| srelyea |
I got the crossbars to install on the roof rails on my EX Pilot. Unfortunately, I can't get passed the first step: "Insert a small flat-tip screwdriver into the hold on the inside of the roof rail base and relaease retaining tab, then remove the front cover."
I inserted the screwdriver into the hole, but the front cover won't budge.
Anyone have any experience or advice?
Much appreciated.
Thanks.
Steve |
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| Scoobs |
Oh man, are you going to have fun ! Use the website search function to find other posts about this "problem".
My advice would be to take it back to the dealer and let him break the first set of roofrail covers while attempting to install the crossbars. Also make sure they don't put the crossbars on backwards. |
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| N_Jay |
Step 1; Write up sales invoice for Inflated Price. (Thinking, he got me down to MSRP, I have to make some money)
Setp 2; Add Inflated installation estimate. (2 hours, full rate)
Step 3; Have customer leave vehical there all day (Promisss that it would be done at 5:00)
Step 4; Start work at 4:30 (Thinking this should only take 1/2 hour)
Step 5; Read instructions (Skip this step if you are an expert)
(The definition of expert is "Have sucessfully cashed one paycheck as a Honda dealers employee.)
Step 6; Break clip removing roof rack cap
Step 7; Scratch roof while breaking clip
Step 8; Quickly check instructions for better way to remove cap. (Return instructions to trash)
Step 9; Install roof cross bars (preferably backwards)(The lable "FRONT" obviously means this is the front bar, not this side toward the front.)
Step 10; Reinstall Caps (Broken cap looks ok on the outside, so replacement is not necessary)
Step 11; Explain to customer that "All roof racks make that much wind noise"
OK, just kidding :2: |
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| Choctaw |
from srelyea
quote:
I got the crossbars to install on the roof rails on my EX Pilot. Unfortunately, I can't get passed the first step: "Insert a small flat-tip screwdriver into the hold on the inside of the roof rail base and relaease retaining tab, then remove the front cover."
I'm going through the same thing right now. I put on my running boards with no problems, but those crossbars are tough. If only we could get that front cover off. |
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| N_Jay |
Do a search on "cross bars" or "end caps". A lot has been written.
I did some playing once I got the first cap off to see what was happening and then worked out a way that seems to get the latch to release fairly consitantly.
http://www.honda-pilot.org/forums/s...hlight=end+caps
Look at my posts here.
Good luck |
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| Choctaw |
| I'm going to try the bent nail trick. Hope it works. |
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| N_Jay |
Bent nail and prying with the screwdriver.
Good luck. |
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| Choctaw |
| I talked to the service advisor where I bought my Pilot and ask him what they use to get the cap off. He showed me a small flat tip screwdriver bent at an 90 degree angle. He said it was a pain to get them off though. Looks like N_Jay's bent nail trick was right on target. |
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| kompers |
Just an FYI as Scoobs has already mentioned -
Be sure to put the crossbars on facing the correct direction. There is a front and back side to them and if you put them on backwards, you will get some nasty wind noise!! :28:
Just something to keep in mind. My dealer screwed mine up and they didn't even know there was a front and back side!! |
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| N_Jay |
Never, that does not happen.
Those guys are so good they don't even need to read the instructions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Process Interupt
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
System Halted
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sarcasm Filter Failure
>>>>>>>>>>>>> |
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| kbjordan418 |
| Anyone prefer aftermarket rack crossbars (Yakima/Thule) to the Honda Crossbars? |
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| kbc3x1 |
There's lots of site online to get the OEM crossbar from Honda at a really great price. It will definitely fit and look a lot nicer than the after market crossbar. I do have yakima snowboard and biker rack that clamp on the my bar nicely.
P.S. (To anyone who's having problem w/ installing their crossbar and the person that took time to put together these instruction)
http://honda-pilot.org/forums/showt...=&threadid=1686
Use that link. Awsome instruction. Pretty quick and easy if you have the right tools. If not just pay the $30 to have it install at a near by Honda dealer. |
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| srelyea |
I installed the cross bars and the Honda Pilot ski rack. Is there a good cargo container that you like that can go on the cross bars along with the ski rack? I assume it must be about 1/2 the width of a normal cargo container.
Thanks.
Steve |
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| hop23 |
quote:
Originally posted by srelyea
I installed the cross bars and the Honda Pilot ski rack. Is there a good cargo container that you like that can go on the cross bars along with the ski rack? I assume it must be about 1/2 the width of a normal cargo container.
Check out the Thule Cascade 1100. It might work. |
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| max_501 |
| kbc3x1, how did you get the Yakima rack to attach to the oem cross bars? |
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| elduderino |
| Okay, I've done the hard part of removing the end cap cover and unscrewed the end base mount. Now, for the life of me, I can't find those markings along the rails where the cross bars should be positioned!!! I've done everything but put a magnifying glass to it. I had my flash light out and my nose inches from it but no marks to be found. Can anyone tell me where along the rails they should be located at? Perhaps someone can tell me how far from the front and back the bars should be and how far apart they are from each other. This should give me a ballpark on where to position my cross bars. Thanks a lot, in advance, for your help on this!! |
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| nizee |
quote:
Originally posted by elduderino
Okay, I've done the hard part of removing the end cap cover and unscrewed the end base mount. Now, for the life of me, I can't find those markings along the rails where the cross bars should be positioned!!! I've done everything but put a magnifying glass to it. I had my flash light out and my nose inches from it but no marks to be found. Can anyone tell me where along the rails they should be located at? Perhaps someone can tell me how far from the front and back the bars should be and how far apart they are from each other. This should give me a ballpark on where to position my cross bars. Thanks a lot, in advance, for your help on this!!
