Powder coat
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I am in the process of refinishing my OEM roof rack and just found this thread, figured I would add my experience so far.
Fully disassembled everything down to the bolts and screws. I found it pretty easy to take the bolt covers/towers off using a pry tool and a screwdriver. Key was to just go slow, work in the sun so the plastic isn’t brittle and canflex a little. Torx 40, 25, and 15 will took care of the screws and bolts. The metal rails and bars are getting powder coated at a local shop - I decided to do a texture and color match to my newer, beefier Yakima bars which will replace the existing ones. I know it seems excessive but I’m also powder coating the OEM bars since it was relatively cheap to add them in. $135 for powder coating the four metal pieces - I didn’t shop around just went with a place that does a lot of automotive work.
The plastic pieces in my case were very badly oxidized from the years of sun exposure. I’m sanding them down with a maroon scrub pad and some 320 grit to get rid of the oxidization. I’m debating whether I leave them unfinished and just use a trim restorer like Solution Finish, or paint them with a similar black and satin clear.
Fully disassembled everything down to the bolts and screws. I found it pretty easy to take the bolt covers/towers off using a pry tool and a screwdriver. Key was to just go slow, work in the sun so the plastic isn’t brittle and canflex a little. Torx 40, 25, and 15 will took care of the screws and bolts. The metal rails and bars are getting powder coated at a local shop - I decided to do a texture and color match to my newer, beefier Yakima bars which will replace the existing ones. I know it seems excessive but I’m also powder coating the OEM bars since it was relatively cheap to add them in. $135 for powder coating the four metal pieces - I didn’t shop around just went with a place that does a lot of automotive work.
The plastic pieces in my case were very badly oxidized from the years of sun exposure. I’m sanding them down with a maroon scrub pad and some 320 grit to get rid of the oxidization. I’m debating whether I leave them unfinished and just use a trim restorer like Solution Finish, or paint them with a similar black and satin clear.
Do you have any pictures of how the powder coating turned out?
I did a full disassemble and repaint. The 4 aluminum rails went to my local powder coat shop. $150 for sand blast and powder coat with flat black.
For the rubber boots, I used flat black plasti dip. For the remaining plastic components, I used Rust-Oleum professional flat black.
For the rubber boots, I used flat black plasti dip. For the remaining plastic components, I used Rust-Oleum professional flat black.
Oh and to avoid pesky water leaks I used neoprene washers and some bathroom silicone. Probably one or the other would suffice but just playing it safe.
I used paint stripper on my 2000 model to remove the peeling paint and polished the aluminum a bit. Looks plenty good for me.
Did you get the 2k high gloss or the matte finish? I have matte black paint but wasn’t sure how this would turn out with the high gloss finish vs matte finish. Thanks
I refinished mine with SprayMax 2K hot rod satin black. The advantage (beside being a tough 2-part urethane) is that it does not require clear coat and the satin finish is a great look. A little more sheen than flat, so it hides minor scratches well. I used it on both the aluminum and the plastic parts, but I hit the plastic with adhesion promoter.
Would not recommend.
The way those bolts work, the shoulder with the white rubbery sleeve needs to bear all the way down on the roof. By adding a washer you prevent that, and you’re unable to torque them properly because there is no hard stop. The FSM calls for just a small schmear of butyl sealant on the upper part of the threads.
The white sleeve should be just a little longer than the bolt shoulder so that it traps some of the butyl sealant as you screw down the bolt. The sleeve forms a dam around the threaded hole that helps keep the sealant in place. The sleeve also cushions the roof rack mounts, though it does not seal the through-hole in the rack.
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