Dlcrouch Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Has anyone installed a name brand (Thule, Yakima, etc.) roof kit for bikes? I did see one brochure from a local dealer that listed a Thule kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightydog Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Sorry I have not buy I did find a link that might be helpful to you http://www.car-roofracks-norfolk.co.uk/manufacturers/ford/c-max-roof-rack.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinner Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Sorry I have not buy I did find a link that might be helpful to you http://www.car-roofr...x-roof-rack.htm That's a UK company, for the European C-Max. Might be compatible, might not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertlane Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 That's a UK company, for the European C-Max. Might be compatible, might not. Most of what I have seen are C-MAX from the European market too. They sold 960-ish C-MAX's here last month while thousands in Europe. Once the C-MAX becomes more popular, you'll start seeing all kinds of accessories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlcrouch Posted October 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2012 There is a roof rack kit at accessories.ford.com. Thule mounts and aero rails for $ 485. Bike carriers are about $ 200 each. Way too much for me. Will wait and see who else comes out with roof kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 The base rack from Ford is $485 retail or at whatever deal you can get from your dealer. It's all off-the-shelf Thule stuff that your existing Thule bike mounts will work with. It's part No: VDM5Z-7855100-A Remember, Ford or your dealer may send you an accessories percent-off coupon shortly after you take delivery, so look for that in the mail. Also, I found a few online Ford parts sellers that listed the whole kit for $375. You can also buy the exact same stuff from a rack retailer. RackAttack's prices for the 3 parts are: Thule 480R Rapid Traverse footpads. Set of 4. $189.35Thule Fit Kit #1683 to fit the 4 foot pads to the C Max. $84.95Thule ARB53 AeroBlade load bars (53 inch width). Set of 2, $149.95 This totals $424.85. These parts may be available from REI, too. Their regular prices for rack stuff are usually the same as RackAttack. If you're an REI member, you can use one of your periodic 20% off deals to buy the bars, and then wait for the next 20% off deal to buy the foot pads, and so forth. This would cut your cost for the base rack to about $350. Again, this assumes you're already a biker and you already have compatible bike mounts. YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 (edited) Photo of C Max with the Thule-licensed bike rack. Click to enlarge. Edited November 27, 2012 by mtberman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 (edited) L.L. Bean is selling Thule for 20% off until Sunday, December 2. We got an L.L. Bean catalog yesterday with an insert offering an additional 15% off your entire order. The promos can be used together. That works out to 32% off, which is pretty hard to beat for new Thule pieces. Unfortunately, although they stock 1600 series fit kits, they do not carry the #1683 one for the C Max. Regardless, this means the entire setup can be had for less than $300. Edited November 30, 2012 by mtberman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNCGeek Posted December 1, 2012 Report Share Posted December 1, 2012 L.L. Bean is selling Thule for 20% off until Sunday, December 2. We got an L.L. Bean catalog yesterday with an insert offering an additional 15% off your entire order. The promos can be used together. That works out to 32% off, which is pretty hard to beat for new Thule pieces. Unfortunately, although they stock 1600 series fit kits, they do not carry the #1683 one for the C Max. Regardless, this means the entire setup can be had for less than $300. That'a a pretty good deal, I just signed up for their spam list in case they send any more coupons out. I won't be getting their catalog in time though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNCGeek Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 I just bought a Thule rack second hand after deciding that a hitch was not for me (I don't want to have to explain it to the dealer if I am in, - especially if they are keeping track of such things). I think the rack I purchaed was formerly on a Subaru, but the bars were the right length (53") and it had the traverse pillars so all I need is the fit kit. I used the Thule fit tool online to check the vehicle it was off of, to make sure it should be the right size first, and then verified with the seller. The 1683 fit kits were previously available on Amazon, but were sold out when I needed them, so I ordered them from ORS. I also ordered some 3M clear bra material to cover the foot pad areas so they don't scratch up the roof - should be good practice to see if I want to tackle doing a clear bra on the front. I've not installed the rack (waiting on the kit), but am so far pretty