Roof Rack For The Mazda5 Thread

barryWest

Member
Anybody know if there is a third party set of roof racks you can get for a 2008 mazda 5 that fit on to the roof like the factory mazda ones? $464 (cdn) for the ones from the dealer sounds a bit pricey.

I know I can get a set of Thules or Yakimas (which are actually better) for a bit less, but I would prefer to get ones that are integrated with the roof.
 
Please post and let us know how much you paid in shipping (one of the places wanted $200 to ship to BC!) as I'm looking for the crossbars also.

Did you take the plunge on the 08? Good financing I hear...(still fuming about that one)
 
Get the Mazda ones you know they are tested for safety and designed for the least noise.

I can tell you the proper rack makes for piece of mind for whatever you secure to it.... is a improper rack worth a hundred buxs?
 
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Did you take the plunge on the 08? Good financing I hear...(still fuming about that one)

Yup, we are definitely getting an 08, just waiting for them to come in. Might not be until January so I hope that Mazda keeps its interest rates the same.

Yeah, I can understand your frustration with the rate drop. Stranger things have happened I guess, but I really didn't think it would drop any lower than the 2.9%; that was already lower than what I thought it would be.
 
I wanted to get the fixpoint racks also, but felt they were too expensive for the occasional use mine would see. I ended up getting Yakima racks. I ordered the parts I needed piece by piece used from ebay and it came out a lot cheaper. Also, eventually when I sell the car, I can reuse the rack with the new car with minor modification.
 
Is the Mazda roof rack easily removable on a 2008? I've used Thule racks for nearly 15 years and I like the fact that they can easily be installed and removed to save gas. How is the Mazda roof rack?
 
Is the Mazda roof rack easily removable on a 2008? I've used Thule racks for nearly 15 years and I like the fact that they can easily be installed and removed to save gas. How is the Mazda roof rack?

Hi, I just received my 2008 mazda5 GS last night and got the roof racks as an option. Although I haven't installed them yet as I won't need em' till the spring, I did take them out of the box to see how they fit and it looks like a piece of cake. Basically there are rubber feet and one screw you attach to each end. The mount points are pretty obvious if you take a peek at the rubber runners on your roof. I'm guessing it will be pretty quick to take on and off.
Will it be as fast as your Thules? Probably not. I had a set of Yakima racks for a previous vehicle and once unlocked they just popped off. However, I did find it a bit of a pain to line the yakimas up when putting them back on as they had to be just right or it would not sit correctly. With the mazda racks, there's no guesswork.
 
Hi, I just received my 2008 mazda5 GS last night and got the roof racks as an option. Although I haven't installed them yet as I won't need em' till the spring, I did take them out of the box to see how they fit and it looks like a piece of cake. Basically there are rubber feet and one screw you attach to each end. The mount points are pretty obvious if you take a peek at the rubber runners on your roof. I'm guessing it will be pretty quick to take on and off.
Will it be as fast as your Thules? Probably not. I had a set of Yakima racks for a previous vehicle and once unlocked they just popped off. However, I did find it a bit of a pain to line the yakimas up when putting them back on as they had to be just right or it would not sit correctly. With the mazda racks, there's no guesswork.

Usually takes me 10-15mins to mount/dismount up the OE roof racks.
 
Oh, and by the way, I do believe I read *read* somewhere that the OEM are made by Thule anyway (they don't sell them in the Thule web sites though)...

They look suspiciously the same as the Volvo racks that I have, and I'm sure that they were made by Thule.
 
questions

Hi, I ordered the 5 rack from Montgomery Mazda, great price and I got the free shipping! Thanks for the tip. I am heading down to Ogdensburg NY to pick it up on Monday. Just wondering what tools if any are required to install the rack. Also I noticed on the roof there are two little plastic covers on each side, do they have to come off to put the rack on? Thanks in advance.
 
I just installed the factory rack on our 08 Touring yesterday. My dealer gave me a great price of $235 because they had used it as a demo on a 5 in their showroom. Took about 15 minutes and now that I know what I'm doing should only take 5 minutes to get on or off. I think the only "tool" you need is a razor blade or pair of scissors to cut some plastic sticky tape they give you to protect the paint on your roof.

