[Pvillerob]

I went in to pick up my roof cross bars for the roof rack this morning. It was $535 with tax! ��

When I got it home, I found out why... the whole thing is several boxes of THULE parts. ! I thought Chevy had some bespoke, factory-made by Chevrolet cross bars for the Bolt. Like what I had on my Subaru. That's why I was thinking, "****! Five Benjamins for a couple of cross pieces? Seems pretty steep!"

Thule is pretty expensive kit. And the dealer markup that goes along with that explains why "just getting a couple cross bars" is such an expensive proposition. $535 is still ridiculous.

I am dang surprised that Chevy apparently hasn't made its own cross bars for the Bolt. And for that matter, they're not included on the Premier model. (The non-existent factory ones) I think that is my only disappointment with our car. Yo, Chevy! Go look at a 2006 Subaru Impreza. I'd have gladly paid, say $275 for a pair of cross bars. If they were factory. Instead, I have an overpriced hack job.

 

[DaV8or]

Check around the site. There is a thread about the cross bars and the best and cheapest hack is there is a set of bars you can buy that are intended for a Cadillac CUV that only cost about $180 and just require a small amount of modification to fit to the Bolt. People seem happy with it.

It is dumb that Chevy doesn't make their own, or simply adapted something from one of their other vehicles, or at least partnered with a cheaper vendor given that it's Chevy, not Cadillac.

 

[Pvillerob]

Found it....

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/154-...v-today/28839-added-crossbars.html#post419987

The Thule is going back tomorrow. Get 300 of my dollars back!

 

[Pvillerob]

Found it....

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/154-...v-today/28839-added-crossbars.html#post419987

The Thule is going back tomorrow. Get 300 of my dollars back!

 

[Pvillerob]

Found it....

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/154-...v-today/28839-added-crossbars.html#post419987

The Thule is going back tomorrow. Get 300 of my dollars back!

 

[GregBrew]

Found it....

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/154-...v-today/28839-added-crossbars.html#post419987

The Thule is going back tomorrow. Get 300 of my dollars back!

I guess third time's the charm?>

 

[Pvillerob]

The Thule is going back tomorrow. Get 300 of my dollars back!

Guess not! Since "I have installed it on the vehicle" I cannot return it. Even though I intend to buy the $275, yes, here in California I guess, it's $275, not $140, for the Cadillac cross bars....

So, seriously, I guess I'll have to sell the Thule kit on eBay. Anyone want it for $300?? 0

 

[Pvillerob]

I guess third time's the charm?>

Ooops don't know what happened there....triple post!?

 

[SkiCarolyn]

Thule Roof Crossbar Kit(s)

Can you buy these kits directly from Thule? And if so, would it be less $? I do not own a Bolt Premier yet, but I'm close to buying one. I like the Thule crossbars because they look sturdier than the Cadillac ones. Obviously, don't want to pay big $. And since I don't own the vehicle yet, I don't want to purchase yours on Ebay (sorry!) Would appreciate knowing if I can buy these direct from Thule in future.
THANKS!

 

[Pvillerob]

I'm not sure, Carolyn, but I think they only sell through distributors. You can ask them, tho...

https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/roof-rack

And, I ended up keeping the Thule kit. Cost of doin' business I guess. I kinda like it now. Four screws and it's on or off the car. The kayak is suspended above the car on a rope/pulley system, so that's easy on/off too. I still think their instructions suck.

 

[One1whaoo.]

Or one could 3D-print a set of towers for $5 with 3/4"tubing for the the rails, but it sounds like you need more than just a set of cross-rails.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3237683

 

[Pvillerob]

Yeah, you need the bits and pieces that go between the cross rails themselves and the holes in the roof rails on the car. That's the hard part. Somebody has to invest the R&D and manufacturing process to make those two things come together in a proper way. I wouldn't put anything 3D printed on MY car's roof that has to support 75lbs. On a moving vehicle.

 

[121 Kw]

The shortened cadillac ones are solid as a rock. The brackets that bolt to the roof rail are heavy and solid. I intend to eventually, but have not yet even cross bolted the cut end into the bracket. So the bar "floats" in one of the brackets, but really its doesn't move since its bolted in on the other side and fully captured on the unbolted end.

Testing for sturdy-ness the whole car shakes without a hint of the roof rack mounting giving.



Needed to get my welding bottle re-filled, not keen on putting it in the car. No creaking or funny noises, pretty solid.

 

[One1whaoo.]

Yeah, you need the bits and pieces that go between the cross rails themselves and the holes in the roof rails on the car. That's the hard part. Somebody has to invest the R&D and manufacturing process to make those two things come together in a proper way. I wouldn't put anything 3D printed on MY car's roof that has to support 75lbs. On a moving vehicle.

OTOH, if you just want to bring a couple of sheets of plywood home on the Bolt, the 3D-printed version is probably just fine.

 

[California]

OTOH, if you just want to bring a couple of sheets of plywood home on the Bolt, the 3D-printed version is probably just fine.

Ever seen a rooftop mattress folded back? There can be surprising lifting force at highway speed. (I've been nearly swept off my feet while carrying plywood shoulder-high across an unfinished roof). I would want a specifically designed bracket in that location.

 

[One1whaoo.]

Ever seen a rooftop mattress folded back? There can be surprising lifting force at highway speed. (I've been nearly swept off my feet while carrying plywood shoulder-high across an unfinished roof). I would want a specifically designed bracket in that location.

Drive slowly.

 

[California]

Drive slowly.

Where's the fun in that? A roof rack assembly should become an integral part of the car, capable of any ordinary driving and not limiting it. I think buying well designed mounts is preferable to one-off 3-d printing something that 'looks like' the real thing. I would gladly pay the extra cost to get something already tested then never think about 'is it adequate?' Mono Lake/Conway Summit detail, from an offroad camping expedition using a rooftop carrier:

 

[GetOffYourGas]

A roof rack assembly should become an integral part of the car, capable of any ordinary driving and not limiting it.

I agree completely with this. This is part of why I bought the Premier over the LT; the Premier has factory-mounted flush rails. Before the Bolt, I used to use a Yakima clip-on rack. It attached to the roof with clips that run under the door. I was ok with that until I drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel - a 17.6-mile long bridge / tunnel across the mouth of the bay in Virginia. I was driving 50-55MPH, but the cross-winds can be intense. I had a kayak on the roof. When I got to the other side, the bars were crooked, and there were long scratch marks across the roof of the car. I'm just glad I didn't lose the kayak into the bay!

 

[clcressall]

Thule is worth it for the super quite aerodynamics they engineer into it. I leave mine on all of the time.

 

[Pvillerob]

121 KW, I like your solution. I would have preferred that over what I have, as I don't particularly like having the ends of the cross rails sticking out like they do on the Thule.