Is the US roof rack compatible with CDN P5's?

 

Yes and no .. it requires some modifying as far as I know. So it will fit, but not without additional work.

Lemme search a little more and I'll let ya know.

 

hmmm. Wonder exactly what you have to modify. Thanks KF.

 

You need to completely remove the clips that hold on the filler strips, and drill some holes. Here ya go.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showp...1&postcount=13

 

Thanks, as soon as I saw drill holes, that was it. I will just get a Thule.

 

Yep .. don't blame ya. Good move!!

 

My thoughts (almost) exactly.

 

That might be the wrong answer, actually. The holes that need to be drilled don't show from either the inside or the outside and can easily be sealed up with a bit of aluminum tape if you decide to remove the rack. I dunno how a Thule mounts, but chances are only too good that it'll do more damage to your car than that -- especially if it comes loose at speed.

I went the opposite direction; I bought a 2002.5 here in the US which means I got a roof rack whether I wanted one or not, and then ordered the strips needed to remove the rack. The job wasn't easy because I did it the way you're supposed to do it, carefully opening up the edges of the headliner to get to the attachment nuts behind them.

If I were to do it again, I'd do two things differently:

1) While everything was off, I'd jam a big needle through each hole and mark a location in the headliner, then I'd cut holes in the headliner and plug the holes with plastic caps. This way I could remove and replace the rack without ever fiddling with the headliner again, just pop the caps out for access to the nuts.

2) I would never again install the non-rack strips to the roof of the car with the clips provided by Mazda. They're really cheesy and don't hold the strips securely, you can wiggle them with your fingers. Rather, I'd fab some spacers from plastic and stick them to the floor of the channel with trim tape and then attach the strips to that with trim tape. Of course, I'd have to peel them off the trim tape to put the rack back on, but it's not likely to be any picnic to put the rack back on with those cheesy clips, either.

Of course, you might still want to get a Thule when you find out what Mazda wants for that OEM rack! I understand it's really expensive!

 

moved to correct section "exterior"

 

Yeah drilling is not an option at all. CDN racks are discontinued so not an option. I'll just keep eye open and search.

 

Is the US version strong enough to carry a 12' kayak?