128i with SportsRack cargo box

[cricri]

Just thought I'd post a pic or two of my mostly-non-OEM roof rack setup. The bars are from BMW, straight from the dealer at around 220$. The cargo box is a SportsRack Explorer 18cu in, quite big, and 120$ on sale at CT. The mounting kit comes from Rack Ultra, another 35$.

Overall I'm very satisfied with the capacity it literally doubled my storage space. I just used it on a recent 2000kms road trip and it held well under hard winds. The biggest downside is when installing the box on the car's roof - it's not an easy task since it will only open from one side, making it hard to tighten the screws located near the hinges. I got my arm stuck in there while tightening a screw and my muscles are still sore days later...

At 120$ + 35$ it's way cheaper than Thule or BMW alternatives so all things considered it's a solid purchase.

[avonord]

I lIke to install a ski rack on top of my 128, but do I need to punch a hole on the car roof? Did 220$ include dealer install?

[cricri]

No need to punch any holes and no need for the dealer to do the install either. The 128 has 4 trap doors along its roof line, 2 on each side. If you open one of them you'll notice a screw thread this is where the rack sits. The rack comes with the necessary hardware including a hex tool to torque the screws. The rack actually doesn't even touch the roof at all, it sits about 1/4 inch from it.

[avonord]

Cool. Thanks. Is it easy to take off the (BMW) base rack?

[cricri]

It's easy to put on so I assume it's also easy to put off. I'm taking it off tomorrow so I'll post again if it's not the case. One screw per side, and it comes with a foam insert to protect the roof while installing/removing.