I am this close to just scraping all the paint off those suckers! The roof rack has never been used on this thing but both of the cross bars started losing their paint least year. it just flakes off in sizable chunks right down to the metal (assuming aluminum since they aren't rusty.) I have to buck convention and wash the roof last since there's always paint flakes up there that get picked up by the wash mitt. I'd rather not spread those around and make the paint elsewhere even worse than it already is after almost 11 years.
We had a member here many years ago that had the aluminum sides of the rack powder coated, but I don't recall anyone ever painting the cross bars.
I wouldn't mind taking them off and getting some kind of paint on them, but who knows what I'll break in the process. Anyway, I'll definitely be monitoring this thread for potential suggestions!