Update on 2020 Rav4 Thule Install

In the last couple of days it appears Thule has started catching up to their warranty claims. To the good, I received mail indicating they are sending me a new FitKit because of the very unique and proprietary bolt that snapped installing the first one. Hopefully this means they will soon be able to start producing hardware sets, which IMO is the best long term solution for the new flush rail systems.

Unfortunately I had to go and buy a second FitKit set myself in order to get the boats to the coast of Maine in less than two weeks. Thule’s response took four or five. I have replied asking if they could do a credit instead. If that can’t happen, I will have a third FitKit available in its original package… for now. I am hanging onto the second one to have three spare of that dratted bolt.

We have a 2012 Rav4 and love the racks with thule fit kit and bars. We now have also a Rav42020 and almost didn’t buy it due to the odd design for racks which are a huge part of our activities with kayaks/canoes/paddleboards/small sailboats We are worried about this new design and cant even grab on to pull up and hold on up there. We may be interested in that fit kit but we are in Pittsburgh area so may end up just ordering locally at some point.

If you have to sink for the new podiums etc anyway, I strongly suggest that you also get the new cross bars with the slot in them. Those will work with the podiums that are easy to find and frankly may be a stronger design. There is a stretch of plastic in the older ones that others have found might be a break point and was not ringing my bells when I saw it. But by then I had the older podiums in hand and had to get the boats on the car.

This car does have 3.7 cu ft less interior space than the 2016 etc design, which I realized happens because the rear seat is fixed and doesn’t slide back so the seat backs can fold down truly flat. They preserved that feature in the Highlander but that is more vehicle than I need.

Other than that I really like the car. I have had to use a stool for the three cars before this to properly finish off a tie down, so that part doesn’t bother me. I am thinking of replacing the saddle/glide pad arrangement on the non-Hullivator side with rollers, at least the saddle, but I am probably past needing to carry two boats now so that can wait.