S212 Wagons and Roof Racks
 

I am disappointed to find that I cannot get more than 10% off the big name roof rack brands like Thule and Yakima...at least not in Canada. Seems the distributor up here has a lock on prices and US internet outlets are prohibited from shipping North.

This is what I found and the Cdn prices:

ROOF BARS

• Thule Snowcat 5401 system; 2 bars w/locks. Skis only - $329.95
• Mercedes-Benz basic carrier A212 890 0493 - $374.30
• Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Silver 49” VA126S - $434 pair
  Includes Leg kit SX001 @ $194
• Thule AeroBlade Edge 7503 size L single bar - $465.90 pair
• Yakima Whispbar S45 (910 mm) system; 2 bars w/locks - $524.99

SKI RACKS

• Yakima PowderHound 4 pr. Ski rack- -$169.00
• Mercedes-Benz Standard ski rack A000 890 0493 - $202.00
• Thule Flat Top 6 pr. Ski rack - $179.00
  Add 4 pk locks - $75.00
• Mercedes-Benz pull-out ski rack A000 890 0393 - $330.00

ROOF BOX

• Thule 613 Pulse Alpine - Low Profile Ski and Cargo Box - $466.95
  Dimensions: 88.5" x 25.5" x 12.5" Max. Ski Length 211 cm
• Yakima Skybox 12 Carbonite Ski and Cargo Box - $669.99
  Dimensions: 92" x 24" x 16" Max. Ski Length 214 cm
• Mercedes-Benz 450 roof box black metallic A000 840 0300 - $839.00
  Dimensions: 86.5" x 31.5" x 15.75" Max. Ski Length unknown?

Thule's Snowcat system seems ideal for skis only, but is wasted money if I want to upgrade to bikes or a roof box. M-B bars are the best price but the most awkward looking. Love the flush-fitting Yakima Whispbar and Thule AB Edge designs, and I'm not so concerned about clearance as I don't open the pano roof during the winter anyway. There is huge variation in styles of roof boxes and surely some go better with the S212 than others but which ones? I favor the low profile ones and need to fit 200 cm X-country skis. Color is also a consideration; with tenorite gray I think I'm safe with black or similar dark gray, but silver or light gray might be out.

Would appreciate responses to a couple of questions from those who have or are also shopping for roof racks:

1. Anyone know what the max. ski length for the M-B 450 box?
2. Anyone from Canada know of a deal on Yakima Whispbars (my first choice)?
3. Anyone in the States know an internet sale that would ship Thule or Yakima up here?
4. Lastly, can those with roof boxes please post a photo and describe the pluses and minuses of their set-up?

Need2Speed,

did you find a solution? I'm looking for racks and box for my wagon.

thanks

Sorry, no :-(. Still scanning local ads for a good used set-up.

i've got the whisbars and thule box on mine. the whispbars don't allow room for the sunroof to open but are almost invisible.

How's the noise on your set up? I had OEM BMW racks on my e90 and wasn't too bad, but once you put on the touring cycle holder (for thru-axle road bike with wheel on), the whistling was unbearable.

it's not bad, no whistling. It creates an air noise similar to the side view mirrors starting around 45. any speed up to 70, the noise is easily masked by light music or conversation volume. after road trips i often leave it on for days while commuting without realizing its there. i never leave the crossbars on without the box so i can't comment on those alone.

I'm leaning towards the Aeroblades at the moment and Force box. It's just the wife and I, no kids.

Ive got the thule box before it was called the force something 1800 in gloss black.

For what it's worth... I'm running a Thule setup (square load bars) carried over from my '03 Passat wagon... it grabs the cargo rails just fine - no concerns loaded with bikes or cargo box. Might open up some search options on the kijiji market.

Have you tried mounting the crossbars as far back as possible? In order to at least allow the sunroof to tilt open a crack

Jabberwock, do you have the rail mounted bars or the flush mount? I'm not worried about opening the sunroof but I am concerned about wind noise and the Aeroblades seem to have more.

i mount the front crossbar directly over the b pillar. This achieves the max spread the box will allow which reduces vibration.
I also don't put my hand anywhere near the sunroof open/close switch when the bars are on there.

I have the flush version, http://www.whispbar.com/product/rail-bar/

Thanks. I think I am going to go with those as well. Now to pick a box.

search craigslist in your area. i got a killer deal on mine.

Is this the correct spec: Whispbar S45 (910 mm) system?

thanks.

Here's the PN 8050407. I purchased them from ebay. The description says 38.5"-42.5"

Thanks!

Ebay has a few ranging from $230 to $530, wow.

A couple of used Thule Snowcat ski-only bars have popped up on kijiji locally so I might try it out. Concerned the clamps are not rubber-coated though, could mark up the roof rails.

From a review of the Snowcat " The one nice feature that is not told about is that the coating on the hooks themselves that wrap around the roof rack - it is kind of a plastic coating around the metal part itself. And it also has another plastic padding underneath of it, too, so it does not mar up the finish of your factory roof rack. "

You might want to check out that "kind of a plastic coating" comment.

I still haven't ordered any bars. Interesting that Rerack has the S45 for more on their ebay site than their retail site.

the Thule carrier has a protected hook as well as rubber seat.

Thanks Jabberwock.

I got these bars from AliExpress
They appear to be Whispbar replicas
$100 for the pair, a fraction of the price of the Thule I was also considering. They have a rubberized coating around the clamps
So far so good, the keys are pretty flimsy but they are noise free and do the trick for my purposes. Time will tell if they hold up

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...532a563aa9.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...63efa6d8b9.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...fa9c83d010.jpg

those look exactly like the whispbar. How do they sound without a box on there?

Shhh - if you're quiet enough you might hear them

Honestly, the build quality of these cars is so superior, I dunno if you can hear anything. (I'm coming from an Audi V8 with aftermarket exhaust and they are much more noisy) I certainly don't hear wind noise, but it is cold here in Canada and I haven't driven with the windows down

Note: I've mounted them just behind the front doors, so there is room for the sunroof to tilt open. These are too low for the sunroof to slide back and same goes with the Thule Aero bars. I'm sure with the sunroof cracked open you'd hear a bit