Tesla Model Y Roof Rack Installation Guide (Step by Step)

In this video I show you how to install the Tesla Roof Rack on a Tesla Model Y. I show what comes with the outdoor roof rack system and walk you through the installation step by step. The Tesla Roof Rack is perfect for mounting your Kayaks, Canoes, Bicycles, Snow Gear, Boats, and other outdoor gear!
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☑️ Transcript ☑️
The Tesla Roof Rack is currently available for sale on the Tesla Shop for $450 and is custom designed to perfectly fit your Model Y. The installation process is overall really simple, and can be done in 15 minutes or so, so save a few bucks and put it towards a few extra miles of charging. As expected, you will find an owner’s manual with basic installation steps, but hopefully this video will serve as a better guide. In addition to the main front and rear crossbars, you will also find mounting clips, flexible pads, anti-abrasion tape, wingnuts, and aesthetic covers. You will also find a set of keys to securely lock the rack to your vehicle to prevent theft. The kit also comes with a plastic clip tool, a tape measure, and a hex wrench. The first step is to wipe down your car in preparation for the install. I would definitely recommend using a microfiber car towel for this step so that you don’t scratch or damage the paint. In step 2, use the icons on the rubber footpads and anti-abrasion tape to identify the correct install locations on your car. The footpads and tape have car icons with an arrow pointing towards the front of the car and the tire on the diagram is filled to show you which corner of the car they mount. The front crossbar is mounted 227mm front the front edge of the glass top roof, so align the tape measure with the front of the glass and the 227mm mark you just added should land in the perfect spot. Tesla is really clever here and has marked this location with an arrow that is only visible if you shine a strong light up to it, and this is highly recommended to make sure you are in the right spot. You can use the 412mm mark on the tape measure to locate the rear crossbar mounting location by measuring from the back end of the glass roof. Now that you have located the mounting positions, in Step 5 peel the backer off of the appropriate anti-abrasion tape pieces and apply it to the car, making sure to align the arrow on the tape with the arrow on the car. Make sure the tape is laying flat and try to remove any bubbles and then repeat this for all 4 corners of the car. In Steps 6 and 7, use the plastic clip tool provided by Tesla to carefully pullback the rubber gasket and insert a metal clip at the arrow location by pushing the flat end into position and then rolling the clip 90 degrees towards you while removing the plastic clip tool. In case you were wondering, in my opinion this is the most difficult step of the installation, so if you are still with me you are in good shape. In Step 9 you simply slide the pads onto the metal clips in their respective locations at all 4 corners. It’s helpful to have a second set of hands for Step 10 as you place the front and rear crossbars into place over the metal clips. Next install the wingnuts and hand tighten them on each of the towers. In Step 12 use the provided hex wrench to further tighten the wingnuts. Tesla recommends tightening these to 2.5-3.5 Nm of torque, but if you are like me and don’t have a torque wrench you can just tighten to hand-tight plus a half turn or so. Next use the provided key to lock each of the crossbars in place. You can test to make sure that they are secure by pulling on them in all directions to ensure they don’t move around. And now you have made it to the final step which is simply to install the plastic covers on each of the 4 corners by pressing them into place.

[@evunite1]

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[@benjamind7290]

Yup, we were kayaking in the summer with our Model 3. It was awesome.

[@evunite1]

@@benjamind7290 Nice! A Tesla roof rack is definitely a great option if you are more of an outdoors person with gear!

[@knightstemplar4274]

Not only do I appreciate this video for guidance but I appreciate that you got a model with the 19 inch wheels, the 20 is over used.

[@evunite1]

Thanks for the comment @Knights Templar! Glad that the video was helpful to you! Please let me know if you have any questions! Like and subscribe :)

[@jerronpalmer4705]

You made that look so easy. Thanks

[@lnat2000]

You made this very easy for me! Cheers!

[@OddRagnarDengLerstl]

Thanks. Just the details I needed. Roof rack is installed and we are ready to go skiing.

[@evunite1]

Thanks for the comment, glad the video was helpful to you and had the right amount of detail! Enjoy your ski trip! I would really appreciate a like and subscribe!

[@SailingPardonMyFrench]

Great video, thanks. Installed my roof racks in a flash!

[@evunite1]

Thank you so much for the feedback, glad the video was helpful to you! Please like and subscribe and share with all your Tesla friends! Have a great day!

[@Hopeinformer]

Thank you so much for the excellent tutorial video. These came at the perfect time to carry some 2x4's for my daughter's trebuchet school project.

[@evunite1]

Hey Matthew! Glad the video was helpful to you! Good luck with your daughters school project! Let me know if you have any questions. Like and subscribe and happy charging!

[@anmarti2]

Great video, I appreciate your very human jokes while working on this robot car!

[@allevy1389]

Installing a JayLow to mine. It's "cocked" a little forward (not perfectly level), but seems like it will work fine, Great video, Thank you.

[@the3dprintzone]

Thanks for the comment @Al Levy! I have never used a JayLow before, but seems like you cant go wrong with Yakima! Glad you enjoyed the video! Did you also mount to a Model Y or a different vehicle? If you haven't done so already please consider subscribing and liking the video!

[@LockettTech]

Thanks for the great video! Thinking of buying these to use a cargo box for extra storage on trips. Would you say these could be uninstalled and reinstalled as needed? When not traveling I think I would prefer not having the roof rack installed. Also have you noticed any decrease in battery efficiency with just the racks (nothing on them)?