I had a hard time finding that mark too when my wife found it. You have to look real hard for it. The mark is a very small dot. Imagine this, you have a block of steel, and you have a dot punch, you hammer the "dot-punch" onto the steel, and you saw only a small spot on that block made by the "dot-punch". You then paint it black.
Hope you get the idea that small spot mark cover with black paint, and that is how it looks like on your side rail.
If you need the estimate location where the mark can be found, the rear mark is about 15inch away from the edge of the rear side rail, while the front mark about 15.5inch away from the edge of the front side rail (to measure the front you have to put on the end cap that you remove). Or take the rear measurement and add 800mm in between (see the picture under the "Use and Care" in the instruction)
Hope that helps. |
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| kbusaf |
quote:
Originally posted by elduderino
Okay, I've done the hard part of removing the end cap cover and unscrewed the end base mount. Now, for the life of me, I can't find those markings along the rails where the cross bars should be positioned!!! I've done everything but put a magnifying glass to it. I had my flash light out and my nose inches from it but no marks to be found. Can anyone tell me where along the rails they should be located at? Perhaps someone can tell me how far from the front and back the bars should be and how far apart they are from each other. This should give me a ballpark on where to position my cross bars. Thanks a lot, in advance, for your help on this!!
They are very small "indentations" on the roof rack. I had to find them in the sunlight. I could not see them with a flashlight either. |
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| elduderino |
| Thanks Nizee and Kbusaf! I'll take a closer look this weekend under the sunlight! |
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| vahrmeyer |
[QUOTE]Originally posted by kbjordan418
Anyone prefer aftermarket rack crossbars (Yakima/Thule) to the Honda Crossbars? [/QUOTE
After having had the Honda cross rails on my Odyssey, I chose to use my Thule racks from an old vehicle instead. The only problem and a huge one is the wind noise versus the Honda Cross Rails. I only have the Thule's on while is use and then immediately off afterwards :eek: :eek: |
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| kbusaf |
| I haven't had any wind problems with mine and I leave them on (versus just putting them on for trips). I think most of the noise problems stems from either a backwards install or having the front bar on the back and vice versa, |
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| elduderino |
| Okay, I think I've figured it out. There are changes to the instructions for installing the OEM cross bars between an '03 and an '04 EX. The instructions that I've found are only for an '03 and they say remove the end base mount. But, on an '04, that is not necessary. I also think the problems of removing the end cap has been resolved on the '04. No problems removing mine. So, on an '04, you don't need to remove the 2 T30 torx bolts on the base mount. Only need to remove the T15 bolt that connects the side rails with the base mount. This is so the cross bar connector pieces can slide pass this bolt. Simple as pie. I'm in the process of installing my cross bars now and followed the '03 instructions. After closer inspection, I didn't need to. Now, if I can only find those microscopic positioning marks so I'll know where along the rails the bars should be set at. Saturday should be sunny day so I'm hoping I'll find it in the sunlight. :rolleyes: |
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| turbotc |
quote:
Originally posted by elduderino
Okay, I think I've figured it out. There are changes to the instructions for installing the OEM cross bars between an '03 and an '04 EX. The instructions that I've found are only for an '03 and they say remove the end base mount. But, on an '04, that is not necessary. I also think the problems of removing the end cap has been resolved on the '04. No problems removing mine. So, on an '04, you don't need to remove the 2 T30 torx bolts on the base mount. Only need to remove the T15 bolt that connects the side rails with the base mount. This is so the cross bar connector pieces can slide pass this bolt. Simple as pie. I'm in the process of installing my cross bars now and followed the '03 instructions. After closer inspection, I didn't need to. Now, if I can only find those microscopic positioning marks so I'll know where along the rails the bars should be set at. Saturday should be sunny day so I'm hoping I'll find it in the sunlight. :rolleyes:
Could you please post where you found this instructions for the 04? I just purchased the crossbars but it came with the 03 instructions requiring me to remove the base mount. Also, the marks are very hard to find. As others had mentioned they are just like dots, not drilled holes.
FYI, my front 2 dots on either sides do not line up. The rear 2 dots do but not the front so if I mount the front cross bar according to the front dots then the front bar will not straight from left to right. So I just chose one side and stuck with it.
I just mounted mine but it is really noisy. I didn't realize that the "front" mean that it is for the front side. I thought it meant the front bar. Thanks. |
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| elduderino |
I didn't have any instructions for the '04...I just closely examined my roof rail mounts and see how everything would fit and compared that to the instructions for the '03...all the instructions I've found on the internet have been for the '03, as well.
