2013 PHEV No Thule roof bars will fit, says shop

[mtrobert]

Been to a Thule specialist shop today with my 2013 G spec and he said after wrestling with a clamp on roof setup for 40 minutes that it would not fit this model and there was no Thule one that would.

Does this sound right? The track that is on the roof does not seem to have any holes so the ones that screw in don't seem to be an option. But he was trying to fit the clamp on and said it just would not go.

Are they doing something wrong?

 

[MrPastry]

Hi mtrobert.

I have Thule roof bars on my 2015 car.

Do you have the same flush rails on the roof as below?

If so, I'm sure you'll need the 4030 fitting kit, 753 foot pack and steel or aero bars.
I have the 769 steel bars.

Very easy to fit, but when set up, remember that the flush rails are not parallel on the car.
The front bar won't fit the back & the back bar won't fit the front.

P.

 

[RoyM]

For flush rails you will need the Thule 4030 mounting kit.
I`ve got those on my 2018 with Wingbar Edge bars

https://www.thule.com/nb-no/no/roof-rack/car-racks/thule-wingbar-edge-9595-_-959500

 

[mtrobert]

Thanks I stared at that Thule roof cross section for ages and had an outlander drive past me this morning and now see what it is.

That’s raised ‘rail’ thing that the 2013 PHEV does not have, but looks like the 2015 does have.

I will asked shop what number attachment they tried and they said 1409

Mitsubishi who fit bars also which are actually Thule bars , said the part numbers they would fit be 4030 , or 3128 and would require drilling to creat attachment point. But they have not seen vehicle yet.

Lot more complicated than I expected

 

[jaapv]

Been to a Thule specialist shop today with my 2013 G spec and he said after wrestling with a clamp on roof setup for 40 minutes that it would not fit this model and there was no Thule one that would.

Does this sound right? The track that is on the roof does not seem to have any holes so the ones that screw in don't seem to be an option. But he was trying to fit the clamp on and said it just would not go.

Are they doing something wrong?

The holes for the pin-and-clamp are on the inside of the roof rails and covered with little plastic covers, raise the center and pull out. The roofbars on my 2013 model are by Thule, despite being branded Mitsubishi; I bought them at the Mitsubishi dealer, they are a normal accessory.
Kit 4030 should fit without drilling.

 

[mtrobert]

Ok, so now both Thule and Mitsubishi dealer are saying there are no attachment points under the rubbery roof trim and there will need to be something drilled in.

Has anyone else had this problem with a 2013 PHEV?

 

[greendwarf]

Do you actually have a PHEV hybrid not the "older" non-hybrid? - as there is no "rubber" on the PHEV raised rails. AFAIK this apart of the car's design has not changed since launch.

 

[jaapv]

What rubber? None of that on my 2013 model. Just holes for the locator pins. I've been mounting Mitsubishi/Thule roof bars from new, without any drilling.

 

[mtrobert]

So Thule roof bar fitting place now fitting in permanent fitting locations for Rhino Bars. There were no fitting points on the 2013 Japan import I had . Will send pictures later.

 

[nils944]

The roof racks that I got with my car are "Mitsubishi" racks but I'm quite certain they are manufactured by Thule. The fellow I got the roor racks from lost the parts of the "feet" so I bought Thule's 4030 kit.

I noticed that there are no pins to correspond to the holes in the railings that are on the car. Should there be, or alternatively does it matter? The instructions I got with the kit make no mention of the pins or holes.

 

[greendwarf]

Well you wouldn't be very popular if your load slid gracefully backwards off the rails at speed on the motorway! :lol:

 

[Steel188]

UK spec with roof rails here, and I use the clamps as shown earlier in the thread with no issues. If I am carrying bikes I set the bars the specified 700mm apart so the carriers are level, for longer work loads, I put the bars at the inner side of the bar end cap joins. No pins needed, just do up to the specified torque, I can get both bars on and done up in about 2 minutes.

 

[nils944]

Thanks for confirming that the pins are not required. I'll be sure to torque them down properly so that my ski-box doesn't fly off on the highway.