So my biggest dissapointment with this car has been the stupid factory mount points for roof racks. (Why the heck didn't MB put at least rails on the car so you could mount a rack right!!??)

Well, I've sold and have used Thule stuff for 25+ years and thought I would look for a better way to mount a roof rack. (Afterall, yakima makes a rack that mounts on the R without using the factory points...so why not Thule?)

I figured it out and my system is on and WAAAAAYYY better then using the little factory bolt on points.

I used a standard Thule 400 foot pack, 58 inch load bars, Thule Fit kit 268 (Crystler Minivan) bracket for the rear of the car (you need a super long bracket and the fit kit 268 is perfect!) and also Thule Fit kit from a 2000 VW Golf...(Pretty sure that is #2047).
You will need to do some VERY minor bending of the fit kit lips to align with the door frame...I mean minor as is in a degree or two of angle...easy.

Take a look at the pictures and you will see how simple it is!! Plus the bikes and box and any accessories are mounted back on the car where they belong! No more having your roof box stick 3 feet out past your windshield...that is plain goofy!

The system is totally solid and will allow me to carry MUCH more gear for sure!!

Disclaimer - DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK AS THIS IS NOT A THULE 'APPROVED' SYSTEM. It's not rocket science though

Personally, I love the factory mounting system. No scratches on the car, No damaged weather stripping, and on and off in a heartbeat. For those who don't know, its actually made by Thule. It has their name on it.

Sure, to each there own. The MB OEM rack while made by Thule, allows little for flexability when it comes to being able to use longer bars...you can't. So trying to use a large roof box, bike mounts and wheel mounts is not possible with the factory one. The Thule pads and fit kits are all rubber coated so as long as they and the car are clean, no issus with scratching. Weatherstrip on door..non issue. I bet mine comes off just as fast!! Personally, I sure as heck don't like the thought of a LOADED rack being held on by 4 little threaded bolts. No thanks.

I also like have my roof box mounted back over the roof and not over the windshield...

Anyway, just throwing out another way to do it!

No way - I'm with "Mercdriver". Nothing beats what you get from Mercedes.

With the Mercedes OEM you will not be compressing your weather strip, no scratching the paint, it's lockable, and it's simple to install for one person.

Mine is rock solid with the large box and I've done 100 mph with it on my way to Colorado.

Flexibility - I have the same base and can build whatever I want. That flexibility is the same or better.

I like it over the windshield so I can see if it's vibrating or not.

Sorry - the after market stuff does not compare.

I agree with the others. Hard-bolting a rack is better than clamping. I've had the clamps loosen and slip on previous vehicles. Even when super-tight, I could still force the feet to slip.

You may not like the thought of 4 "tiny" bolts holding the rack on the car but, the fact is, those 4 bolts are more than sufficient to handle the specified load. Do you have any evidence of roof bolts breaking on the R-class? TSBs or recalls?

To give you an idea, tensile strength of a 6mm steel screw is around 174,000psi. 6mm screw has an area of .03 sq in. .03 x 174,000= 5296lbs. So, in theory, each tiny bolt can take 5296lbs of tension before breaking. The point is, the "wimpy" bolts are more than adequate to secure the rack to the roof. The rack itself or the R's sheetmetal will likely fail before the bolt does.

I actually think otherwise. I don't like to put a load on the rear end of my vehicle. Sure, putting a long cargo box on the stock roof rack might result on the front end of the box protruding over the windshield, but is that really an issue? If you look at the bolt points of the OEM rack, the load will be on the center of the vehicle and not at the back. I'm no physics expert but something tells me that putting the weight in the middle will produce a better handling than if the load is at the back. It's not like MB engineers didn't think about it. That's why BMW and MB do their darndest for each vehicle design to make 50/50 weight distribution as much as possible. They don't compromise on the vehicle's handling.

Is that rear roof spoiler aftermarket? It just looks bigger then normal in your picture.

As for carrying bikes and the box, I use the factory load bars, with the factory rocket box. And when I need to also take bikes I use a hitch mount for the bikes which can hold up to 4 bikes...

I have a HUGE thule roof box AND can carry 4 bikes on the roof with this setup...just makes more sense to me...the factory MB bars just don't give you much option as they are so narrow...I also like the box mounted back on the car and not over the windshield. It simply looks better.

Anyway, pretty happy with my setup.

Is that an aftermarket spoiler on the rear window? Just seems bigger then normal...

My answer was in the header..."MB Factory Roof spoiler, yes..." Mercedes has the roof spoiler and two front little lip spoilers you can get. Lip spoilers are goofy, but I think the rear deck spoiler gives a more sporty appearance. I just bought some Ronal R47 in 20's that I putting on pretty soon...Titanium finish...

Thanks, sorry, a little slow yesterday...put some pics when you get em on, and whats the cost of that spoiler? I googled, and found nothing on this...

About $600 - here's a link and a site that seems to have most of the MB accesories...

http://www.genuinemercedesparts.com/...subcat3=137847

Sorry to thread jack, but is anyone interested in buying a hardly used roof rack for the R? I never strapped a real carrier on it, just a bag with soft straps once. email me at rmbalisa at comcast dot net

How much for the rack?

