My Honest Thoughts On The OEM VW Roof Rack: Mk7 GTI

[@TheRacingShawn]

Thank you for pointing out the water leaking issue.

[@lisamarie1280]

just a followup, since I asked the question, but didn't get an answer. I went ahead and bought these cross-bars, hoping for the best, and the good news is it is super easy to put them on and take them off by myself. I just put a towel over one clamp when moving it across to other side to protect the roof of my car. With more practice, I think I can install/uninstall in about 10 minutes. So far, so good.

[@jodyweiss4738]

Great vid! We all have different lifestyles but I personally bought my Golf for the main reason of having the convenience of the hatch and seats down for cargo. I enjoy biking a great deal and my bike fits perfectly inside. But again, we all have different lifestyles, purposes and hobbies. I cant justify the high $$ of racks with the risks of water leakage and surround door molding damage. This video assured me I'm doing the right thing for me. Thanks man!!

[@jrldude8719]

Thanks for posting this. I'm getting a GTI in the near future, and was planning on getting the roof rack since I have all the stuff from my old car. But the water leaking is a deal breaker for me. So thanks for saving me from the cost, hassle and headaches of that.

[@wesrobinson7366]

Check out the TreeFrog, it would be a great solution here. I am getting for a Model x and will use on my GTI too.

[@paulkillick3419]

Thanks for the honesty as in the UK I’ve seen countless comments about water ingress. My 2001 Ford Mondeo has 4 plastic strip on the roof that pull off to reveal for threaded nuts actually in the roof of the car so with my genuine Ford roof bars they just bolt into these roof nuts so no brackets go anywhere near the doors. It seems the Golf system is an afterthought. I might get a tow bar fitted to my 2019 Golf and use my small 5’x3’ trailer rather thank have the worry of water getting into the car.

[@TheFlyingPLiner]

Wind deflector eliminates wind noise. Slight whistle without, I could only hear when the music was off. Overall pretty happy with them, I picked up my set for $100 on offerup.

[@simonharvey328]

Quick note on the water leaking, I have a Thule set and they came with rubber tubing that fits in the door seal so it applies a bit more pressure. So far had no leaks, I would imagine some vacuum line from a parts store would do the trick!

[@chukwuelokaobionwujr.994]

What does the tubing look like? Link?

[@ausitnfreiermuth3519]

Look up wind fairings on Amazon. You can get them for less than $100 and they go on the front of the roof rack cutting down the wind noise significantly. I was also able to buy my OEM VW roof rack off of Amazon with free shipping for $275.

[@burb17]

VW bars on my mk4 were loud but they were also pretty tall and had a flat surface area. I have Yakima jetstream bars on my S3 and they’re pretty quiet unless you open the sunroof.

[@papillon5537]

Thank you buddy for the honest review, I will go for one

[@barcs4515]

Door frame leakage is a huge issue here. My wifes golf MK7 was just written off after water got in an destroyed the BCU. I put blame on the roof racks gap in the door seal. (We have 80mm of rain in 45mins - followed by 2 weeks of rain).

[@21void5]

Thanks for the honest review. That water leak is definitely steers me away from it

[@darkwun1461]

Hey man, really appreciate this review, I'm thinking about buying a 2022 VW GTI showroom model that has one of these installed. My biggest concern after watching your vid was the water leak. I live in an area that experiences frequent heavy rains, so having this rack on with leaks is an absolute no (I don't have access to covered parking). My question to you is: if you remove the rack, has the seal been permanently affected, such that you'll always have a leak once you've installed it. Is there no going back? Have the seals changed shape in that area permanently so that you'll never have a dry GTI again?

[@Briggleton]

best practice is to act as if there will be permanent damage. My WeatherTech window rain guards absolutely have messed with the molding. That may be because I'm in San Diego and it can get really damn hot here. Ultimately I view it as a Dollar - Happiness ratio. I'm fine spending money on something I will really enjoy having even if the consequences of my actions mean I have to replace a "relatively" cheap part 5-10+ years down the line

[@darkwun1461]

@@Briggleton thanks for the reply man. I bought the GTI but had them remove the roof rack. Didn't want to take any chances

[@euph31]

Wind noise isn’t an issue if you have the right exhaust setup. I.e, catted downpipe, muffler, and resonator delete.

[@Russellscottx]

😂😂😂 exactly!!

[@jimnasium452]

Thanks! I want to be able to transport a bike or two but I don't think I want to leave the rack on long term. I wonder how the rack stands up to being installed and uninstalled repeatedly and how hard that may be on the finish.

[@islandofdoctormoreau8191]

Absolutely looks good

[@lukem9697]

thank you dude, i’ve been contemplating a roof rack for so long for me and my friends snowboards, this helped a lot🤘🏽, also your GTI is looking mad fresh

[@Russellscottx]

I’ll have a snowboard on mine hopefully a lot this winter! Thanks for watching man I appreciate it!!

[@lukem9697]

MedicMagic yea man absolutely🤙🏽

[@joevaughn9494]

@@Russellscottx What snowboard carriers do you have? I need new crossbars but already have Rhino Rack carriers. These are currently by far the cheapest racks for the Golf in my area, so I'm wondering if the Rhino Racks will fit them.

[@tyleralmanza7397]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I recently got one and when I tried to order the oem bike rack they are on back order for and indefinite time. Do Thule attachments fit the bars? Thanks!

[@pwdt4r313]

Thule makes this rack so their attachments should fit.

