Cargo Basket

Anyone bought a cargo basket for their CX-9?

I'm thinking it might be the best all purpose carrier, just lash down whatever is on hand, backpacks, bicycles, surfboards, whatever.
But I would like to get one that is as low-profile and quiet as possible, so I'm interested in the different attachment methods. Some seem to be quite high off the roof.

Also, living on the beach with my wife's car in the garage, my dark paint is going to be hard to keep clean. Today I ordered an Aero Cosmetics Wash Wax kit, a waterless washing system. The reviews look great, but in this age of compensated reviews, it's hard to know what to trust. Anybody used this?

I use the Aero product when it's inconvenient to do a conventional wash.

Just be certain to:

• have multiple microfiber cloths available
• before using each cloth, wet and then wring so that it's not dripping
• wipe gently and don't rub (embedded dirt can scratch the finish)
• turn frequently to use clean cloth surfaces
• use new cloths as needed (I generally go through three-to-five depending on how dirty the vehicle is)
• dry each area as you go with separate microfiber cloths (I usually need two)

I'm very pleased with the results.
The process is quicker than a conventional two-bucket wash and the vehicle sparkles when I'm finished.

I'm curious to hear your impressions after trying this system

Koert said:

Anyone bought a cargo basket for their CX-9?

I'm thinking it might be the best all purpose carrier, just lash down whatever is on hand, backpacks, bicycles, surfboards, whatever.
But I would like to get one that is as low-profile and quiet as possible, so I'm interested in the different attachment methods. Some seem to be quite high off the roof.

Also, living on the beach with my wife's car in the garage, my dark paint is going to be hard to keep clean. Today I ordered an Aero Cosmetics Wash Wax kit, a waterless washing system. The reviews look great, but in this age of compensated reviews, it's hard to know what to trust. Anybody used this?

Click to expand...

I am looking to buy one. I agree, it seems like the best option for extra storage. (especially if you have a few waterproof duffel bags) Did you ever get it? Did you install yourself? Please keep me posted

Enrico, haven't yet. I'm thinking that it would have to be some sort of design that will work with the curved crossbars, so it doesn't stick up too high.

I don't have a CX-9 but https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) works well on the two vehicles (CX-5 & GX) I use it on.

Kedis82ZE8 said:

...Yakima LoadWarrior works well on the two vehicles (CX-5 & GX) I use it on. ...

Click to expand...

I had my eye on that but was wondering how it would mesh with our curved cross bars. (They are about an inch higher in the middle than they are at the sides.) The cross bars are about 27.5" center-to-center and about 3.5" wide. If you happen to be near your rack and have a tape measure in your hands, maybe you could let me know if you think they might fit.

Do you have the extension on yours? That would be very cool to have a huge rack for skis and lumber.

Also, I'm glad you're here because I was curious about the wind noise. Does the fairing help?

Thanks!

EDIT: Sorry sideways... hopefully still usable.

Fairing does reduce noise... but do note rack itself will add wind noise to vehicle...

I've thought about picking up the extension but don't currently have it. I just took some measurements. Hopefully these help some.

Thanks, that helps a lot. Your first photo says it all. The bracket seems to hold the rack high enough above the cross bars so that they wouldn't meet the bottom of the rack, even at their highest point. Maybe I'll order the rack and the extension and just return the extension if it looks too long.

I really appreciate you going to the trouble of taking those photos - hope I can return the favor some day.

Kind of like the way I bought my Mazda, I started by looking at the high-end product and then finding another less expensive one that might work out just as well.

Shopping around, I got on a live chat with autoanything.com and they recommended their in-house brand, which is a knock-off of the Thule Trail rack. We live by the beach and I've had racks virtually disintegrate from rust, so I liked that this one is aluminum. I told them that I was still more interested in the Yakima, so they gave me an extra 10% off if I ordered today (and a promise that I could return it for less than $30 shipping if it didn't work out).

This one has the base bars running the long way, which might be a more difficult fit with the cross bars, so I may end up with the Yakima after all. Thanks again.

http://www.autoanything.com/roof-racks/77A12115A4353927.aspx

No worries... glad you found something that will work for you!

Kedis82ZE8 said:

No worries... glad you found something that will work for you!

Click to expand...

Should have gone with the Yakima. The one I ordered is great looking, but the flat bottom doesn't at all nestle down over the curved cross bars, nor does it have brackets that elevate it above the curved bars. Even worse, the brackets that it came with aren't wide enough for the Mazda cross bars, and even if they were, it would be metal against metal, which would wreck the nice black cross bars.

Here's the cargo rack I ordered. It looks pretty aerodynamic but I still don't know if I'd want it on the car 24/7. (I'd like to hear your opinions on that.) It sits nicely on the curved cross bars but only because I've removed all the slats from the base of the rack. With the slats installed, it would teeter-totter on the peak of the cross-bars. So, my options are to figure out some way of mounting it to the racks, probably involving a complete redesign of the rack base, or to send it back and get a refund (it was only $211) from AutoAnything. If I had a way of fitting it snugly and easily removing it, I'd probably be inclined to hang onto it.



I just received my Yakima King Joe 3 bike rack from Sierra Trading Post. As is typical for me, I bought it mainly because it was a good deal at $75, retails for $149. I'll probably get some clear vinyl (or number stickers) to protect where it contacts the paint, but it seems pretty sturdy and easy to put on.

It looked like the best place to mount it would be with the upper part on top of the spoiler, but I couldn't get it to work like that. The rear hatch does open with the rack strapped on, but it would be a little dicey with two or three mountain bikes on the rack, maybe feasible with a single road bike.