Author Topic: Roof Bars  (Read 6443 times)

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Offline ajmackay

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  • Colour: Black Mica (16W) Metallic
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  • Year: 2015
Roof Bars
« on: October 25, 2016, 07:46:56 am »
Just traded in my aging 09 hatch for a 66 Reg saloon.

Was wondering whether there was any way to get my existing mazda roofbars to fit the new car? I was led to belive that the roofbars were made by Thule - would I just be able to switch to a different foot pack (as well as buying and fitting new roof trim)?

Dealer has quoted £179 for new roofbars (incl fitting), which doesn't actually seem that bad compared to other options, but would be pleased if there was a cheaper option!

Andrew

Offline Tall333

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Re: Roof Bars
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2016, 07:23:15 am »
I'm not sure how the 'dealer fit' roof bars attach, but the Thule (aftermarket) ones I've had for different cars over the years sit over the section between the top of the doors and the roof rain channel, and are held on by attaching to the inside of the door aperture.  They attach just fine but I'm always wary of closing a door since the metal bracket is very close to the top of the door.  They're also spaced quite far towards the centre of the car, thus there's only a couple of feet between them, so they're no good for carrying, say, a long ladder.

According to Thule's website, there's three parts to a Thule system for the Mazda 3 saloon: the bars (which seem to differ in length depending on which type of bar??), the rapid system to raise the bars in height from the roof, and the foot pack to attach into the door aperture.  If you already have the first two items (and the bars are the correct length) then all you should need is the foot pack.

Offline ajmackay

  • S Class
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  • Posts: 2
  • Gender: Male
  • Colour: Black Mica (16W) Metallic
  • Engine: 2.0L
  • Fuel: Petrol
  • Transmission: Manual
  • Trim: SE
  • Year: 2015
Re: Roof Bars
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2016, 09:26:14 am »
@Tall333 Thanks for the reply

Apparently even the new "6" has the screw-in mounting points, they're just hidden under the trim. On the old "6" you just removed the caps in the trim to reveal the mounting points. To fit the new mazda bars you need to get replacement trim so that you can access the mounting points.

Looked at the Thule website (and others) and wasn't too keen on their method of fitting. Personally prefer the screw in fitting, but accept that this method is an option if I can't get the old bars to fit and don't want to pay out for the full new mazda system.

Andrew