Factory Roof Rack Issues

[norsseman]

No roof rack yet, got my FJ at invoice and had to take the one FJ that was
offered with a smooth roof.

Sort of glad I didn't get a factory roof rack now that I hear all the stories of
leaking, noise, etc.

Lookin for a good quality roof rack, any suggestions?







.

[JimmyHoops]

FJoel previously said:

Maybe some helicoils (stainless thread inserts), but they can be tricky and need several full threads to engage and stay put. We helicoil many of our aluminum parts right off the bat at work to ensure they never strip. It does involve drilling the hole larger and using a special tap though...

I think that helicoils would work best. I worked in ski shops for years and this was always the solution for bindings that ripped out of the skis. If you give this method a shot, let us know how it works and provide some pics for all those out there not familiar with helicoils.

[JimmyHoops]

norsseman previously said:

No roof rack yet, got my FJ at invoice and had to take the one FJ that was
offered with a smooth roof.

Sort of glad I didn't get a factory roof rack now that I hear all the stories of
leaking, noise, etc.

Lookin for a good quality roof rack, any suggestions?






.

There are bunches of options out there as has been covered in many a thread. It largely depends on how much you wish to spend. See this thread for a comparison of available options:

Complete Roof Rack Comparison

[Slow35th]

JimmyHoops previously said:

I think that helicoils would work best. I worked in ski shops for years and this was always the solution for bindings that ripped out of the skis. If you give this method a shot, let us know how it works and provide some pics for all those out there not familiar with helicoils.

I've worked with helicoils and IMHO there is not enough meat on the cross bar for them to work. There is only about the thickness of a dime to work with. The inserts pictured in post #6 above work perfectly.