Will the foot packs scuff or damage any roof paint when installed on a dirty car? can any roof surface get dented/scratched if over tightening clamps?
207516
A dirty car? Not sure about the reference, but if properly installed there no reason for scuff or damage of the roof paint. I have put them on and removed a couple of times and there is a very small "mark" where the clamps attached, but they are barely noticeable and nothing that wouldb't come off with some wax or cleaning product. If you over tighten the clamps, of course you can cause damage, so don't! After all, the metal is pretty thin around the car. The tightening tool that comes with the kit has a torque indicator, so you can see when it is tight enough. You really have to over do it to do some damage. Hope this helps. A dirty car? Not sure about the reference, but if properly installed there no reason for scuff or damage of the roof paint. I have put them on and removed a couple of times and there is a very small "mark" where the clamps attached, but they are barely noticeable and nothing that wouldb't come off with some wax or cleaning product. If you over tighten the clamps, of course you can cause damage, so don't! After all, the metal is pretty thin around the car. The tightening tool that comes with the kit has a torque indicator, so you can see when it is tight enough. You really have to... » Read More A dirty car? Not sure about the reference, but if properly installed there no reason for scuff or damage of the roof paint. I have put them on and removed a couple of times and there is a very small "mark" where the clamps attached, but they are barely noticeable and nothing that wouldb't come off with some wax or cleaning product. If you over tighten the clamps, of course you can cause damage, so don't! After all, the metal is pretty thin around the car. The tightening tool that comes with the kit has a torque indicator, so you can see when it is tight enough. You really have to over do it to do some damage. Hope this helps. « Show Less
207517
The foot packs are well padded but I would certainly clean the surface where they are mounted. There is no problem of denting. The roof is designed to accept these racks and a torque wrench is supplied to insure against over tightening. There is always a possibility of scratching while putting the rack on, but I have not had a problem.
207518
I have installed my six times during the summer after moutain bike races with no damage. I could see you possibly denting a ridge if you over tighten the clamps, but you would to wrench down on them pretty hard. As far as dirt goes, if you have dirt under the pads when you tighten them down, it will probably scratch the paint. I simply wipe down the areas before I put the clamps on to make sure they are clean, can be done under a minute.
207519
You have to install the bars on a clean roof. Any dirt may damage the paint. If installed properly, you cannot over tighten the nuts since you will have a torque wrench that comes with the set. The roof surface will not get damaged by the bars in any way.
207520
I've never installed it on a dirty car but I suppose the dirt will scratch the pant. The rack comes with a torque wrench with good instructions to prevent over tightening. I had the same concerns when I purchased this rack but I have been extremely satisfied with the way it works. It does have a lot of wind noise fyi.
207521
If you install them on a dirty car, yes, you take the chance of scratching the finish. Where it attaches is small enough that it would be reasonable to wipe the mounting area prior to putting them on. As for denting from too much tightening, the instructions detail on how to use the included tool to properly torque the mounting screws as to not damage the car or the mounting brackets.
207522
Not sure why you would install something like this on a dirty car, but I can see scuff or damage to the paint when clamped down on something abrasive between the foot packs and paint. Clean the car, avoid scratches. The car is made for this type of mount, open your door and you will see the indents, use the pictures to guide you to them. As for dents, I imagine the roof rack would break prior to denting the car, a tool is included to help ensure proper tension. :) The nice thing about this type of mount is that you do not cut or drill into the car for installation. I have enjoyed my set.
207523
Foot packs will scuff the roof paint if installed on dirty car. Surface cannot be dented/scratched if over tighten, torque wrench is provided.
251434
Yes. Even if the car was perfectly clean. If that's your plan I would make sure the car is clean and put a chamois between the bag and the paint.That said -- depends on what you mean by "scratch" -- different people are entitled to keep their cars as different levels of condition. Some are more utilitarian than others.
420545
Hey Nikki, I used the bag as it's advertised, on a cargo carrier. So, can't really give you an answer in reference to using it on the roof. However, the bag itself is great. Waterproof and very durable. A lot of room in it too. I definitely recommend the bag for use.
1076810
Do you have front and rear bars? Basically you should have something to keep this cargo bag in place; otherwise it's going to slide around on your roof and that could have bad consequences. I read in a review where someone ran the straps through the door openings and across the inside roof liner, but I'd be worried about that setup since it doesn't prevent sliding around and shifting. There are bags made to secure to roofs without racks. I'd look for one of those if you don't have anything on your roof.
1487992
The only problem that I have had after 12 years is that if you tighten the straps too hard, it may slightly bend the metal where the hooks meet the car, but so far, no scratches.