[@evunite1]

Hi @Lockett Tech and thanks for the comment and questions! Yes, I think they can be uninstalled and reinstalled, but you may need to replace the clear protective film stickers. I haven’t noticed much of an impact to battery life (if any). The bars are designed to be aerodynamics and minimize drag and efficiency losses. Hope that helps and answers your question and let me know if you have any other questions! Like and subscribe and happy charging :)

[@anttipietila4343]

Thanks, great video! Managed to install mine. Cracking sound from practically all corners while tightening with allen key finger tight. Hope I didn’t break anything. The roof rack is well made and fits the car perfectly, however getting the supplied tape on the right place without bubbles is not easy. I am just wondering why most car makers makes getting rack on and off such a pain. The rubber seal that covers the T-nut track is clever compared to Thule’s, however super hard to slide a bike rack on.

[@evunite1]

Thanks, glad the video was helpful to you! Like and subscribe and happy charging!

[@Jake-sl2xj]

Are the cracking sounds normal while tightening the nuts?

[@dahveed284]

2.5 to 3.5 Nm is 1.8-2.6 foot pounds. A foot pound of torque is the amount of force at 1 foot away from the center of the fastener. 1.8 - 2.6 is very little force. A half turn past hand tight could be too much. Have you noticed a range decrease from having the rack on? How much of a decrease was there? Thanks

[@evunite1]

@dahveed284, thanks for the feedback! I have not seen any significant noticeable decrease to range (likely because of the aerodynamic design).

[@essaunders]

What is the kayak front tie-down you are using? Can you share images of it under the frunk lid?

[@evunite1]

Thanks for the question @Erik Saunders! The trunk and frunk both have Yakima Hood Anchors amzn.to/3wfPAAH in combination with Yakima Heavy Duty Straps amzn.to/3futYdM. Works really well! And would definitely recommend the Hood Anchors overs traditional hooks. Hope that helps! Please Like and Subscribe and let me know if you have any other questions!

[@TPDene]

Thule 848 or 849 work also😊

[@kydong95111]

Thanks for the video. Do you know Tesla part number? (Please share, it should be in the format XXXXXXX-XX-X) Thanks so much in advance.

[@evunite1]

Thanks for the comment! I am not sure the part number, but here is a link to it on the Tesla website. shop.tesla.com/product/model-y-roof-rack Like and subscribe and happy charging!

[@mindseye4914]

A lot of people reported some fatal flaws with the Tesla OEM roof bars...from the thing just cracking mid-drive to installation cracking the top glass.....to even fastening screws breaking mid-drive while carrying a load. How has your experience been so far with these bars?

[@StormyDog]

On some very early racks (I believe Model 3) the little metal clip/bolt by Yakima had defective welds. Notice the full length welds on the new clips at 3:28.

[@haoyuye1104]

How is effiency rate with kayak on the top of the roof?

[@evunite1]

Thanks for the question @Haoyu Ye! If you put a kayak on any car it will create extra drag and decrease the efficiency of the vehicle. I drove 230 miles on the highway in the Tesla Model Y with the kayak you see in the video strapped to the roof and still had range left over when I reached my destination. Also, the noise level was minimal. Thanks for watching and please consider subscribing and liking the video!

[@denispicard1851]

Yakima tape. So made by them.

[@renniesolis]

I just installed my roof rack and hand tightened + 2.5nm using a torque wrench and still had some cracking sounds. No apparent cracks but the sound it made is very disconcerting. Has anyone experienced this?

[@essaunders]

I too got a slight cracking sound when carefully tightening with a torque wrench

[@dennyd109]

Same. I had air bubbles under the tape. So I assumed the cracking was due to that ??

[@winer5342]

Yes!!! I didn’t even have my torque wrench to 2 and heard cracking. It spooked me.

[@chrisbishop9164]

To remove the rack when/if it is not needed for an extended period of time, how does one go about removing the tower covers without damaging them? Is there a tool needed? Is there a secret technique or just trial and error with the hope not to damage them?

[@evunite1]

Hi @Chris Bishop and thanks for the question. I believe you should be able to pop them off (although I have never tried). They are snap-fit into place so there is always a risk of them breaking, but I am sure you can remove them fairly easily if you do it carefully.

[@mary2al]

Is this the same as installing on Model 3?

[@evunite1]

Hi @Al M, thanks for the question! The installation process on the Model 3 is VERY similar to the Model Y. The main difference is the location the Roof Rack is mounted (Step 3 and 4). On the Model 3, the front crossbar is mounted 18mm front the front edge of the glass roof and the rear crossbar is mounted 42mm from the rear edge of the glass roof. Other than that, the installation steps are basically the same. Do you have a Model 3? What do you plan to use your roof rack for?

[@morinconseil]

Thank you I have model3 in France

[@JohnDoe-bd5sz]

Its a shame that it is not possible to take them off and put them on very easily. On previous cars it has been easy and not at all scary to install and uninstall once or twice a year when going on holiday. Dont fancy driving around with them mounted all the time.

[@JaiUneGuruDeja]

The locking step needs more detail. It is not obvious when locking is achieved

[@evunite1]

That's good feedback, thank you! Like and subscribe and happy charging!

[@pjlonely2891]

When you put the roof rack your class will be crack