Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
Is it just some gooey stuff? Can it be cleaned off? I was worried that the towers would push down into the car, causing slight dents from the weight, or would crack the paint around the edges of the feet, or something like that.
I can't think of a better way to get my kayak ( which is 17.5 feet long, and about 65 lbs ) from Seattle to Diablo Lake in the North Cascades National Park, or many of the other areas I'd like to go. That one, in particular, has more than a dozen backcountry campgrounds that are only available to small boats ( you have to portage a bit overland to reach most of them ). The last time I camped on the lake, I really missed having my 'yak.
Personally, I don't have the best mechanical knack, so I'd much rather go with a setup that lets me leave the wheels on the bike.
No, it's not gooey stuff...it's barely noticeable. It's just a little dulling of the shine. And this was on one particular car -- a 1990 Accord in white. I would go for months without taking the rack off...and basically you get a little accumulation of dirt under there. Looks like a slight haze -- you can buff it mostly away with a bit of wax.
You won't crack the paint. If you OVERLOAD the rack, you can dent the roof but you have to try hard. For example, if you had five kayaks on your car and were going 55 mph down a freeway access road and didn't see the construction sign that said "BUMP IN ROAD" and you hit that bump, the boats might in theory rock back and forth a bit and cause some slight denting. This is especially bad if it's your wife's car. hahaha She got over it.
Get the rack, get the bike carrier and some kayak saddles. Gear up and get out there. Subaru's are meant to be dirty anyway.
Oh...and call Subaru support to find out the weight limit for your roof. It's one of the first questions I ask when buying a new car.