Hello! I have a 2012 KIA Soul which has a bare roof and no ability to add side rails. Can anyone please give me a suggestion for what would work on this car so I can carry two kayaks? I went to the KIA dealership and was told that side rails weren’t available to be added until the 2014 model year. Help is very appreciated, I plan on keeping this care for a few more years. Hoping someone out there has the same car and has found a solution.
Yakima and Thule should both have rack mounts that clamp to the roof at the door openings. Go to their websites and you should find info to help you choose the proper components for your particular car. Also, does your car have a groove along each side of the roof that has a plastic strip embedded in it? If so, Thule and/or Yakima will likely have a special rack mount that clamps very securely into that groove (if you go with this option you’ll have to cut out a segment of the plastic strip at each of the four rack-mount locations).
Yakima and Thule racks are anything but cheap and I have no qualms about pointing out how some of their more-trivial components are ridiculously overpriced, but when it comes to the rack mounts themselves, it’s still true that you get what you pay for, and both of these brands are solid and reliable. You might get lucky and find a less prestigious brand of rack that will do the trick, but you might not be able to be as certain of getting the proper fit until the parts are in hand and you try them out.
Don’t expect the folks at the dealership to know anything at all about aftermarket racks, as that’s not their gig. It would actually be weird for a dealer to even admit that it’s okay to install an aftermarket rack, but that’s only because the money doesn’t go in their pocket, not because there’s some problem with doing it.
You can fill in the blanks here and get some idea of what you’ll need:
https://www.rackattack.com/
Or read the same question which was asked and answered in 2012 here:
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/kayak-racks-for-2012-kia-soul-224.html
Sorry, my bad for posting response to new discussion. Try SSD for Kia Soul 2011-2013 and 2014 -2017. We fitted some beefy round side rails on wife’s 2011 Soul as purchased from http://ssdkia.blogspot.com/. No drilling, just removing black trim to expose pre-existing hardware, cut small section of trim, then bolted all down. Then installed Yakima Rail Grabbers. Our local Kia dearler spouted all manner of BS but was willing to install same rails at twice the price and citing that drilling through roof, cutting wiring harness, yada, yada.
Am happy to send pictures of final product if you need.
Go to _https://www.yakima.com/step1 _and shop by vehicle type. I did and they have bars and towers to fit your car without the side rails. But you’ve got to make a number of options choices. It that is too much. Then search for local Yakima dealer they can help you.