I'm not looking for a full expedition rack. I need a rack for surfboards. Thule Aero seems the best option. I'm looking for something that doesn't have the damn pillars the stick up. Anyone found the right combo?
Seriously...Nobody put a rack on one these things. Thule Wingbar Evo? Looks like Yakima has no option. Who else?
ALSO, I noticed there are some cut-outs in the top of the factory rails. Are these mounting points? I can't find anything in the manual on this one. Could I hard mount to the roof versus getting one of these clips for the rails?
JP: hopefully you've found something at this point. I installed the Front Runner rack and couldn't be happier. easy install, solid as can be and it still fits in the garage:
The cut-outs in the factory rails are plastic caps covering the bolts that attach the factory rails to the roof. The Front Runner Slimline II is the best roof rack for the D5 because it attaches to the roof using the factory roof rail mounting points (as shown in the photo of Scott Williams' disco) using longer bolts and extenders (included with the rack). The factory roof rail caps don't easily pop off and other forum contributors have posted accounts of damaging the rails and caps in the process of removing the caps. I'd recommend paying the labor charge to have your dealer remove the caps since they'd then be liable for any damage. That's what I plan to do when I get around to ordering a Front Runner.
x2 ar077. the first one I removed was difficult and I snapped one of the tabs... still useable when I decide to replace them, but the rest came off ok once I figured out how to do it. Not a bad idea going to a dealer... if you've got a great one like I do however.