Hooked the bars up this morning. Took me all of 10 minutes. It looks great...definitely fills out the "SUV" look. |
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| elduderino |
| It was a busy weekend for the Duder...installed my side steps and cross bars. Check it out... |
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| practicaldad |
Its that time of the year and am wondering what is the best way to bring home a christmas tree (say 8ft) in a Pilot? My initial thought is that I could get crossbars and carry the tree on top of the car. Doing so without one may result in some minor scratches from sliding the tree on and off the roof.
Are the crossbars spaced appropriately to carry a christmas tree (no sagging on the ends or in the middle)? If anyone has, please post your experience.
I could carry the tree inside the Pilot, but I would either have to buy a tarp or vacuum up the needles. Too much work for me. Yes, this is a ploy for me to get an accessory on the Pilot (trying to convince the wife). ;) |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by practicaldad
...snip
Are the crossbars spaced appropriately to carry a christmas tree (no sagging on the ends or in the middle)? If anyone has, please post your experience.
...snip
I believe you can space the crossbars anywhere along the rail. Whether you can find an appropriate spot for them to hold a tree off the roof, I can't answer. |
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| HDTVEE |
Not sure if this was covered or not but once you release the tab you slide the cover forward. it wa spretty easy when I did on our Pilot and our odyssey
GOOD LUCK! |
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| elduderino |
quote:
Originally posted by practicaldad
Its that time of the year and am wondering what is the best way to bring home a christmas tree (say 8ft) in a Pilot? My initial thought is that I could get crossbars and carry the tree on top of the car. Doing so without one may result in some minor scratches from sliding the tree on and off the roof.
Are the crossbars spaced appropriately to carry a christmas tree (no sagging on the ends or in the middle)? If anyone has, please post your experience.
I could carry the tree inside the Pilot, but I would either have to buy a tarp or vacuum up the needles. Too much work for me. Yes, this is a ploy for me to get an accessory on the Pilot (trying to convince the wife). ;)
I brought home an 8 foot tree yesterday and it was a piece of cake. I stuck it inside and the top of the tree wedged between the 2 front seats about a foot and a half. I did use a tarp to help collect the needles, but everyone should own a large tarp anyways for a variety of reasons. In the past, I would have had half the tree stickin' out the back of my Integra. Pilot Rawks! |
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| PSUPilot |
quote:
Originally posted by elduderino
I brought home an 8 foot tree yesterday and it was a piece of cake. I stuck it inside...
We also brought an 8 foot tree home this weekend. We do not have crossbars but just tied it off to the rails. I used a moving pad to protect the roof. Probably not optimal, but the Zaino did its job and protected the paint. |
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| elduderino |
quote:
Originally posted by PSUPilot
We also brought an 8 foot tree home this weekend...
Of note is that I was alone when selecting the tree and hauling it back home. If I had brought along the family unit, it would've made an inside carry more difficult. But, I think I could've dropped both 60 side seat backs down and still had room for 3 other passengers.
The idea of strapping the tree to the top was too daunting of a task for me to consider. I do have the side steps to help prop me up there, but still... |
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| krisap |
I've bought Cross Bar from handa-accessories.com.
There are only cross bars inside, no holders, no bolts. Are they suppose to be there, or have to be bought separately? |
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| mknoebel |
I just got the cross bars and a ski rack installed by our dealer - but it's making the whistling noise when we get it up to about 40 mph. When I looked at them, the one they have in the front says "front" on a sticker. So I know that's not the problem. But they must have the front one on backwards.
The bars have the opening in the middle, but one side is thicker than the other. On mine the thicker side is towards the back. I'm guessing that's backwards because the back crossbar has the thicker side towards the front.
Can anyone confirm that my front crossbar is backwards? :confused: Or did I just confuse everyone with my ramblings...:2: |
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| wwong |
| Sounds like it is reverse. Is the "front sticker" facing the front? |
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| mknoebel |
quote:
Originally posted by wwong
Sounds like it is reverse. Is the "front sticker" facing the front?
Yes -- the "front" sticker is in the front. |
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| john802 |
quote:
Originally posted by mknoebel
Yes -- the "front" sticker is in the front.
What wwong is trying to convey is if the shorter width or thicker side is facing forward. I think, they put the front bar in the front but in reverse. Just loosen the T-30 torx bolt of the front bar and reverse it.
-john |
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| mknoebel |
quote:
Originally posted by john802
What wwong is trying to convey is if the shorter width or thicker side is facing forward. I think, they put the front bar in the front but in reverse. Just loosen the T-30 torx bolt of the front bar and reverse it.
-john
I'm pretty sure I didn't get the tool for the crossbars. If I go to a hardwared store, do I just look for a "T-30 torx" tool?? |
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| john802 |
quote:
Originally posted by mknoebel
I'm pretty sure I didn't get the tool for the crossbars. If I go to a hardwared store, do I just look for a "T-30 torx" tool??
Majority of the hardware store or auto parts store carry the T-30 torx tool.
