My old Taurus wagon with the factory roof rack was very sick so I traded it in on a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. Now I need a roof rack. Thule and Yakima both make racks that they say will fit but I’d like to hear from others that have a rack on a 2009 Sonata.
Pros, cons?
Thanks!
Roof rack found
I may be the first person to put a roof rack on a 2009 Sonata but it’s done. I didn’t get any advice, here or on Sonata forum, from anyone that had put a roof rack on a 2009 Sonata. On the advice of folks on another thread, I called Rack Attack. They had two racks that would fit but in their opinion the Yakima was superior to the Thule. They said my old Thule kayak carriers would work on the Yakima rack. Since the Yakima was $50 less and also had a $30 rebate, they didn’t have to twist my arm to buy it.
The rack is now on the car and I’ll be testing it with a 60 pound kayak tomorrow. It took me a couple of hours to get it all set up and adjusted but now that it is done, I can take it off the car in about a minute. Putting it back on takes about 3 if you take the time to do it precisely. I’m no mechanical prodigy so you guys that actually work on your cars could probably set it up the first time in an hour.
The hardware that worked was:
Yakima Q Towers 200124
Yakima 58" Cross Bars 200409
Yakima Q99 Clip: 200099
Yakima Q5 Clip: 200005
Total for that hardware was $299. I added 4 lock cores for an additional $55. That will keep someone from stealing the rack unless they can pick a lock or use a crowbar. (I’m hoping they’ll pick the lock!)
I was happy to see that the pads on the towers are not rubber but silicone. I’m confident that they won’t damage the paint as long as I make sure I clean them and the car before I mount them.
The Thule accessory on top of the rack, I’ve had for years. My old Ford had a factory rack and I attached them to that. They attach securely to the Yakima cross bars.
Photos at: http://www.boohers.com/sharefiles/Yakimarack1.jpg
http://www.boohers.com/sharefiles/Yakimarack2.jpg
http://www.boohers.com/sharefiles/Yakimarack3.jpg
article covering the subject
but not the car.
http://gokayaknow.com/index.php/2009/sea-kayaking/how-to-choose-the-right-kayak-roof-rack/
prefer Thule
We’ve used both. Our Thule bars are stronger and there hasn’t been any leakage around the door seal. We had problems with the feet sliding on the Yakima system unless we cranked it down but then it dented the roof a little. Plus the accessories don’t rotate with the Thule square bar. Our saddles stay put better. We did buy an early Hullavator that had issues but Thule’s customer service was great and replaced it fast with no hassle. Our local shop showed us that most (not all) Thule is now being made in the USA which is a BIG deal to us here in Michigan. Yakima is now made in Mexico. Our Thule hitch bike rack was made in CT!