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      09-05-2015, 12:51 PM   #1
jbinbi
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Accessories for OEM Roof Rack

I have the OEM roof rack and want to put a bike and kayak carrier on it.

Do I need to get the OEM ones, or can I get a thule or yakima carrier? If so, how do I figure out which type to get as I don't have the thule or yakima base system.

I would think BMW did not make this rack, one of the other guys did and it is just relabeled by bmw?

thanks for any help and direction.
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      09-05-2015, 04:39 PM   #2
rcblackwell
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbinbi View Post
I have the OEM roof rack and want to put a bike and kayak carrier on it.

Do I need to get the OEM ones, or can I get a thule or yakima carrier? If so, how do I figure out which type to get as I don't have the thule or yakima base system.

I would think BMW did not make this rack, one of the other guys did and it is just relabeled by bmw?

thanks for any help and direction.
When I purchased my 2016 X3 I added Roof Rack Bars but not bike and kayak carriers as I had both and planned on moving them from the old car to the X3. My bike carriers are made by Yakama, kayak carrier by Thule. The kayak carrier fits the BMW (Thule) bars without a problem. The bike racks don't. I did purchase a set of adapters for the bike racks but found so many parts were used during install that it became painful to remove and reinstall them. In the end I returned the adapter kit and have been using my old car to transport our bikes.

While trying to resolve the issue I found that even though BMW's roof rack bars are made by Thule, "T" bolts made for Thule bars do not fit the BMW bars. The head of the "T" bolt is to small which allows it to slip out of the rack. I've look at a few other options but will likely purchase two bike racks from BMW.
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      09-06-2015, 12:55 PM   #3
jbinbi
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rc, thanks. any idea what thule model the base oem system is, or is closest to?

It seems like the BMW accessories are more expensive than the thule (no surprise). glad to hear your kayak carrier still works.

Don't know if the t bolts could be replaced with others?
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      09-06-2015, 02:31 PM   #4
JoeU
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Pretty sure trays from Rocky Mounts have two sizes of t-bolts that come with their euro-trays.
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      09-07-2015, 01:36 PM   #5
rcblackwell
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbinbi View Post
rc, thanks. any idea what thule model the base oem system is, or is closest to?

It seems like the BMW accessories are more expensive than the thule (no surprise). glad to hear your kayak carrier still works.

Don't know if the t bolts could be replaced with others?
I've tried replacing the "T" bolts at Rack Attack. Staff there advise they couldn't find a match and suggest Thule don't make BMW parts available to suppliers other than BMW. Hey, just thought of this, perhaps I should check out BMW!
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      03-29-2016, 07:23 PM   #6
ruggedscience
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I've got the OEM roof rack and OEM attachments for Bike Carrier and Kayaks. They work great. I've used Yakima for over 10 years and feel like the BMW OEM rack system is far superior. Here's a pic:
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      03-31-2016, 03:17 PM   #7
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Glad to see this thread. I sorta have a similar dilemma.

I need cross bars and not sure if I should go with OEM or Thule. OEM is simple and will fit without issues, but will aftermarket accessories attach easily, i.e. a Thule roof box. Thule cross bars are actually more expensive than oem, but they have a lot more selection of accessories that will fit the cross bars than oem.
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