impressed with the Thule rack, it looks very solid and well designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNCGeek Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 I finally put the roof rack on my C-max today. Probably just kicked my fuel economy down another few mpg just slapping it on there, but I like it, and need something to get the bikes around easier. I have a write up on the install here. Jus-A-CMax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Hey CNCGeek, can you get me the distance between the racks (preferable middle of rack to middle of rack) ? Trying to figure if my Jaguar (which is a Thule) box will fit. Thanks mate :) PS Luv your website, very cool indeed :rockon: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNCGeek Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 (edited) Hey CNCGeek, can you get me the distance between the racks (preferable middle of rack to middle of rack) ? Trying to figure if my Jaguar (which is a Thule) box will fit. Thanks mate :) PS Luv your website, very cool indeed :rockon:Thanks, I attached a pic of the install manual showing how they suggest placing the rack: W = 290mm / 11 3/8" (from the windshield to the front edge of the front foot)Z = 785mm / 30 7/8" (center to center between front and rear feet) I measured mine, and from the way it is mounted, the measurement from the front edge of the front (aero)bar to the front edge of the rear bar is 31 1/4". Edited January 21, 2013 by CNCGeek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Yakima Racks (Yakima Products, Inc.) is based in Beaverton, Oregon (burb to Portland). I am in the process of purchasing a C-Max Energi from a Portland area Ford dealership (delivery in early March). I learned that Yakima Products reps had visited the dealership to take measurements of the C-Max. So, it looks likely Yakima will come out with a product. The Thule racks sould fit well. The C-Max body has been in Europe (uses a small gas or a small diesel power train) since 2004. Thule is based in the US, but has a robust market in the EU. Hence its readiness for the C-Max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Super, thanks CNCgeek! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxWally Posted February 7, 2013 Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 @eddy: please keep us informed. I have my old Yakima bike racks from my outback, and just need the mounting rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNCGeek Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 Something to consider when going for a roof rack (myself never having a third party roof rack before, did not know this) - my local car wash said they are not allowed to run them through their machines since things get caught up - and that was even if I removed the bike rack rails. So now I'm working on a simple way of positioning the rack so I can remove and re-install it without a bunch of measuring each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sm02463 Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 The base rack from Ford is $485 retail or at whatever deal you can get from your dealer. It's all off-the-shelf Thule stuff that your existing Thule bike mounts will work with. It's part No: VDM5Z-7855100-A Remember, Ford or your dealer may send you an accessories percent-off coupon shortly after you take delivery, so look for that in the mail. Also, I found a few online Ford parts sellers that listed the whole kit for $375. You can also buy the exact same stuff from a rack retailer. RackAttack's prices for the 3 parts are: Thule 480R Rapid Traverse footpads. Set of 4. $189.35Thule Fit Kit #1683 to fit the 4 foot pads to the C Max. $84.95Thule ARB53 AeroBlade load bars (53 inch width). Set of 2, $149.95 This totals $424.85. These parts may be available from REI, too. Their regular prices for rack stuff are usually the same as RackAttack. If you're an REI member, you can use one of your periodic 20% off deals to buy the bars, and then wait for the next 20% off deal to buy the foot pads, and so forth. This would cut your cost for the base rack to about $350. Again, this assumes you're already a biker and you already have compatible bike mounts. YMMV I'm pretty sure the VDM5Z-7855100-A also includes the locking cylinders so your price comparison is a little off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisMax Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 Just bought the Thule carrier from partscheap.com for $444.29. Looked at Amazon and others but this includes everything you need. I don't mind the price because Thule makes a quality product. Considering what this item does it's not something to cheap out on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmatthews102 Posted August 6, 2013 Report Share Posted August 6, 2013 I just ordered the Thule Aerobars, feet and clips from Rackwarehouse.com. Total cost is $381.85. Shipping was free. Autoanything has the Thule lockset for $35 and change. I will have my kayaks on the car on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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