-john |
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| mknoebel |
Thanks John,
I'll drop by Home Depot and pick one up -- and see if I can't just reverse the bar myself. |
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| mknoebel |
| Here is a picture of the crossbar - looking at it from the front of the Pilot. |
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| wwong |
| The picture helps. The crossbars are installed correctly. The wind noise must be coming from the ski rack. Take the ski rack off and I bet the wind noise will stop. |
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| john802 |
quote:
Originally posted by mknoebel
Here is a picture of the crossbar - looking at it from the front of the Pilot.
The installation is correct. It seems like you have a Thulle Ski Rack. It's normal to hear a whistling noise while driving because of the ski rack. You can remove the ski rack since the ski season is almost over. :D :D :D
-john |
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| mknoebel |
| Thanks wwong and john. The ski rack is from Honda - even has an H on it. Any idea of the whistling will go away if I re-position the ski rack?? Right now it's all the way on the drivers side. Would it change if I moved it to the center?? But yeah, ski season is about over anyway - so I'll take them off. |
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| mknoebel |
Hmmm. I just took the ski rack off -- and I'm still getting the whistling. :confused:
How should the back cross bar look?? Does it have the "skinny side" facing front as well? Or is it opposite and have the thicker side in front?? |
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| john802 |
quote:
Originally posted by mknoebel
Hmmm. I just took the ski rack off -- and I'm still getting the whistling. :confused:
How should the back cross bar look?? Does it have the "skinny side" facing front as well? Or is it opposite and have the thicker side in front??
Same as the front, narrower but thicker rubber facing the front. It doesn't matter where you position the ski rack, it will make a whistling noise.
-john |
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| john802 |
| Here is the instruction to install the crossbar: |
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| mknoebel |
Thanks for posting that John.
I'm still getting the noises and trying to figure out why. One thing that I have noticed is that the weather-stripping that was on the factory installed rack (that goes the long way down the Pilot) was not re-installed. Do I need to cut that up and re-insert it??
The other thing I noticed is that there are 4 holes (2 in the front and 2 in the back - again in the factory installed rack). Is there a chance those need to be covered up?? I'm thinking not there because those were there the entire time (unless they were removed for some reason during the intallation of the cross bars). |
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| cdsmith |
I purchased the crossbars and ski rack from Hondacura World. Installed both myself. Only problem was I couldn't find the keys for the first ski rack sent to me. It was a ski rack for an Acura, because it had an "A" on it. Tim had me return them and sent another set, and again I couldn't find the keys to unlock the rack -- until I finally figured out the rattling inside one of the racks were where someone had stored the keys -- and they weren't easy to retreive.
I had downloaded the crossbar installation instructions from this site earlier. Following the instructions to the letter, I had no problems with the installation. The wider crossbar goes in front. Both install with the thicker side facing front. The exact place to install them where the dimples are on the inside of the rails on each side were hard to see. To make future installation of the crossbars easier since you have to remove them to install the ski racks, I made small marks with some silver touch up auto paint where I wanted to realign the crossbars in the future without having to locate the dimples.
I didn't noticed any wind noise with the crossbars and ski rack installed. However I did use some inch wide black vinyl electricians tape in place of the vinyl strips you have to remove to install the ski racks. Since I replaced the vinyl strips as soon as I removed the ski racks, I don't know if a whistling noise would have been present without the vinyl tape. |
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| mknoebel |
| Good suggestions, cdsmith. I think I'll try cutting the strip and putting it back on to see if that helps. |
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| mknoebel |
UPDATE:
I have put the "weatherstripping" back in to the holes in the factory installed roof rack. Unfortunately, the whistling is still there. I have tried taking the ski rack off and it doesn't matter. Still whistling.
So we called our dealer who installed the crossbars. They told us that because it is "high profile", we will always have the whistling. They suggested putting both crossbars all the way to the back of the Pilot - that may eliminate the noise.
I say BS to this. We used to have a Pathfinder with the crossbars and NEVER heard a whisle. Heck, when they were replacing the transmision in our Pilot, we were given a Chevy Trailblazer as a rental. It had a ski rack on top (very similar to the one Honda gave us) and we never heard a bit of noise coming from it. :3:
I'm going to stop by there later today to try to get this straightened up, but this experience has been awful frustrating! |
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| mknoebel |
Well, we took the Pilot back to the dealer to see if they had any ideas on how to stop the noise. But we basically got the same story. The mechanic told me that he has installed many crossbars and they all make noise. He stated again that because of the "high profile", that the way the wind blows past the crossbars it will make this noise. I explained that the Pathfinder, and the Trailblazer both have the same basic design, but I never experienced the whistling sound.
He said that they would call the tech line to see if they could come up with any solution (they will do it next week - the tech line is on Spring Break today).
I explained to him one more time that this just didn't seem right to me. It's more than just a noise, it's a loud whistle that really becomes obnoxious when you get the Pilot around 40 mph. He suggested that maybe there is something else that is causing the problem, and that it just happened to start when we got the crossbars installed.
