newly revised Clubman Roof Racks are now available in North America. I work for MINI.
The new Part Number to order is 82-71-2-149-225.
Cheers, Jason.
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Lewis Aug 21st, 2008 Link
@ Drill and Ontheroadagain:
What are these rails vs. rack options you speak of?
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Drill Aug 21st, 2008 Link
@ Lewis, There is the “standard” roof rack accessory wherein you purchase a base system which essentially clamps onto the roof and then there is a new, $250 option for built in roof rails like those seen on, for example, most Audi Avant’s.
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Craig Aug 21st, 2008 Link
Does anyone know about the factory installed roof rail system on the Clubman? It is listed as an option on the Clubman configurator. Is it an alternative to the accessory roof rack?
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ontheroadagain Aug 21st, 2008 Link
Craig, the base roof rack that clamps on to the roof of the car is, according to my MINI USA sources and my dealership no longer for sale for the Clubman (though some people are still getting them)…if you click on my name in the above posts it will take you to a long thread on NAM that goes into more details than you might ever want to know, though it has been quite helpful.
Meanwhile, the factory installed roof rails that are shown on the configurator as that $250 option are permanent roof rails. At present ordering them on the 2009 Clubman is the only way to get them. If you feel like it check out this thread: http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151385
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Jerrold Aug 21st, 2008 Link
For those owners who are using the Mini factory roof racks with Thule accessories like the cargo boxes or velo-vise bike racks, how has this been working. I need to use a box capable of carrying nordic skis.
Thanks, Jerrold
Reply[...] not that it tells most of us anything new, it’s more of a question and answer piece with comments: MotoringFile » Archive » Ask MF: OEM Roof Rack? I recognize a few familiar faces over there. First love: MC CVT Indi Blue/White ‘04 Past MINI: MC [...]
ontheroadagain Aug 23rd, 2008 Link
Just to add to the info, for those who have a Clubman interest and have not yet logged on to the aforementioned roof rack thread on NAM, here’s something I feel I should share here:
According to information that was given to me by DPMINI Aaron on MINI2:
‘MINI Clubman models will no longer have roof rack preparation. Should a customer wish to fit a roof rack, option 386 Roof Rails will need to be specified. At present there is no retro-fit for Roof Rails so it is important to qualify your customer’s needs in case roof rack use is planned.”
And that current cars built before September 1st are supportive of the roof rack base with the above # 82 71 2 149 225, but that cars after this will not be approved to use these but must have the roof rails and their suited roof bars, and that the safest option is to spec the car with roof rails if anyone thinks they may ever want to use roof accessories. It has been hinted, with the usual vagueness, that roof rails may become an afterfit option. There is no confirmation any of this yet, as it will probably be down to demand ( or complaints ) received.
Naturally, everyone will take this info and do with it what they will, but I thought it was important to add in this info to what has been a very poorly handled issue with the MINI Clubman.
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Janet Oct 9th, 2008 Link
I test drove the both the R55 & R56 S at my MINI dealer. While I thought the R56 was boring, the R55 was SUCH a blast to drive! I actually was grinning ear-to-ear! I decided to purchase either an R55 or R57, but the JCW option has caught my eye. It is impossible to test drive one though, so I am now here asking you guys instead. How much more fun am I really buying for all that extra money?? For $40,000 there are a lot of cars out there that could put a smile on my face as well. If it is just a slight difference, I don’t think it is worth it.
Reply[...] this regarding 2nd Gen roof racks posted on MotoringFile: Quote: The new roof racks do not need drilling. There are 4 spots around the rubber rain gutter [...]
Prost Oct 28th, 2008 Link
Just install both the OEM rack (Part #…846) and the OEM Fork Mount Bike Racks, no problem at all =)
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Bob Oct 11th, 2009 Link
I just purchased a ‘09 R57 Clubman with the “Permanent” roof racks. It was the last one at the dealership and had everything we wanted except the lack of the racks. Makes it look too much like a stationwagon. Any word on how to REMOVE the racks???
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