allencic

I installed the OEM rack yesterday and its not too difficult but you must be careful and follow the instructions that come with the rack. First, the most difficult part is taking off the black trim strip that runs from the base of the windshield to the hatchback. The strip looks like plastic but is in fact black coated aluminum. Be careful, it can be bent easily. The instructions say you need a KTC plastic trim tool. (KTC stands for Kyoto Tool Co.) I went to the local Honda dealer and a kind mechanic loaned me his. It is nothing more that a strip of hard pink plastic about 5/8" wide that tapers to 3/8" and thins toward the tip. The picture of it in the instruct. doesn't really show what it is like. After getting my trim strips off, I think you could do it as well with just a simple putty knife (perhaps covered with tape). Not a bad idea to tape the paint alongside the strip to protect the paint. When you start to pry, be sure you don't damage the thin rubber that is attached to the aluminum strip. It is difficult to get the pry tool between the rubber and the painted "A" pillar. Once the first clip is loose the rest are much easier to get off. As the instruct. say, start at the lower end of the windshield. Removing the clips using flat tip screwdrivers are much less complicated than the instructions make them seem. Easier to do than describe. Once you have the strip off, carefully measure the areas to be cut and discarded. The three mounting brackets will cover the cut ends but you still need to measure accurately. The Honda mechanic said that if you leave any gaps that will cause wind noise. I found that if you measure the total distance of the sum of all the cuts from back toward the front (it is 54.85") and cut the one just above the windshield first you will have strip remaining that is straighter and easier to cut and handle. The instructions say to use a 32 teeth/inch hacksaw and I suppose that will work fine but I used an X-acto razor saw for the first cut and then (believe it or not) a sharp carbide blade on a radial arm saw for all the other cuts. The cuts through the aluminum were clean, straight and perpendicular to the strip. Be warned though that the saw makes a helluva shriek going thru the aluminum. You attach the middle brackets first and should then attach the longitudinal bars to it before using the torx nuts at the front and back. There is a little bit of play in the front and back mounting holes and if you don't screw to the middle bracket first you may find the holes for the torx nuts won't line up perfectly. You discard the green mounting clips and you should make a trial fitting of the reused purple and pink clip positions before pressing them firmly into place. This is especially true for the piece that goes back along the sides of the windshield. With the clips correctly placed the trim segments simply press into place and will be solid and firmly attached. For a little extra insurance, I put a couple of drops of Locktite on all the bolts and nuts. That's it, at most, a couple of hours work and you know its done right.

flip110119

Could you rec. The best place to pick up the OEM roof rack?

Mrgoody

I find it kills the look of rdx and probably your gas mileage too.

Omnious

Would anyone recommend just installing the side rails, leaving out the cross bar? I would imagine the side rails won't do much damage on MPG.

phoward_15

The roof rack itself can't do much damage to the mpgs. I would like to see some hard scientific evidence of mpgs of an RDX with and without a roof rack. If they can legitimately show me that you can save 2 mpgs then I stand corrected. Because in my mind 1 mpg difference is not worth the difference. That means the same terrain, speed, year, model, tire pressure, grade of gas, and everything else that goes along with that.

R*D*X*

Probably not much difference on MPG but defienitely increase wind noise :p

phoward_15

R*D*X you might be right my friend. However, I've never had a car without one so the wind noise is null to me. To each their own. I'd much prefer the convenience of lugging stuff around than worrying about mileage or a slight noise.

rockcity

This is how mine is set up. I didn't plan on getting the roof rack, but it came already on the one I bought. I just removed the cross beams and I actually like how it looks that way. I can't imagine the side rails are really affecting gas mileage considerably.

elespu

Wow, I think I would never be able to do it myself. I have question how easy it is to take it off.
P.S. To Mrgoody According to most sources, a roof rack will reduce your fuel economy by 5%, and,

phoward_15

Elespu....5% is nothing. 5% on an average of 20mpg is 1 mpg. I'm more than happy to pay that price ($2.99 per gallon -- MA cost) to lug luggage/cargo around and have a good time.

Mrgoody

Not sure if you can read or not- But I said it will probably kill your fuel economy meaning reduce your gas mileage( Meaning drinks more gas)

ptrapper65

I think it looks better with the rack.

Khanyam3

The rdx definitely look better with the roof rack.

Mr Marco

Agreed, however the wind noise is signifigant.

pwu_1

I just installed the factory roof rack on a 2007 RDX. I didn't notice any wind noise after installation

metalcutterr

I am new to the form. Just bought my first Acura. It is a 2007 RDX. My wife and I love it. My wife wants to install a roof rack cause she thinks they look cool. We will probley never haul anything with it.

Beatloafer

http://www.handa-accessories.com/rdx/rack.pdf

Found the install instructions online.

gores95

It looks like on the H and A website they have the entire rack (side and cross rails) for $328.68. Does anyone know how much your local Acura or Honda dealer would charge to install this?

They charge around $750 total for the entire rack and installation. If the charge $100 for the installation alone then it would be a real savings to buy the rack first at H and A.

Thanks,

Marc

Mr Marco

Take it from me...if you are serious about your outdoor activities I advise you to look at an aftermarket rack system such as Yakima ($5-700) or Thule ($1,000). I run the factory rack with cheap bike mounts and it is just plain wimpy. There are times I wonder if 80mph drive winds might just rip the whole thing off the roof. And forget about things like lumber, the factory rack will only support a couple of 2x4's. If you are going to spend $750 for a dealer install get the Yakima instead.

jngnyc

Hey all,

sorry if this question has already been answered...

I have never had a car without a roof rack, so my concept of "noise" in a car has never had perspective to compare against.

My question is, for those RDX owners that have a factory roof rack installed (w/ crossbars) where in particular do these owners hear the noise?

Logically, if the roof rack is causing the noise, one would hear the noise coming from the general direction of the moonroof...

however, when I am driving on the faster side (70+)... the wind noise I hear is coming from the sides of me.. not so much the moonroof.

I guess I am trying to correlate if the wind noise i am hearing (from an unknown source.... roof-rack OR bad window insulation) is the same wind noise other owners are attributing to their roof rack.

Thanks all!

Khanyam3

Mr Marco can you tell me how to remove the crossbars?