So, here's two questions:
#1) For those of you who have crossbars - do they make any noise, a loud whistle, no noise? Only at certain speeds??
and
#2) Is there any other problem with the Pilot that might cause this whisling sound?
**edit**
I created a poll here:
http://www.honda-pilot.org/forums/s...=&threadid=7949
I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks all! |
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| jay |
Just some perspective.
I can't speak to the Pilot because mine never had crossbars, but with my Highlander and now the RX 330, it's standard practice to put the rear bar to the very back, and the front bar toward the back about 1/3 way in front of the rear bar to reduce/prevent wind noise. There was even a PDI instruction or TSB instructing dealers on it.
I had a POS '96 Blazer, and the only time I ever heard wind noise with it was when there was frost on the rails. Of course, all the other noises, squeaks, creaks, and rattles may have been masking roof rack noises at other times.:( |
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| Titans Fan |
| I have had crossbars since we took delivery in July, and only heard a whistling sound on a couple of occasions: (1) When I had a ladder on top (2) When, just for kicks, I flipped one of the bars around to see if there was any difference. Whoa Nellie! It really does matter which side faces front. :eek: |
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| krisap |
Finally after 2 months and 2000 miles I'm done with accessories.
Fog Lights, CD changer,Rear Splash Guards ,Cargo Organizer and yesterday cross bars...:) |
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| schuss |
Hi,
I live in Colorado and need ski racks. I purchased the '04 Sagebrush Pearl with crossbars installed. There was no whistling at all. I later had the dealer install the Honda ski racks and I had terrible whistling even at 30 mph. It was quite annoying. Once I installed the 'weatherstrip' the whistling went away.
I decided to return the ski racks because they were too short and the dealer refunded my money entirely. There was whistling after they re-installed my crossbars. I eventually discovered that they installed the rear crossbar backwards.
I bought the Thule ski racks with the sliding rails and installed them myself. I have the front crossbar moved as far forward as possible and the rear crossbar placed back only far enough to be outside the ski bindings. Still, the rear crossbar is pretty far back. There is no whistling whatsoever.
I have four pictures to show how the ski racks are installed. From the pictures, you can see how the crossbars are installed, the placement of the ski racks, and why I purchased the Thule with sliding rails. I just can't figure out how to attach the pictures. I get an error saying that the reply is too large. Each picture is a 4MP jpg file.
Schuss |
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| john802 |
quote:
Originally posted by schuss
Hi,
I live in Colorado and need ski racks. I purchased the '04 Sagebrush Pearl with crossbars installed. There was no whistling at all. I later had the dealer install the Honda ski racks and I had terrible whistling even at 30 mph. It was quite annoying. Once I installed the 'weatherstrip' the whistling went away.
I decided to return the ski racks because they were too short and the dealer refunded my money entirely. There was whistling after they re-installed my crossbars. I eventually discovered that they installed the rear crossbar backwards.
I bought the Thule ski racks with the sliding rails and installed them myself. I have the front crossbar moved as far forward as possible and the rear crossbar placed back only far enough to be outside the ski bindings. Still, the rear crossbar is pretty far back. There is no whistling whatsoever.
I have four pictures to show how the ski racks are installed. From the pictures, you can see how the crossbars are installed, the placement of the ski racks, and why I purchased the Thule with sliding rails. I just can't figure out how to attach the pictures. I get an error saying that the reply is too large. Each picture is a 4MP jpg file.
Schuss
You need to reduce the .jpg file to 200kb or less.
-john |
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| schuss |
Here are the pictures of my ski racks on the crossbars. I finally found the time to reduce the size of the pictures.
Schuss |
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| schuss |
2nd of 4 pictures
Schuss |
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| schuss |
3rd of 4 pictures
Schuss |
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| schuss |
4th of 4 pictures
Schuss |
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| Pilot-Matt |
04 Cross Bar Installation
I just installed the chrome extenders and cross bars from honda.
With the 04 installation of the cross bars, you only need to remove the 15m hex bolt. Seems there is a new slot at the front of the side rails that accommodates the brackets with out removing the front rail housing. |
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| jzw |
Hi,
It was very easy to get the caps off. I think honda must have chagned the design. Mine is a 2004. I just inserted a screw driver and pushed the clip hard. I could feel it was bent under pressure. Then I slided the caps forward and they came right off. As a matter of fact, I thought it might take some effort, so I pushed very hard on the first one and it almost shot across the garage. Fortunately, there was no scratch on the body paint. But did leave some marks on the base. I didn't realized though that I didn't have to remove the bases on the 2004 to install the bars. But it was merely an extra 5 minutes of effort in total.
