LX 570 noobie/intro. (1 Viewer)

[SPG0303]

Hi all. I hope this is the correct place for the intro post (apologies if not). My husband & I purchased a 2014 LX 570, hoping for an LC but opted for LX due to mileage and cost for our stage in life right now. Thus far, we love the beauty. My husband recently located LC rails and crossbars. To surprise him (since he's too busy these days), I went to Toyota Dealership this morning and had the rails switched out. Unfortunately, they tell me neither the LC nor the LX crossbars fit. My husband told me he read on this forum a couple places where folks were successful, I've seen the particular threads but haven't seen anyone who's encountered difficulty. Is there a specific way the LX crossbars need to be installed on LC rails? The LC bars are ever too short. I've joined the forum so I can also learn about the truck, and maybe help solve the problem while he's working. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[grinchy]

Welcome to the forum!

If you got the three pad LC rails, and the LC crossbars, these will indeed fit. There are four pads on each side possible, the LX uses pads 2 and 4, the LC uses pads 1, 3, and 4. So to install the LC rails, the other pads will need to be uncovered and used, and then the unused pads recovered. I suggest putting the bolts back in and the cover onto pad #2. You'll see what I mean when you see how pad #1 and #3 have been stored.

The LC crossbars will fit the LC rack. Although your LX crossbars look identical, they will be too short.

I have an LC rack on my 2009 LX, and the LX crossbars are too short. I scavenged the ends off the crossbars for accessory installs . . .

There can be drama removing the rail bolts at the pad with the retaining clips in the headliner. It's not hard, just unscrew each side a couple turns back and forth and you'll be fine. Lots of threads on the debacle that results if you don't.

Good luck

 

[SPG0303]

Thanks for the welcome!
Good to know about the LX crossbars, you're saving me my sanity (and moreso, my husband's).
What am I missing about the LC crossbar install? They surely fit, tongue and groove on one side - but my non mechanical brain cannot figure out how to slide the other side into the groove as it meets the correct width. Hopefully the pictures help what my words are unable to express. I'm only kindly guessing this is what the dealership guys encountered as well since they sent me home with the bars uninstalled...Thanks again for your input and welcome!

 

[cpcc]

hmmm, look a lot like the 100 series crossmembers. haven't seen 200 series cross members

 

[grinchy]

If all the crossbars you have are the same length, they are all too short.. . . I suspect the set you bought may not be as advertised.

the lx rails are thicker and thus their cross bars are shorter. The tlc rails are thinner and , so those crossbars are about 3/4” longer.

frustrating for sure. As otherwise the crossbars are identical.

Do you have a three pad tlc rail set installed?

 

[SPG0303]

hmmm, look a lot like the 100 series crossmembers. haven't seen 200 series cross members

Oh goodness, I hope not...i'll check into that. That would surely be unfortunate, thanks for the insight.

 

[SPG0303]

If all the crossbars you have are the same length, they are all too short.. . . I suspect the set you bought may not be as advertised.

the lx rails are thicker and thus their cross bars are shorter. The tlc rails are thinner and , so those crossbars are about 3/4” longer.

frustrating for sure. As otherwise the crossbars are identical.

Do you have a three pad tlc rail set installed?

Hmm...so, the LX crossbars are indeed shorter than the LC bars. We do have the three pad TLC rail set installed, as of this morning. The LC crossbars are too short at the front to insert into both grooves. And too long to insert from the back. We were told that the rails and crossbars were from a j200 series.

 

[grinchy]

Hmm...so, the LX crossbars are indeed shorter than the LC bars. We do have the three pad TLC rail set installed, as of this morning. The LC crossbars are too short at the front to insert into both grooves. And too long to insert from the back. We were told that the rails and crossbars were from a j200 series.

Ok at least you have good rails. What do you mean by short and long to Insert? The Crossbars are mounted by removing the back plastic cover on both sides, then slide in with the arrows pointing forward on the crossbars.