Yes, you do need to remove the plastic covers. Somewhat a pain in the cold (a flat head screwdriver may make it somewhat easier). They need to slide flat in the direction of the arrow until they click release and then you pull up on them.

IMO, well worth the cost as I also looked at a one-size fits all Yakima option as well. Because it's built for the 5, this thing isn't going anywhere.
 
I just installed the factory rack on our 08 Touring yesterday. My dealer gave me a great price of $235 because they had used it as a demo on a 5 in their showroom. Took about 15 minutes and now that I know what I'm doing should only take 5 minutes to get on or off. I think the only "tool" you need is a razor blade or pair of scissors to cut some plastic sticky tape they give you to protect the paint on your roof.

Yes, you do need to remove the plastic covers. Somewhat a pain in the cold (a flat head screwdriver may make it somewhat easier). They need to slide flat in the direction of the arrow until they click release and then you pull up on them.

IMO, well worth the cost as I also looked at a one-size fits all Yakima option as well. Because it's built for the 5, this thing isn't going anywhere.

Hey I'm also wanting to buy the roofracks for my 2008 mazda5, how about some pics? :) How easy is it to install? I phoned the parts dept of mazda and they said the roofracks would cost me $386 plus $128 installation. If its easy enough, I think I'll install it myself. Thanks.
 
Hey I'm also wanting to buy the roofracks for my 2008 mazda5, how about some pics? :) How easy is it to install? I phoned the parts dept of mazda and they said the roofracks would cost me $386 plus $128 installation. If its easy enough, I think I'll install it myself. Thanks.

That's a lot of money for those racks.....They're overpriced, check another dealer. And you can do the install yourself, it's very easy.
 
That's a lot of money for those racks.....They're overpriced, check another dealer. And you can do the install yourself, it's very easy.

Thanks for the tip! I'll try calling another dealer tomorrow. Do you know where I can see a picture of those roof racks?
 
Hi, I ordered the 5 rack from Montgomery Mazda, great price and I got the free shipping!

I got a quick response back from these guys, as I need a shipping fee to Canada.

The price was around $346US including shipping. By the time I add the exchange rate and duty at the border I figure it'll be nearer $380CDN (before GST/PST).

I have looked through e-bay Canada and craigslist for a Mazda parts supplier this side of the border that isn't a dealership, but no luck.

Time is pushing on, and I will need one in the next couple of weeks for a ski-trip that we have planned.

My local dealer has one, in stock, for $418CDN (before GST/PST and after customer discount) so I don't think that it's worth the hassle, or having to pray/hope/wait on delivery from the States, for $40

Not that I'm made of money you understand...

Good price from Montgomery for the US guys on the board though, especially with free shipping (cool).

Oh, and pedro_mazda, you could probably install the rack by yourself, in the dark, with no instructions, whilst wearing oven mitts (FWIW, my dealer offered to install mine for $50)

Here is a photo of the rack:
 

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I got a quick response back from these guys, as I need a shipping fee to Canada.

The price was around $346US including shipping. By the time I add the exchange rate and duty at the border I figure it'll be nearer $380CDN (before GST/PST).

I have looked through e-bay Canada and craigslist for a Mazda parts supplier this side of the border that isn't a dealership, but no luck.

Time is pushing on, and I will need one in the next couple of weeks for a ski-trip that we have planned.

My local dealer has one, in stock, for $418CDN (before GST/PST and after customer discount) so I don't think that it's worth the hassle, or having to pray/hope/wait on delivery from the States, for $40

Not that I'm made of money you understand...

Good price from Montgomery for the US guys on the board though, especially with free shipping (cool).

Oh, and pedro_mazda, you could probably install the rack by yourself, in the dark, with no instructions, whilst wearing oven mitts (FWIW, my dealer offered to install mine for $50)

Here is a photo of the rack:

Thanks for roof rack photo! Is it really that tall in person? I was hoping to get one with low profile.
 
Another suggestion.....get yourself one of those wind deflectors for the roof-rack. As they are tall the wind noise is really something. I installed a Thule wind deflector ($75CAD) on my rack and the wind noise is totally gone.
Anthony
 

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