Top recommended roof rack

[Ollie8p]

Hey everyone. 

I'm looking for recommendations on a good set of roof bars I can fit to my sportback that won't damage the paintwork. Can anyone help me out? 

I was going to try go down the route of sourcing some of the roof bars which you have to drill the roof to fit but haven't had much luck. And I feel that it would be a lot more costly! 

Thanks 

[Magnet]

Hello Oliver,

Thanks for being in touch and raising a good question.

Strange but Audi seemed to ignore the need for these cars (well our 2006, and I guess your 2009) to be subsequently fitted with roof rails, since there are no pre-drilled-and-covered holes. 

I looked at this and decided that I really did not want to drill the roof/mess up the headlining? etc. so called it a day. Perhaps, if you are looking to buy a pair of second hand ones, then you may find they are rare - for the same reason.

Perhaps you could explain exactly what you are now looking for - front to back roof rails, or some form of across-car food bars? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Ollie8p]

Hi Gareth. 

Thanks for the reply! I would be keen to find some front to back permanently fixed rails but an alternative would be some decent removable side to side roof rack bars as I will only really be using it a couple times a year and mainly to secure a roof box for skis and luggage. 

It would make sense to find a good pair of removable bars that aren't likely to ruin the paint work on the roof eveytime they are used over drilling holes in the roof! 🤦‍♂️😩

Was hoping someone could recommend a decent pair that won't cause damage when they are clamped to the roof. 

[Magnet]

Hello Oliver,

I really don’t want to put undue influence on your quest for recommendations for side-to-side roof bars, but if it were me, I just wouldn’t go there - irrespective of the potential damage to paintwork - which to me (although important) - would be secondary to safety, particularly if intending to fit a roof box. 

Again for me, the only sure way would be to first fit the front to back roof rails, then buy the proper across-roof bars which secure to these rails.

Yes, I appreciate drilling the roof (I decided not to go there and never bothered with the roof rack idea), but I think if I had been serious in this quest, then I would be looking around for A3s which have had these fitted, and doing my homework from there.

Let’s hope someone on here has direct experience of retro fitting these.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[A3_Ben]

I actually bought roof rails for my 8P Sportback but decided against drilling through my roof and dealing with the headlining so got some second hand genuine Audi roof bars which also work with my panoramic roof - you can also get rear seats with a load through ski hatch option and fold down rear centre arm rest

[JetroHeller]

Hey Team Audi,

Have any of you seen or heard of this issue before. I have OEM roof bars supplied by my local Audi dealership. The bars come with a torque spanner so a great way to ensure you don't over tighten. I have a Black Edition with Black roof rails, I had the roof bars on for 2 weeks only to see that the matt paint has rubbed off, this was caused by the rubber mounts on the roof bars. For what it's worth, I only wash the vehicle with Autoglym products which I got from Audi. I made sure that both the rails and rubber mounts on the roof bars were clean.

PLEASE HELP!!

Edited July 16, 2021 by JetroHeller
Typo

[cliffcoggin]

I suggest you complain to the vendor. It may not do any good but you have little other recourse.

[JetroHeller]

19 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

I suggest you complain to the vendor. It may not do any good but you have little other recourse.

Cheers Buddy