926456
It should not scratch if used properly and if beaters are installed properly
336134
i don't believe it will scratch a metal roof due to the plastic rollers it rides on, but it may be susceptible to tearing if it were to catch any kind of edge. If you can keep the tarp from any sharp edges and use it on days when its not to windy its a great product. Hope this helps.
1942237
First, let me say that I've had this protector on my doors for over six months and it still looks great... no fading, cracking, etc. I've bumped my garage walls a couple times and you can't tell... on either the door or the wall. I would think it would protect against scuffing if you bumped another car. Its a smooth, clear surface and unless you hit the other car hard enough to dent it, there would be no indication you had hit it or scuffing as far as I could tell. Haven't really field tested that!
1422579
Make sure you wipe the areas of the car that the rack will be touching. Install slowly, it takes only a few minutes anyway. So far no scratches on my car from it- Sooo happy with this rack! Hope that helps.
2248146
You can if the roof rails have space under them (so the strap still is against the car roof). If the strap that anchors to the car has to be over the rails so that the pads are floating I probably wouldn't do it as that would be a lot of force coming up under the boards. Another issue though (even when pads are flat against roof) is the pressure the roof rails put on the boards. It's not an issue if you're only using one of the racks so that you can have the board(s) resting between the rails, but when using both (so boards are side by side) it means that you're going to have the sides of the boards sitting on top of the roof rails which is a lot of focused pressure after being adequately strapped down. You can if the roof rails have space under them (so the strap still is against the car roof). If the strap that anchors to the car has to be over the rails so that the pads are floating I probably wouldn't do it as that would be a lot of force coming up under the boards. Another issue though (even when pads are flat against roof) is the pressure the roof rails put on the boards. It's not an issue if you're only using one of the racks so that you can have the board(s) resting between the rails, but when using both (so boards are side by side) it means that you're going to have the sides of... » Read More You can if the roof rails have space under them (so the strap still is against the car roof). If the strap that anchors to the car has to be over the rails so that the pads are floating I probably wouldn't do it as that would be a lot of force coming up under the boards. Another issue though (even when pads are flat against roof) is the pressure the roof rails put on the boards. It's not an issue if you're only using one of the racks so that you can have the board(s) resting between the rails, but when using both (so boards are side by side) it means that you're going to have the sides of the boards sitting on top of the roof rails which is a lot of focused pressure after being adequately strapped down. « Show Less
276059
It did not scratch anything on my van. We used it on a trip from MA to VA and back and did not experience any movement to the carrier. I would use the helpful hint that others have mentioned before and cut a thin piece of plywood to put at the bottom of the pack to make everything sturdy and stable. This really is a great item that I would highly recommend.
1678787
I have not seen any noticeable scratches. The metal of the hooks actually touch the car at the curve behind and under the trunk lip
1650449
The only suggestion I have is to just barely thread the thing together until you get both the rear top crossbar bolts through and secured. That and mount it so the threads point away from the cargo basket. Won't scratch or puncture whatever you're carrying. Good luck!
1257246
I've had no problems with that. You could put a coating on them, or place a piece of rubber under them if desired. My suggestion is to make sure that the area that you place the hooks is clean first so dirt doesn't cause a scratch. I've used this on two of my cars without any issues.
418399
I have leather seats and although they were not pristine to start with I didn't notice scuffing. If you are really concerned, and have really nice seats, putting some sort of felt or flannel material on the seat-bed underneath would probably work. FYI the back side of the hammock also has somewhat of a waterproof lining on it that cracks and flakes overtime. I used my hammock for about four years and washed it a number of times though.
1607055
I own mine for a couple of months now.i ran mine on almost any terrain and nothin went wrong with it.and everytime im done playing with it i use old toothbrush and all purpose foam cleaner.and when the car's dirt are loose and its cover in suds i shoot with water hose.im directly shooting at the ESC and motor and mine always run smooth and look mint.so about the water proof ability of the car i think its pretty good.and about the warranty coverage if the waterproofing fails our only way to find out is by calling horizon hobby or vaterra. tip:when washing car remove wheels from car as the water can go inside and absorbed by the foam tire insert.wheels will be heavy and rob u power.
2236351
We did nt run into major down pour just some showers we did nt see any water but as a precaution (since some others said it was nt 100 % ) we wrapped to few things we did nt want drenched in plastic garbage bag. We mounted it to our sienna roof racks and put a small. Moving blanket piece between the roof and Thule. The only wear was slight on the roof racks wear straps were (Roofs are powder coated so it's expected) Overall no h2o issues or wear on roof When on the highway the bag sails above we also had straps to rat he down any loose play