Has a roof rack dented your CX-5's roof?

Hello. Has anyone here used a clamp-on after-market roof rack, such as a Yakima rack with Q Towers, which then put dents in the roof rails that run above the doors of their CX-5 or any other Mazda? I used such a Yakima rack on my Saab 9-3 for eight years, hauling two kayaks on dozens of trips, and never had any denting. So, I re-outfitted the rack for my new 2014 CX-5. I called Yakima to learn what parts to buy (the right Q clips and pads and longer cross bars) and put them on per the instructions. After taking my kayaks on the same road trip I'd taken many times in the Saab, I took the rack off to find that the four touch-points where it clamps onto the car had left dents in the metal. The rack did not damage the Saab but the Mazda roof rails gave way after the first use. I am an experienced user of these racks (9 years with no problems until now).

My local Mazda dealership says they are not responsible for damage done by after-market parts, which I'm not surprised to hear. However, I'd told the sales guy that I was going to haul 2 kayaks with the car and use my Yakima rack before I bought the CX-5, and he said nothing about potential damage. The Mazda district manager told me that their disclaimer about after-market parts is in the owner's manual, which you don't get until after you buy the car, of course. There are no warnings on the accessory pages on the Mazda website, either.

The bill for repairing the dents, re-painting the quarter panels, the Yakima parts I bought for the CX-5, and the new rack I'll have to buy (maybe a Mazda OEM rack?) will come to about $2,400. Ouch.

Do you have a similar story? If so, what is it and what did you do about it? Thanks very much for any input.

My daughter has a thule roof rack for her Mazda 6. It works fine. But befor we got it we used a universal rack and found that the center section of her roof is very very thin. I could dent it with my thumb. I suspect it was done to save weight and lower the CG.

I suspect that you would be better off with the factory rails and cross bars. They probably connect to the only solid places up there and spread the weight over a larger (longer) area.

Why do have to paint the quarter panels? Are they respraying the whole side of the car? How significant are the dents? Did the rack detach from the car?

Most of the time, denting happens when the roof is overloaded. The Mazda dealer isn't going to touch it. They'll gladly take your money to repair it but a situation like this is out of their control to prevent. Most car makers use a thinner sheetmetal on the roof to save weight and it's very easy to dent it up.

Yakima positions the Q towers closer to the doors, on the outer edge of the roof which is stronger than the flat section . However the CX5 fit is only rated for 125lbs. This is called out in the fit instructions that came with the Q clips. Fit note 67: Maximum allowable weight load is 125 lbs. Load is defined by the total weight of the Base Rack, Mounts and gear.
Most kayaks weigh about 50-60 lbs so you'll probably be right up close to the weight limit. If you have SOT fishing models or longer plastic sea kayaks, you're probably over the limit. If you haven't done so, contact Yakima and explain the situation. While I hate to say it and you probably don't want to hear it, user error may be involved. Probably a combination of factors, gear stacked right up to the weight limit, the cam covers on the Q towers over-tightened just enough to put extra force on the roof, and maybe over tightening of the bow or stern lines which will increase downforce on the Qtower pads.

There is the potential for damage with every system out there. The potential always exists when you're attaching and object to your roof and traveling at highway speeds. Again, take some pics, of the car, the kayaks, the rack and kayak cradles and contact Yakima. If Yakima determines, it's a design flaw then they will help you out. If it's user error, your comprehensive insurance is there. If it's not really that bad, suck it up that your car isn't flawless now but it has character.

Don't feel bad, I've screwed up plenty of roofs. One of the tradeoffs for living an active outdoor lifestyle, the car takes a beating. I had a Nissan Altima (Qtowers, 120 lb limit) that I put 3 sea kayaks on. Very overloaded. I ended up denting the roof, the Q clips scratched the door frames because the towers were shifting with the roof. I have heard of and seen the aftermath of folks loosing a whole rack system of the car at highway speeds due to overloading and/or improper tiedowns. I've also seen the crossbars on a FJ cruiser snap in a parking lot after a customer decided the rack was strong enough to carry 2 kayaks even though Yakima said not use the factory crossbars.

It seems that feet that wrap abound factory rails can hold much more weight. Thule states 165 lbs vs 88 lbs for the clamp on version.

I saw you other post. Made me do a little research on my Thule's. The clamp on feet will only hold 88 lb for a Mazda 6 (CX-5 must be similar). I am glad I only have kevlar canoes or the same thing could have happened to me! See my post below about factory rails - that might be the way to go.

I could be wrong, but didn't Mazda originally tout that SkyActiv Technology was a multi-faceted philosophy that not only involved the engine, but also weight-savings with thinner body sheet-metal, combined with selective use of high-strength steel?
Perhaps a contributing factor?

Makes sense. I would hope that the rack manufacturers would consult the can manufactures when they post weight limits on their products. I was surprised that my Thule's were rated at only 88 lb for my non Skyactive 6. I quess the CX-5 limit would be less but I can't get the data sheet on the Thule site.

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. My kayaks weigh 35 and 49 pounds each. The rack with all components weighs about 35 pounds. So that's 119 pounds, which is under the weight limit. And to clarify, the Yakima rack's towers are on the outer edges, just above the doors, not in the center. Anyway, it's a hard lesson to learn. Eight years of the same load on top of the Saab didn't cause a dent. I do think Mazda uses thinner gauge sheet metal on the roof.

Thanks, RJdee for your stories and suggestions. I will contact Yakima, although I believe Mazda shares in the blame. I was very clear with the sales person before I bought the CX-5 what was going to put on the roof. He didn't warn me off of it at all. Will also make an insurance claim, although my agent warned me that this would be an unusual case.

One body shop said that the entire quarter panels would need to be repainted. Will shop around.

Any more stories out there? Please share! I hope this saves someone else some headaches and a thinner wallet.....