Roof Rack Question

[Russiaville]

Does anyone know how to remove the cross members on the roof rack?I will never use the rack for anything and it would make it easier to keepclean. I removed the knobs all the way but that still didn't allow me toremove the bars. Any help would be most appreciated.

[meathead333]

if you use the search option, there are a bunch of other threads concerning your question.

[Triton]

I know there are a couple of members who have removed the cross bars, I just don't remember who. I'm sure they will post with more instructions. I might consider doing this as well. I washed my car a couple days ago and it was a pain to wash around those and dry under them.

[Sub-Vibe-R]

For sure Nova did it.It is not a very easy thing to do and risk of broking the plastic part are very hight.take a look herehttp://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1286&postid=9498#9498

[meathead333]

yep, i broke one of mine, but it snaped back on tight, so i guess its ok.

[Jethro]

Would somebody be able to take a picture of the underside of the plastic covering showing where the mating tabs are - perhaps this would aid in knowing where to apply pressure (and where NOT to) when removing these?

[mu_ohio]

I removed mine this weekend and it's very simple.1. Open the hatch completely.2. With a long screw driver slowly seperate the gap between the top cap and the plastic seal. Once you have the screw driver inbetween, push it in about 3" and slowly pull up seperating the plastic cap from the bottom. There is a tap in the dead center of the plastic cap and it will pop out with a little bit of pressure.3. Once the top snap has come undone, you can easily pull up on the cap and pull it off. 4. Remove the two retaining screws that prevent the bars from completely coming out. 5. Unscrew the antenna from the mount.6. Slowly move the cross bar back and careful pull it over the antenna mount.7. Replace the plastic caps and enjoy.If I have time tomorrow, I will put pictures to the words so please stay tuned. Personally, undoing the caps on the inside when the hatch is up with a screw driver was very easy.

[NY Pete]

Like I said in an earlier thread, just grab the cap with your hand and pull straight up. It's a bit painful, but the cap will snap right off eventually and hopefully you won't damage your hand or the cap! Pete

[Sub-Vibe-R]

I removed mine this week-wend. No damage at all on the plastic part, but my thunmbs it is another thing. The plastic dig in it while I was pulling it. But it wort every drop of blood

[good vibes]

I just don't understand why anyone would want to do something like this. Could anyone please explain this to me?

[NovaResource]

LooksReduced wind noiseEasier to brush snow off the roof

[Stang2Vibe]

A lot easier to wash the roofSportier, cleaner appearanceEasy to do

[philndz]

i just cant do it....i pulled and pulled and then i think i tiny...pea-sized piece of plastic went flying off behind the car....couldnt see where it would have come from.....so i quit messin w/ the darn things...im gonna need more help!

[good vibes]

ahh I still don't get it.

[Stang2Vibe]

I took a few pics of how to do this yesterday. I'll post them if I can figure out how to post pics on here.How I got mine off:Grab the rear end cap with both hands firmly. Squeeze/pinch the plastic together slightly and get a good grip. I then pulled upward on the cap while rocking it back and forth (from side to side of the car, not front to back). Just keep squeezing and pulling and rocking all at the same time. The cap will just pop off. You should know were to go from there. When it comes time to pop the cap back on, you have to first make sure that the yellow clip is in the cap itself and not in the hole that it fits into on the roof rack. Just angle the front edge of the cap back in first, and then snap the cap downward and back into position.The first time you take them off, you will probably have to pull on them with a good bit of force. There really isn't anything to break off of the cap by popping it off.

[Stang2Vibe]

quote:ahh I still don't get it.Well let me ask you this then. Why is it that you want to keep yours on? Other than the fact that the car came with them on there. I will rarely, if ever, use them so they are functionally just a pain to me. If I need to use them sometime in the future, I can put them back on in about 10 minutes. The first time I washed my Vibe, I wanted to be able to remove those bars because it is tough to try and get a sponge under them to clean the roof. Other than sliding the bars back and forth and trying to wash around them, there is no way to wash undernieth them. When I read about removing them on here and saw how good the car looked without them, I decided that they had to go.

[cohocarl]

quote:There really isn't anything to break off of the cap by popping it off.Mine broke where the black plastic part attaches to the yellow plastic assembly clip. It was a little cold outside when I tried taking mine off though (40F+/-). I epoxied the part back together and re-assembled it. I should have taken some pics and posted, but I was so pissed it broked I hurried up and put it back on after the epoxey cured, and I'm not going to try and get it off again.