I also installed the running boards myself. These were pain in the a... It's not difficult but there are so many nuts and bolts to tighten and it's hard to find a good position to do so unless the car's on the lift. I spent an average of 1 hour 15 minutes on each side. But the end result is well worth the effort :) |
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| sblvro |
quote:
Originally posted by jzw
Hi,
It was very easy to get the caps off. I think honda must have chagned the design. Mine is a 2004. I just inserted a screw driver and pushed the clip hard. I could feel it was bent under pressure. Then I slided the caps forward and they came right off. As a matter of fact, I thought it might take some effort, so I pushed very hard on the first one and it almost shot across the garage. Fortunately, there was no scratch on the body paint. But did leave some marks on the base. I didn't realized though that I didn't have to remove the bases on the 2004 to install the bars. But it was merely an extra 5 minutes of effort in total.
that is true! it was very easy to remove and install the OEM crossbar. just poke a phillips screwdriver in the hole and at the same time push the plastic cover forward and it slides easily. The only drawback of the crossbar is the torx bolt strips easily(had to replace it with a regular metric nut and bolt). |
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| sean |
I have a torque wrench and followed the directions to apply the correct force to install the 4 torx bolts. I ended up stripping the (aluminum???) square piece the torx bolts screw in to before the correct tightness was obtained. Thankfully I have a great Honda place nearby who helped me out with a new piece (you can't order just the one piece apparently only the whole roof rack..does that make sense?).
The other bolts don't seem tight enough, but I don't want to strip any more pieces. The parts guy might not be so sympathetic if I show up again with the same problem. So, there is small movement in the crossbars when I push on them hard. I tested my new Thule Evolution box this weekend and everything seems okay. But, I'm a little nervous about it. I almost want to go buy 4 nuts and bolts to lock it down better.
Did anyone else have this issue?
Ironically, the rail caps came off extremely easy for me. Must have been all the good advice I read here.
Sean |
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| GeeWiz |
quote:
Originally posted by sean
I have a torque wrench and followed the directions to apply the correct force to install the 4 torx bolts. I ended up stripping the (aluminum???) square piece the torx bolts screw in to before the correct tightness was obtained. Thankfully I have a great Honda place nearby who helped me out with a new piece (you can't order just the one piece apparently only the whole roof rack..does that make sense?).
The other bolts don't seem tight enough, but I don't want to strip any more pieces. The parts guy might not be so sympathetic if I show up again with the same problem. So, there is small movement in the crossbars when I push on them hard. I tested my new Thule Evolution box this weekend and everything seems okay. But, I'm a little nervous about it. I almost want to go buy 4 nuts and bolts to lock it down better.
Did anyone else have this issue?
Ironically, the rail caps came off extremely easy for me. Must have been all the good advice I read here.
Sean
I installed the crossbars today on my 03 EX-L. I had a devil of a time getting the passenger side front cap off. I pushed that screwdriver in really hard to release the clip, and the cap still wouldn't slide off. I tried the bent nail trick, but until you actually have the cap off and see how the locking clip works, it doesn't help much. So I tried again with the screwdriver, and banged down and forward with the heel of my hand (until nearly bruised) and it finally came off. Unfortunately, the plastic tab that was held by the clip broke off (waiting for the epoxy to dry right now!). I suspect it will not be strong enough, and I may be in for buying a new cover - sheesh!
The drivers side came off much more easily, pushing in the screwdriver to release the clip, and pounding forward with my and. Didn't break the tab on that side.
Has anyone glued that tab back on before? What did you use (epoxy?). Or should I just head down to the dealer and buy another one.
On the LHS, once sliding the cap back on, I can easily slide it off now - without pushing the release clip. I tried bending the clip to tighten it's grip, but I can still push the cap off easily. Has anyone else experienced this? And what did you do to keep the cap on in the carwash? |
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| sblvro |
quote:
Originally posted by GeeWiz
Has anyone glued that tab back on before? What did you use (epoxy?). Or should I just head down to the dealer and buy another one.
Since it has no structural purpose at all, just apply goop adhesive and it will keep it in place and remain pliable just in case you decide to take it off.
I have applied it to the chrome caps to cover the torx bolts and keep it from corroding. |
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| GeeWiz |
quote:
Originally posted by sblvro
Since it has no structural purpose at all, just apply goop adhesive and it will keep it in place and remain pliable just in case you decide to take it off.
I have applied it to the chrome caps to cover the torx bolts and keep it from corroding.
Chrome caps?? What chrome caps? - my crossbars came with black bolts and washers. I assume they are steel, and wondered what stops them from corroding (unless they are aluminum painted black). Are the caps an accessory?
BTW, my epoxy job seemed to have worked. I may need to apply a little Goop to the edges of the cap, just to keep them from coming off in the car wash. The driver's side cap slips off with just a slight amount of pressure. |
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| sblvro |
quote:
Originally posted by GeeWiz
Chrome caps?? What chrome caps? - my crossbars came with black bolts and washers. I assume they are steel, and wondered what stops them from corroding (unless they are aluminum painted black). Are the caps an accessory?
BTW, my epoxy job seemed to have worked. I may need to apply a little Goop to the edges of the cap, just to keep them from coming off in the car wash. The driver's side cap slips off with just a slight amount of pressure.
the caps are just caps that I bought from home depot or any hardware shop and goop to seal it, applied to keep the torx bolt and nut from being exposed to the elements, salt, rain, acid etc. |
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| Sunday Rider |
Just in case any of you took Tim up on the discount last week.