Just the rails?

What would shipping run to 28104 Matthews NC

I'm not interested in convincing the originator of this thread and his aftermarket rack, but for those of you surfing and trying to make up your own mind, I must tell you BUY THE MERCEDES RACK. It is so amazingly engineered it is frankly a pleasure to put it on or take it off. It fits into those hidden little flaps beside your panorama roof. It comes with a little wrench engineered into each mount. Each pillar has a little map on it, so you know exactly where the pillar goes, front left, back right, etc. Which is an issue when it has been off for 6 months since the last time you used it! I looked for a cheaper rack, and am so happy that I ended up buying the original MB rack. If you want an examply of quality well thought out engineering, and take pleasure in a well made, precisely fitting piece of machinery, don't trash your R class with anything other than the factory rack. I have zero connection with MB other than owning a R-350, just advice to fellow drivers based on my own pleasure with this purchase. Jack.

I have both the Thule and the OEM [made by Thule] rack for my R500. I agree that the OEM goes on quickly and fits perfectly. The downside, if it is one, is that it site pretty high on the roof and is limited in useable width. When I switched from the Thule 2100 pod to the large Packasport pod, I could no longer use the OEM bars as they were not quite wide enough to fit the new pod. The Thule 460 Podium foot kit fits just as well as the OEM system but it has limitations as well. It is somewhat trickier to initially set up [but you only need to do that once], it is almost as much $$ as OEM, and does not look quite as integrated as the OEM system. Both are made very well and both will last as long, if not longer, than the car. Pick which one you need based on the eventual use of the rack...BTW, if anyone is interested in my OEM bars, let me know...

sorry, that made me laugh, because I have an '04 W220 (S55). While I agree that most MB items are well engineered, every time I see someone mention MB engineering, I think about my own vehicle. Yes, it has some great engineering, however...

If you want to see an example of FAIL engineering, take a peek at the "cup holder" in a 2003-2006 W220. Utter failure as a cup holder. I use it to occassionally hold my treo. Any cups/bottles must he manually held in place for anything other than straight-ahead driving. And that means no braking! Jeez, it's such a joke...

Yep, my 'Thule' setup allows for a LARGE thule roof box and I can squeeze 4 bikes on the roof...can't do that with a MB rack...nor would I feel comfortable with that weight of stuff being held by 4 little bolts...

Hence I went custom to fit my needs and allow for greater versatility, better looks and allow for a little higher weight loads...

[QUOTE=bpeotter;4207928]Yep, my 'Thule' setup allows for a LARGE thule roof box and I can squeeze 4 bikes on the roof...can't do that with a MB rack...nor would I feel comfortable with that weight of stuff being held by 4 little bolts..."

actually, the aero fit kit that you have uses smaller diameter bolts to hold the clamps to the bodywork than the bolts in the 460 podium kit that thule specs for the w251. furthermore, the clamping action that you are using depends on a friction fit rather than a mechanical fastener. i will leave it to the more engineering inclined readers to point out the benefits vs drawbacks of each...that being said, the correct thule podium 460 kit is well engineered, as stout as the OEM bars and can bear some significant weight. i am not saying that your setup won't work, just that both mercedes and thule are perfectly good and each serves a different purpose.

I dont disagree with you at all...I actually started the process with the MB set up that came with the car (sits WAAY to high up on the roof) and then to the Thule 460 set up thinking that would suffice. I just couldn't stand everything being mounted out over the windshield. (Especially the box) It just looks goofy IMO. My 'way' certainly works and my old aero feet have the big allen bolts. That rack ain't budging.

This whole thread was started to simply present another option...to each his own.

I run the Thule 460 with the bars and a big box the Thule Evolution 2100. Often have over 100 pounds of gear(skis, kites, kiteboards ect.) Now have 90,000 kilometres on the car and the rack and mounts have been bullet proof. I prefer the profile of the Thule over the OEM. Very easy on and off. Just the facts here!

I prefer the Yakima mounts for this car allowing for use of round bars. The 4 mounts store in the spare tire well. If you didn't brink the bars, 3/4" pipe works however the pipe needs 3 or 4 turns of heavy duty duct tape for the clamps to tighten. Bar centers can be cushioned with pipe insulation (Home Depot/Lowes). Pipe wrap can be taped over for better wear and appearance. You can of course use standard Yakima bars - I believe they are 1 1/8" diameter. End caps from the plumbing department (usually ship on pipe to protect threads) or you can stuff some wine corks in the ends and tape. Yakima setups uses a 5 mm allen wrench to tighten everything. Long items - Kayaks - can use extra dense foam blocks at rear. Front over hang allows keeping an eye on things, shifting.

This one is much stronger than stock but I do agree

Our dealer ordered 2 sets of MB racks for us and they both arrived damaged in shipping.
Next time I need the racks, I am going to order the thule 460R setup with the aero bars.

What hitch do you have installed on your R. I have an R320 and haven't seen very many threads that show a hitch that is easy to install or doesn't have problems bottoming out when leaving a driveway with an incline.