[bellwilliam]

quote:I removed mine this weekend and it's very simple.1. Open the hatch completely.2. With a long screw driver slowly seperate the gap between the top cap and the plastic seal. Once you have the screw driver inbetween, push it in about 3" and slowly pull up seperating the plastic cap from the bottom. There is a tap in the dead center of the plastic cap and it will pop out with a little bit of pressure.3. Once the top snap has come undone, you can easily pull up on the cap and pull it off. 4. Remove the two retaining screws that prevent the bars from completely coming out. 5. Unscrew the antenna from the mount.6. Slowly move the cross bar back and careful pull it over the antenna mount.7. Replace the plastic caps and enjoy.If I have time tomorrow, I will put pictures to the words so please stay tuned. Personally, undoing the caps on the inside when the hatch is up with a screw driver was very easy.question, at point 2, which direction should I insert the screwdriver? from back to front?

[Stang2Vibe]

If you are going to do the screwdriver method, be very careful. There is part of the painted roof under that cap and you don't want to scratch it up. I considered the screwdriver before attempting this, but decided against it because of this risk. I shed no blood using my method and did not scratch or break anything.Sorry to hear that your retaining clip guide broke there, Cohocarl. Yes, the 40 degree weather is probably what caused it. Plastics tend to become quite brittle in the cold. I did mine with the outside temp being about 70 degrees F.

[bellwilliam]

Some of us wimpy guys (or gals) just can't take the cap off by hand. I will try the screwdriver method this weekend. Thanks.

[Russiaville]

Well, since I started this thread I felt like I had to respond. I used mu-ohio's technique last night and it worked great. It only took about 10 minutes. I did use a screwdriver but didn't scratch anything. One point brought out by stang2Vibe was a good one. When it comes time to put the caps back on, pop out the yellow pins and insert them in the removed black cap. Then carefully put the black caps back on in the proper postion and push down. Looks great and will make washing and drying the car so much easier. Considering that I will never strap anything on my roof, this is a big improvement. Thanks to all who responded.

[bellwilliam]

Just did it, using screwdriver.1 problem I had, I broke the plastic piece that holds the yellow thing. I will have to epoxy it back on now.now I took the cross bar off, I kind of like my old look (with cross bars) better. I will drive around to see if there are less wind noise, and if I can get better mileage otherwise, I will probably put the cross bars back on.

[LocDog]

Come on people... I think i was the first to do this and i didnt even have a guide, You got people explaining how to do it to you.Tugging on it wont work... you gotta pull on it like you wanna break it. Its not exactly made to come off.And what are you doin with a screwdriver?

[GT_03]

Mine came off very quickly, no real problem. Looks so much better without them.

[KSNeptune]

Someone needs to take a picture or two of the removed end cap, specifically the bottom of it. Seeing how it connects might make it easier to figure out best how to "pull" on it to get it off.Just a thought.KSNeptune

[DopeVibeGT]

Good idea. I'm half afraid to pull at mine.

[slbpsi63]

quote:Good idea. I'm half afraid to pull at mine. i I suggest that you do it when its hot ourside. (above 85F) tried to pull them off when it wasl cool and it felt like they were going to break. I tried again this weekend and they slide off but I still had to work at it. good luck.

[Russiaville]

I took some pictures of my Vibe after I had removed the cross bars. I'm happy with the way it turned out. It was 75 degrees when I did it and the car had been sitting out in the sun all day.Good luck to anyone who tries it. [IMG][/IMG]

Attached files

[mkl116]

I took off the bars since they were useless for carrying surfboards. I had to add an aftermarket rack (Thule) that grabs the silver bars so all the factory cross bars did was make it hard to wash and collect mositure where my car cover sagged....

[u2cnhav1]

I am currently researching Roof Racks (Thule 840 Playpen Basket) for my Pontiac Vibe which I picked up last month. I am wondering if I will need to by another set of Cross Bars (an adapter), or can I just mount the basket right to the factory rails without a set to support the weight. I know the weight capacity of the factory cross bars are 75 lbs. Do you have any insight on this.

[u2cnhav1]

I am really interested in the Thule 840 Playpen, so I can carry stuff and also have the option of putting a bike or skies on the rack as well. But if I don't know if I need to get the extra support bars. If I need to get a set of support bars, then I can go with the ones that GM sells and save a few bucks...

[mkl116]

I bought Thule 751xt since it is super easy/quick to install, lock and remove after use. 525xt for mountain bike, and 554 surfboard carrier. So far so good except for center mount intenna getting pushed to side when I grab one of my longer surfboards on smaller days.