I did, and bought the cross bars. The plastic cap was tougher than I thought. It took me over 30 minutes just to get the left side off another 30 minutes for the right side, eventhough I thought I knew what I was doing by then. The cross bar part was no problem.
The sticker marked front, is for the FRONT bar, and the front of the front bar too.
First picture gives you an idea of the poor design to get the metal retainer piece to move. You have to use something bent, I had a screwdriver that way from another project. You will see this worked on the left side, but not on the right. For the right, I had to use something else. It is in the last picture.
1st of 4 |
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| Sunday Rider |
2nd of 4
This shows the bent screw driver I used. You can see the plastic tab that has to clear the metal clip. |
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| Sunday Rider |
3rd of 4
here is another view of that PITA metal clip. |
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| Sunday Rider |
4 of 4
Here's the finished product and the other jig I used to take out the Right plastic cover.
Consider yourself lucky if you spent less than 1 hour to do the job. I would sooner get a tooth filled, without freezing at the dentist, or even at the dealer's.
But don't let me talk you out of it. You may have a Pilot that was put together different/better. |
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| Sunday Rider |
| One more thing. If you put the bar marked front in the rear postion, it will be too long. It needs to be in the front postion. |
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| Scoobs |
I mean what is up with these goofy end caps on Pilots? On my '96 Caravan all you had to do was squeeze the end cap with your hand to disengage the tabs and remove the end caps. And when the end caps were on they weren't loose and floopy like the Pilot ones are, and no the tabs on mine aren't broken, I checked that.
And what's with having to turn the wheel over and remove the inner wheel well liner to replace the yellow side marker lights on a Pilot ? Could you make it any more difficult to replace a 50 cent bulb?The Caravan had a little hatch that you turned clockwise, pulled out, instant access. Who designed these things on the Pilot, Wally and the Beaver ???
And you have to take the bumper off to get at the horns ????
While I'm at it I see that the new Odyssey has the same useless windshield sprayers as the Pilot. I wonder if they barf on the hood of the new Odyssey ??
I think it's time for bed. I'm getting grumpy.:D |
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| Sunday Rider |
| Man, I have never cursed like I did tonight. Glad the garage door was closed. My fingers are so raw from all that turning. You should have seen me concentrate until I was in "Harmony with the clip", and then "boing" missed again.:3: |
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| humanoid |
quote:
Originally posted by Sunday Rider
Man, I have never cursed like I did tonight. Glad the garage door was closed. My fingers are so raw from all that turning. You should have seen me concentrate until I was in "Harmony with the clip", and then "boing" missed again.:3:
Makes me glad that I had the dealer install these things for me. :2: |
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| Sunday Rider |
My dealer wanted $75 to install. I said later. It was starting to look like a good deal halfway through the 2nd cover though.
I thought that after reading and re-reading every posting on the cross bars, it should have lifted with one well place twist or 2. No such luck.
I am not sure I want to attempt the fogs. I will probably have the bumper in 3 pieces. |
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| Sunday Rider |
quote:
Originally posted by Scoobs
ISNIP
While I'm at it I see that the new Odyssey has the same useless windshield sprayers as the Pilot. I wonder if they barf on the hood of the new Odyssey ??
I think it's time for bed. I'm getting grumpy.:D
I am so wound up, I can't sleep. So here I am.
That is another fight I am having with the dealer about the sprayers. I took in the 2003 and 2004 drawings of the jets and wanted them to put the 2004 check valves to make the 2003 stop dumping fluid all over the hood, 2 hours after I sprayed. He didn't believe me until I showed him. Then he said I was the only one who has complained. I told him then he can replace the whole system, as mine must be the only one not working. He called Honda to see what can be done. |
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| humanoid |
quote:
Originally posted by Sunday Rider
My dealer wanted $75 to install. I said later. It was starting to look like a good deal halfway through the 2nd cover though.
[snipped]
I am not sure I want to attempt the fogs. I will probably have the bumper in 3 pieces.
The dealer installed the crossbars for free (we knew the sales manager... hehehehe).
As for the foglights, I thought about it, but I had a hard enough time installing wwong's pillar protection tape! :3: |
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| Sunday Rider |
quote:
Originally posted by humanoid
The dealer installed the crossbars for free (we knew the sales manager... hehehehe).
As for the foglights, I thought about it, but I had a hard enough time installing wwong's pillar protection tape! :3:
You are lucky, and stop rubbing it in.LOL.
I have no such connections, except for Fords, but that is a different story. |
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| borg |
SundayRider,
Glad to see the finished product even though you had to struggle through the install, good pics of the clips that hold the end caps...never seen them before.
I too had the rails installed by the dealer, but when I brought the Pilot home, I discovered that the front rail was crooked. It was off by 2"!!!! So I was off to CANADIAN TIRE to get a torx screw driver & adusted it myself.
For those that had theirs installed by the dealer, make sure that the rails are properly lined up. |
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| Sunday Rider |
quote:
Originally posted by borg
SundayRider,
Glad to see the finished product even though you had to struggle through the install, good pics of the clips that hold the end caps...never seen them before.
