GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Can the roof rack rails be removed without leaving obvious mounting hardware/holes behind?

Why do you want to remove it?It looks good on the car!!!

I guess I disagree.

There was talk from Pontiac (around the time of the press intros) about making a kit to cover the holes if the rack was removed, but haven't seen or heard anything since.

I have to agree.....I want to remove it . I wish that they had made it an option....I did a photo edit and this car looks really good without the rack..

Me too, can't wait to remove minerob

It's just my opinion but I like the roof rack. It makes the vehicles top look more flat. I think it looks sportier than the Matrixs without it. If you do remove it you'll probably have holes in your roof. You'll need to make sure they are sealed or water could leak in and that would be a big problem.

I don't want to remove the whole roof rack because I actually like the look of it from the side. I just want to remove the 2 lateral bars that slide back and front. Can it be done? I tried removing the adjustment screws but had no luck removing the bars.
[Modified by NovaResource, 3:36 PM 7/8/2002]

I photoshoped the roof rack off mine and it looks great.. i was thinkin, the matrix doesnt have one. So maybe i could order the covers that the matrix have where the roof rack would be... does neone have any idea if this can be done... i havent really been lookin at matrix's.
[Modified by LocDog, 11:36 PM 8/25/2002]

I was going to attempt this next weekend. After looking at the protype Vibes without the rack, I like the lines a little more.

i'd of rathered the side bars be black to go with my abyss gt then the shiny metallic color they are.... its gonna be the only non-black thing on my car......'cept for the wheels.....

I think the racks are great. They match my alloy performance wheels.

I think they give it that "mini van look". i like the slope it has on the back. and the racks cover it up.Im dying to rip them off and drop the car.

hey here's an idea. since you wan to take the roof off. take the door handles off too, and use the door popers to open them. you'll have a real nice smooth look with no door handles and no roof rack.

I was thinkin about it... but i dont have the cash to do that right now.

quote:I don't want to remove the whole roof rack because I actually like the look of it from the side. I just want to remove the 2 lateral bars that slide back and front.... I tried removing the adjustment screws but had no luck removing the bars. My thoughts exactly. I imagine that the cross bars decrease mileage and increase interior noise slightly. I've had no luck either. I'll ask my dealer's service department whether it can be done, when I take my Vibe in for the extension of the block heater cord.

If they tell you how to do it, let me know. I'd love to get the cross bars off. Thanks.

Hey i just got home from tearing off half of my roof rack... the lateral bars come off very easily.But the actual rack its self is a (removed).It has some fasteners on it that click into the roof of the car.. and BREAK when u try to remove it, this is a bad thing.under the rack there's a plastic strip thats the part that has the fasteners, then there are four bolts on each end that are used to mount it.In the process of pullin it off i kinda broke ALL three fasteners and the mounts. Hopefully i can epoxy them back on or something.

pictures?

So how did you get the lateral bars off? Any damage just taking them off?

Well i put my rack back on, once i find a site to upload my pics on ill post some.But i left the lateral bars off, those come off very easily with no damage, unlike the rack(which is kinda loose now )to take the bars off all u gotta do is rip off the black covers from toward the back of the car from the end of the rail, u really have to move em around and pull hard, they snap in.Then after that there are these little screws on the inside of the track that keep the bars from goin back too far, unscrew those, remove ur antenna and slide the bars to the back and over the antenna stub(if it doesnt go over it, unscrew the 4 bolts, 2 on each side, that hold on the back of the roof rack)
[Modified by LocDog, 12:36 AM 9/5/2002]

Hmmm....why not just get the Matrix instead? Roof rack sets off the vibe's go-anywhere attitude....otherwise its just another compact wagon. Just watch, I'll attach big glider wings to my rack, and then I can fly around and you'll think, "why didn't I keep the roof rack?". Then you'll all be jealous...JEALOUS I SAY.MO-HOO-wahahaha!!!

I left mine on, i just took the lateral bars off. now it doesnt look like a mini van Now only to drop it.

ok hmm would removing the rack and then put the screws where the wholes for the roof rack bolt down seal them off would that work

Hey! I see one of my old posts up there...when i was very drunk on Alize I believe. Ahhh, good times.

After this post was made ages ago, a few people attempted removals and were disappointed to find that the act of removal was damaging to the roof. It was not a simple "unbolt" and then remove. Plastic clips broke, leaks were created, not fun. Enterprising members later pulled it off, but i cannot recall who. They had custom caps made to cover the gaping holes left behind.

They make roof rack caps..... NOT CHEAP ! 160 bucks LOL

http://www.carid.com/2003-pontiac-vibe- ... 02873.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Vibe looks really great without the entire roof rack assembly. I just removed the cross rails today & it looks WAYYYY better. Do a google image search on roof rack caps for pontiac Vibe & you will find lots of pics with the roof rack caps on.

I had the carbon fiber ones, they never did line up all that well, they were 2 pieces on each side, I didn't like how they mated up in the middle. I would suggest going with the fiberglass ones you have to paint. they are done a much better way and look way better when done IMO.