Anyone know how to remove Thule roof bars?

[Ratbag]

Gidday All

Need to get the Thule locking roof bars off SWMBO's new Fox.

I can unlock them, but don't want to force anything.

Anyone know how to remove Thule roof bars?

TIA

 

[stilson]

Unlock the barrels, pull the black plastic ends out about an inch until they clear the aluminium bars, rotate the plastic ends counter-clockwise until then become loose (they will be tight to begin with), jiggle the bars sideways and you will see the bases unclamping from the roof rails - they can now be moved along the rails to a different position. Undo them further and they can be removed altogether.

This works for the ones on the SG, hope it helps.

 

[Kevin]

^ yep, my Thule release in the same manner

 

[Ratbag]

Thanks ST & Kevin

Unlock the barrels, pull the black plastic ends out about an inch until they clear the aluminium bars, rotate the plastic ends counter-clockwise until then become loose (they will be tight to begin with), jiggle the bars sideways and you will see the bases unclamping from the roof rails - they can now be moved along the rails to a different position. Undo them further and they can be removed altogether.

This works for the ones on the SG, hope it helps.

Just one extra step with mine - need to lever out the small end cover with a flat blade screwdriver. Then pull the entire black end piece towards me a bit, then follow instructions as above.

I sometimes think that these things are all made just a little bit differently just to annoy us ... :iconwink: :rotfl:

^ yep, my Thule release in the same manner

Ditto Kevin.

Thanks, guys.
I didn't want to force anything; I learned a long time ago that doing so usually ends in tears; and a hole on one's wallet ...

Will photograph the bars on the car this morning (for the insurance company's benefit), then remove them.

 

[stilson]

Happy to be of service!

I had about an hour of googling on my mobile phone before I attempted to move my bars to fit the rooftop tent in Barwon heads

 

[Ratbag]

G'day again ST

Happy to be of service!

I had about an hour of googling on my mobile phone before I attempted to move my bars to fit the rooftop tent in Barwon heads

LOL!

I tried to find out by that method ... didn't work ...

I did manage to remove them following your instructions after getting back from Autobarn today. Rooted my shoulders - again. Going to have a little lie down with some wheat bags and have a cuppa after all the exertions.

Nice bloke at Autobarn gave me "sale price" on a pair of sheep for SWMBO's Fox. Same price as I paid for mine - i.e. about $70 off their normal price for the higher quality ones (grade 3 ... whatever the hell that means!); so $240 instead of $309. They have the grade 2 ones on special after next w/e. The grade 2 ones have nearly as much hair on them as I've got :rotfl:.

The original sheep in Roo1 lasted the life of the car (18 years, 234K Kms), but were getting a bit worn. The ones in the Camry had done around 100K Kms, and worn.

I don't expect our current ones to last nearly so long, as nowhere near the quality of fleece (have had most of the fleece combed out of them already ... ). Still nice to sit on though, and much better air circulation around one's back and nether regions ...

Both Roo1 and Camry were Merino wool, but it looks to me as if the current ones are made from straight staple mutton sheep wool.

 

[stilson]

I had a low grade set of sheep and they were made of about 150 little off cuts sewn together. They lasted quite well considering. Have a look at the back of yours before you fit them for interests sake.

 

[Ratbag]

G'day again ST

I had a low grade set of sheep and they were made of about 150 little off cuts sewn together. They lasted quite well considering.

We have had that sort in the (fairly distant) past.

Have a look at the back of yours before you fit them for interests sake.

These are more than a step up in build quality from those, but I think the hide quality is probably not as good as it was in the olden days.

Merino wool has a very fine crimp ( I haven't ever done wool classing for a job, but not ignorant of it either ... ). These are from relatively straight haired sheep, and thus don't have the close interlock, and therefore will not wear as long, and don't have as strong a pile (crush down more easily and quickly).

I would have bought the $600 ones the chap offered me for $300, but they were the wrong colour for SWMBO's car (would have suited mine perfectly, except I already have a set of blond ones, as you have seen).

 

[Kevin]

Just one extra step with mine - need to lever out the small end cover with a flat blade screwdriver. Then pull the entire black end piece towards me a bit, then follow instructions as above.

Shouldn't be any need for levering anything with a screwdriver! Are they "square" steel or aluminium "aero" bars?

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Kevin

Shouldn't be any need for levering anything with a screwdriver! Are they "square" steel or aluminium "aero" bars?

You're right, there wasn't.
There is a section in the middle of the plastic end cap that is designed to be levered out for access to the end of the bar, but it isn't necessary to remove this in order to remove the bars, as I discovered by the second one.
It is there to allow accessories to be slid into the bar channel, AFAICT.

They are aero bars (aluminium).

 

[Kevin]

Great. Didn't want you breaking anything on SWMBO's car :rotfl:

 

[Ratbag]

Heaven forbid, Kevin ...

Great. Didn't want you breaking anything on SWMBO's car :rotfl:

:lol: :rotfl:.

 

[Gigi03]

How to remove my old Thule roof rack having a hard time

I took off the lock now the big plactic bass part is still on I tried to remove the rubber that surrounds it but still can't get the bar to lift off or the ]Base.
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[Ratbag]

to the ORS forum, Gigi.

If the bars have been there for a year or more, the inner side clamping part will be stuck to the car's roof mounting bar. Push it towards the centre of the car. In my case, a short step ladder helped ... :iconwink:.