I too had the rails installed by the dealer, but when I brought the Pilot home, I discovered that the front rail was crooked. It was off by 2"!!!! So I was off to CANADIAN TIRE to get a torx screw driver & adusted it myself.
For those that had theirs installed by the dealer, make sure that the rails are properly lined up.
Thanks Borg.
I thought the picture of the clip would help someone. But knowing what I did with the left one, still didn't make me get the right one any faster (well maybe 5 minutes faster).
My torx story was funny. I dropped my son off at Karate, and went off to Home Hardware (are they out west?). The guy said what size, he laughs, and gives me the two I needed for $0.99. He said they have been sitting around for over a year. Only good part of the installation.
I feel better today. No whistling or rattle on the roof so far. |
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| GeeWiz |
Hey, Sunday Rider, those are great photos. I wish I had waited a week ...just put my cross bars on last weekend, and didn't know what the clip system looked like.
Once you see how it works, it is a pretty simple mechanism (but with that stupid clip-limiting plastic piece).
Oh well, one broken tab on one side, and a glued on cover on the other...the Crossbars should work.
Now, to figure out the best cargo box - big, but nice looking... |
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| Sunday Rider |
I wish I had a better idea where the metal clip was too before. For some reason after reading all the posts, I assumed the metal clip was in the cover part, not the base. So for the first one I was in the wrong part. So no excuse for the 2nd one, since I knew where the clip was. But trying to budge that clip in the right place was tough.
The metal clip looks like it was bent too far out so you don't get any leverage at all. The only thing you can do is move the clip exactly at the point where is holds the plastic tab on the cover. I also didn't want to wreck the plastic bushings, so I didn't use a second screw driver to pry it.
GeeWiz are you picking up an OEM cargo box, or the "Safari" type long and wide basket? Good luck with that, I am sure it will be easy to install. |
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| GeeWiz |
quote:
Originally posted by Sunday Rider
The metal clip ...snip... I also didn't want to wreck the plastic bushings, so I didn't use a second screw driver to pry it.
GeeWiz are you picking up an OEM cargo box, or the "Safari" type long and wide basket? Good luck with that, I am sure it will be easy to install.
Sunday Rider, I was thinking the same thing about using the second screwdriver to exert some leverage - I actually started doing that on the first side, but the soft rubber bushing was immediately damaged. I did find the crude drawing that one member (sorry, I forget who) contributed, and that helped somewhat - but from the diagram I thought the clip opening was toward the rear of the vehicle, so was going at it Bass-Ackward. I wonder if the clip-restraining plastic tab is too wide or too close to the clip, not allowing it to bend away enough.
As for the cargo carrier, I hadn't considered the OEM products, but was looking at the Thule (110 or 120 sq.ft. I think) or other brands. They seem to be in the $350 or so range. some brands feel pretty flimsy, so I'd rather pay a few more bucks and get a reasonably stiff one.
Any recommendations for rooftop enclosed cargo carrying boxes out there? |
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| TheWorm |
quote:
Originally posted by GeeWiz
Any recommendations for rooftop enclosed cargo carrying boxes out there?
There is a good & recent thread titled "Thule or Yakima" on the board. I think it's in the Accessory forum.
If you do a search (box @ the top of the page) for "Thule" (without quotes) it'll pop up. It's not more than a couple of weeks old. |
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| john802 |
| Sunday Rider - Sorry to hear about the difficulty you had installing the crossbar... |
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| pilot04 |
| I guess I got lucky since I was able to get all the caps off with just a small flat blade screwdriver. I even had the bent nail and hex key ready in case I had a hard time. Install took around 15 min after double checking everything. I noticed the caps weren't as snug as before but it is still ok. |
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| GeeWiz |
quote:
Originally posted by pilot04
I guess I got lucky since I was able to get all the caps off with just a small flat blade screwdriver. I even had the bent nail and hex key ready in case I had a hard time. Install took around 15 min after double checking everything. I noticed the caps weren't as snug as before but it is still ok.
I'm glad you didn't have the same issue as me (and others), Pilot04. Did you use the screwdriver to press in the clip, or to lever against the rail?
I too noticed my caps were loose, so I put a bit of glue on the inside edge, just to be sure they stay on in the carwash. |
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| Sunday Rider |
quote:
Originally posted by pilot04
I guess I got lucky since I was able to get all the caps off with just a small flat blade screwdriver. I even had the bent nail and hex key ready in case I had a hard time. Install took around 15 min after double checking everything. I noticed the caps weren't as snug as before but it is still ok.
I am glad it worked out for you. I am assuming you have an '04. Maybe Honda got it right for your set up. Too bad you didn't take a picture of the clip, I would have liked to see if it was any different. |
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| pilot04 |
quote:
Originally posted by GeeWiz
I'm glad you didn't have the same issue as me (and others), Pilot04. Did you use the screwdriver to press in the clip, or to lever against the rail?
I too noticed my caps were loose, so I put a bit of glue on the inside edge, just to be sure they stay on in the carwash.
I used the screwdriver to press in the clip. I thought about using some clear silicone but I decided to wait for now. |
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| pilot04 |
quote:
Originally posted by | | | |