 

[SPG0303]

I'm not sure how to better describe (forgive my lack of technical terms). If trying to mount by sliding the crossbars in from up front, the crossbar is too short. If trying to mount by sliding in from the back of the car, then the crossbars are too long for the width of the two rails at the back. BUT, looks like the point I failed to know is I am to unscrew the screws on the bottom side of the crossbars to install? Thanks so much.

 

[grinchy]

I'm not sure how to better describe (forgive my lack of technical terms). If trying to mount by sliding the crossbars in from up front, the crossbar is too short. If trying to mount by sliding in from the back of the car, then the crossbars are too long for the width of the two rails at the back. BUT, looks like the point I failed to know is I am to unscrew the screws on the bottom side of the crossbars to install? Thanks so much.

Hmm. It really shouldn’t be possible for the rails to be too wide and too narrow. The rails should be the same distance apart the whole way. They should be just less than 43” apart. The crossbars from square nut to square nut should be a bit longer to account for the depth of the channel. They only can insert from the rear of the car. I wonder if your rails are installed backward. It should be front pad by sunroof, then skip a pad, then two pads toward back.

 

[tincan45]

The LX crossbars are shorter than LC. You have 2 options.

1) Remove the screw at the end of the LX crossbars and adjust to fit the LC width. This will require re-drilling and tapping the crossbar at the new (longer) length.

2) Find someone on here who has a set of LC crossbars laying around.

I'm not sure how your crossbars could be too short at the front and too long at the rear. Maybe some pictures would help. Crossbars should always go in from the rear.

 

[SPG0303]

Hmm. It really shouldn’t be possible for the rails to be too wide and too narrow. The rails should be the same distance apart the whole way. They should be just less than 43” apart. The crossbars from square nut to square nut should be a bit longer to account for the depth of the channel. They only can insert from the rear of the car. I wonder if your rails are installed backward. It should be front pad by sunroof, then skip a pad, then two pads toward back.

Oh my goodness. What a bummer annnd waste of 200$ if they installed backwards, since the crossbars are sliding into the rails from the front of vehicle towards back/rear I'm guessing that may be the unfortunate case. Should have come here on my own first. I'll check and work on it in the morning. Thanks for your input! I'll snap better photos in the AM.

 

[bentonrover]

The LX crossbars are shorter than LC. You have 2 options.

1) Remove the screw at the end of the LX crossbars and adjust to fit the LC width. This will require re-drilling and tapping the crossbar at the new (longer) length.

2) Find someone on here who has a set of LC crossbars laying around.

I'm not sure how your crossbars could be too short at the front and too long at the rear. Maybe some pictures would help. Crossbars should always go in from the rear.

Exactly what I did with my crossbars. Problem solved.

 

[SPG0303]

Hmm. It really shouldn’t be possible for the rails to be too wide and too narrow. The rails should be the same distance apart the whole way. They should be just less than 43” apart. The crossbars from square nut to square nut should be a bit longer to account for the depth of the channel. They only can insert from the rear of the car. I wonder if your rails are installed backward. It should be front pad by sunroof, then skip a pad, then two pads toward back.

Good-ish news!! The rails were indeed installed backwards! So, I took back to dealership (yes, bc I'm not the handy one) and they corrected. Now, the rails are in place, and LC crossbars fit perfectly. Thank you so much to each of you with helping me figure this puzzle out. Thankful to be on this forum, can't wait to learn more from y'all.

 

[grinchy]

Good-ish news!! The rails were indeed installed backwards! So, I took back to dealership (yes, bc I'm not the handy one) and they corrected. Now, the rails are in place, and LC crossbars fit perfectly. Thank you so much to each of you with helping me figure this puzzle out. Thankful to be on this forum, can't wait to learn more from y'all.

You’ll find not too many of us can stand the dealer, unlike a common car like a Camry or Accord, 200s are pretty rare (and very reliable) , so often you’ll have just as much experience with whatever just went wrong (0 experience) as the dealer will have.

that shouldn’t be the case with a roof rack Though, Toyota racks have worked like this on several models for 25 years.