My question is - If I buy a lockable ski roof rack from Thule or Yakima and mount it on my factory installed crossbar, I still have to lock the factory installed crossbar, don't I? It is simply attached to the rails by allen screws. How do I lock these? Is getting separate towers and crossbars the only alternative?
I would appreciate any thoughts.
-Recently initiated.
I remember a lock on each of the crossbar on my 99 Forester. I would think that should prevent someone taking the whole thing off.
leo
I'm not aware of any way to lock the factory crossbars. Fortunately, I also live in an area where theft isn't a major concern. I've considered having some replacement bolts made up with keyed heads (similar to locking wheel lugs), but haven't gotten around to actually doing so yet. I have a friend who's an excellent machinist and who I'll recruit to make them for me. If you're not lucky enough to have such a friend, any machine shop should be able to make them for you. I'll probably have them made up before using the crossbars someplace far away from home, where theft might be a concern. (If you go this route, don't forget to have the shop make up a wrench or two to fit the keyed bolt heads!)
HTH,
- Greg Reed
I really wouldn't worry too much about the theft of a car top carrier, as it would be much simpler for the thief to simply steal the entire car. Also, if there was a lockm on the factory bars, it would be fairly easy to just saw through the factory cross bars.
George Adams
"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of youth that doth not grow stale with age." ---- J.W Muller
It pays sometimes to think pragmatically ;) Thank you for putting it in perspective.
For what its worth, yesterday I checked at the dealer. They mentioned, that the cross-bars have keyed screws. The tool is provided with the car. Actually it is separate from the toolkit. Also, I believe if you have the security upgrade package, then it starts sounding off alarm when the roof-rack is removed with the security system armed. I think that also applies to the wheels.
Stealing the car and sawing through the crossbars *are* indeed ways that a determined thief could steal a properly secured car-top carrier, but I'm not so sure they can be properly described as "simpler" or "fairly easy" when compared to removing eight allen bolts. With a cordless drill and properly-sized allen bit, I'm betting even a novice such as myself could have the crossbars removed and have absconded with whatever was attached to them in less time than is required to use the facilities at a highway rest stop.
- Greg Reed
But while you were performing this feat, you would be very conspicuous, and a determined car thief would be out of there, car and all in less than a minute.
George Adams
"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of youth that doth not grow stale with age." ---- J.W Muller
So true. There's really no way to prevent someone from taking your stuff, the best you can do is install things that will "inconvenience" people and slow them down, making the theft riskier and therefore a possible deterrent to all but the very smartest - or dumbest thieves. When I installed my amp and subwoofer, I initially used basic sheetmetal screws to secure the amp to the back of the seat. I later switched these to Torx screws, reasoning that although a "real" thief will have the proper tools at his disposal, a teenager looking to transplant my stereo into his Hyundai will likely not. ;)
-Matt
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