[@paulwoolnough3445]

Hiya, did you have any issues fitting the Thule accessories? Cheers :)

[@tyleralmanza7397]

Family Woolnough no problems at all, I ended up going with the Kuat bike rack because I preferred the design!

[@ReviewedByAndy]

Definitely have to gripe on how tall the racks are. A more low profile rack from Thule or Yakima would look way better but damn they’re expensive.

[@LowFlyingPlanesBand]

Did you ever fix water issue

[@nicksimmons8393]

Great honest review. Thank you.

[@z-trip5457]

Easy to follow, and no-nonsense, sweet!

[@dudefranco225]

Just noticed you’re in the burgh, gotta link sometime I gotta 2017 gti pp love it. Going stage 1 here soon.

[@LowFlyingPlanesBand]

Bought mine from VW dealer for $260

[@MarcoRobles2001]

your dog in the back with the water bottle so funny

[@Russellscottx]

😂😂

[@lisamarie1280]

Thanks for doing this. Any insight on how easy to put on and take off for one person? I don't want to keep it on all the time, just occasionally need to transport kayak or OC1.

[@TheFlyingPLiner]

It's pretty easy but be sure to lay down a towel to avoid scratching the paint.

[@lisamarie1280]

@@TheFlyingPLiner yep! I figured that out. I just wrap a small towel around the side I'm not working on, secured with a large gear tie. Works beautifully. Easy and quick on and off. I've done it several times already.

[@TheFlyingPLiner]

@@lisamarie1280 If you plan on keeping them on long term I highly recommend getting some lamin-x clear protection pads online to protect your roof. They're precut shape and easy to apply. Fairly inexpensive as well.

[@lisamarie1280]

@@TheFlyingPLiner thanks for the tip!

[@DrewDeGraff]

@@TheFlyingPLiner Can you provide link to what you purchased? or a part number? thanks.

[@austincarr7687]

Any idea on how to solve the issue on water getting in? I’m on the fence about the OEM racks, and my mk7 is parked outside 24/7, so rain would be a constant challenge.

[@ThatGuy-mf9ye]

I had this issue with my Mk6 Jetta in Washington (super rainy)

[@Schrankerle]

The answer is don't leave them on. They really aren't that stylish and they might permanently deform your molding. They come off fast and you really don't need the whistle and mileage drop. I store mine in the garage when not in use.

[@ThatGuy-mf9ye]

Another option (I just did this after getting fed up with the OEM rack) is to do a custom install. I got a Yakima fixed-point setup done about a week ago and there's no more wind noise or issues with water leaking in. A little pricey upfront but worth every penny if you're keeping the car for a while. Looks better, too.

[@joshrucks]

Just got a set for $180 on Craigslist! Can't use them until Christmas, though. That's the deal I made with my wife lol

[@gabelear]

What clutch did you end up going with?

[@Russellscottx]

Still stock my man

[@JohnnyBitcoin]

Can the oem support a roof tent? For 2 people?

[@jacobm6779]

What wheels do you have?

[@Russellscottx]

konig rennforms

[@iamknosound]

I installed the VW OEM as well, but I removed it a few hours later. I've been reading complaints on water getting inside. I don't want to risk it.

[@lucienwright]

I had a mk5, 6, and 7. I bought oem racks for no more than $150 on fb or any other shopping network. $300 is way too much for those racks.

[@lucienwright]

Also modified a thule airshield to eliminate the wind noise. Total cost for the rack and the shield, $200 on fb market. Thule airshield doesn't fit the vw racks but with a few rivnuts and washers you can achieve a really cool oem adaptation

[@Amie021]

What was the bike rack attachment you got?

[@Russellscottx]

Amazon basics

[@Amie021]

@@Russellscottx for some reason I'm having a hard time finding it on Amazon 🤦‍♀️

[@Russellscottx]

@@Amie021 lemme see if I can find the link for you

[@Russellscottx]

Swagman UPRIGHT Roof Mount Bike Rack www.amazon.com/dp/B000SL1AEG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_OVUYFb7B5VMA5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@Russellscottx]

This is it

[@fozbrick1]

Why in the HELL would any company design something that let's water into the car?????? I just installed mine yesterday and noticed immediately how the door seals(ALL FOUR) hits the rack mounts. Shame on you VW!

[@JacesOwnWorld]

I bought the OEM MK7 Golf roof racks for my MK7 GTI too. My thoughts: Dislikes: Its tall, its noisy, mpg drop Likes: Functionality of having the roof racks, the way it secures to the car I think there are better looking roof racks, that are shorter and create less wind resistance, but this is still a really good option and I would choose it again because of the way it secures to the car, leaving no signs that it was made cheap or aftermarket. I have been able to secure everything, from a cargo box, bike rack, and roof tent to these racks, and I have had no issues with them loosening or anything. I haven't had any issue with water leaking like you have. I even had my full Giant Reign X2 all-mountain bike on the top, using a Yakima Frontloader on these OEM roof racks, and went 162mph with the bike up there, and it was fully secured the entire time. The only big downside with these racks is the big mpg drop-off. I recommend them though.

[@maxsmale8113]

Jace’s Own World how did the car cope with a roof tent? The roof bars are rated to 50kg so I’ve been a bit sceptical (as I’m 85kg alone)... or did you just transport it up there?

[@navargottschalk]

@@maxsmale8113 I wouldn’t suggest using the stock crossbars for a tent. We have a fairly lightweight Thule tent for our GTI and the stock bars had lots of trouble. Ended up switching to the Thule Evo crossbars, much better in comparison.

[@Kendall_horses]

FIRST

[@Russellscottx]

Yeet