For all those who couldn’t fathom the idea of drilling holes in your roof for the sake of extra storage, MINI has heard you. For the R55 and R56 MINI has a new roof-rack design that uses pre-cut slots and requires no drilling for installation. You can download the official installation PDF below
[ Roof Rack Install Guide ] Official MINI PDF
Awesome solution! And at $235 for the base system the price is fairly reasonable.
i love the roof rack on our R50 but requiring hole drilling does suck. looks like a clever new design. i wonder if it is any quieter than the R50/53 factory rack?
anyone have any pictures of the R56 rack installed?
Well, I don’t see how you’ll be adding this to your car, Gabe 😉
Yeah – the R56 stuff is a stretch 🙂
<blockquote>i love the roof rack on our R50 but requiring hole drilling does suck. looks like a clever new design. i wonder if it is any quieter than the R50/53 factory rack?</blockquote>
Do you have a fairing on your rack? My Yakima was very noisy until I bought the fairing. Aftwards you’d never know it was there (which can be a bad thing pulling into a garage).
I like the rack on my R53 and have had it installed on both my 2002 MCS and 2006 MCS. As long as something, almost anything, is on the rack mine have been silent. I never motor about with empty racks.
The earlier rack is a snap to take on and off in just a matter of a few minutes. The new rack looks like a PITA. Many more steps, more complicated. This could be a real step backwards.
You have to take whatever accessory carriers you are using off the rack before dismounting the Mk2 load bars from the roof. With the Mk1 rack you can dismount the load bars with the accessory carriers in place. Much easier, much quicker.
This leaves me a little disappointed.
I want to install the base for my ’04 Cooper but I was turned off when the MA told me that it would cost over $600 at Herb Chambers MINI of Boston just for the base and the installation.
Dealer in California says that new rack does not work on a 2007 mini? Any comments?
I bought a 2007 Cooper S and the base support rack from the dealer. What a pain to install! It took 4 hours and a trip to the dealer (the service was too busy but the sales manager was very helpful). Learn from me and it will take you less than an hour! It’s really a two person job. Don’t bother cutting away the rain gunnel. The trick is to find the correct slot to stick the bracket into the roof. Use the plastic card as vertical as you can and then pry the gunnel toward yourself to reveal the steel slot. The plastic card will want to go into the slot but what you want to do is push it down past the slot and then pry the rubber gunnel back to reveal the proper slot. There are other slots so don’t be fooled, you must find the one that has a steel frame around it. Don’t use the book as a guide to find them. Measure from the front of the car door window 9 1/4″ (23.5cm) and 36 1/4″ (92cm) and you’ll find the beginning of the slot. The slot is just wide enough to fit the bracket into. The other trick is to loosen the nut until the brackets brake loose and opens out AND then push them back down and tighten the nut just enough so it holds them in the groove of the brass nut. If you don’t do this the brackets will be too wide for the slot and it won’t go in all the way. Do this step before you try to put it on the roof. As you tighten the nut down the brackets expand and keep it snug in the slot–its all based on tension to keep it in place. Therefore, its much easier if you use two people. Put one side in the slot and then for the other side pull the bar toward you and there should be just enough give to get it in the slot. Make sure you are careful as you can scratch the paint on the roof. Do not begin to tighten the nuts until both are in the slots all the way. Only then should you tighten the nuts. Tighten one side only a few turns of the wrench and alternate between the left and right side of the rack until both are tightened. You’ll know if you have the brackets in the slot correctly because the rubber pieces touch the roof and the rack doesn’t wiggle when you push on it. My front rack was much more difficult to get in the slot correctly so you might want to start with the back one first.
Does anyone know if Yakima bike carriers and or other accessories will attach to the Mini base rack? Thank you.
This rack system is a nightmare. How can it be so complicated to put a rack on? I ended up crossing the threads and wrecking the bolts. I am seriously unimpressed with this system!
ive got a 08 cooper and im wondering are thule components compatiable with minis base rack?
<p>I’ve got a 2008 Mini S with an OEM roof rack.
I am trying to attach Yakima fork lock down rails but am finding they are too long and interfere with the spoiler on the rear hatch when it opens.</p>
<p>I would like to avoid having to cut the Yakima rails.</p>
<p>Anyone have better suggestions….
Will I have to go with mini proprietary bike rails?
Thanks,
ossie195</p>
<p>Hi Aaron, I sent you an email earlier but not sure if you received it. I wanted to know if you sell Factory roof racks for the mini R56 2008 model and how much also do you sell facotry black floor mats for the same car and how much Thanks for your help</p>
<p>Jim</p>