RX roof bike holder

[m4rkw]

https://www.lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/parts/lexus-ux/lexus-ux-2018-present/lexus-ux-exterior-interior/lexus-ux-phase-1-bike-holder-mid-rhs/

That appears to be attached without roof rails, is that right? Is it possible to use it on an RX with a sun roof?

[royoftherovers]

That`s for the holder, not the roof rack Mark ?

[m4rkw]

Ah I see, it requires a roof rack, that makes more sense. I was just confused because the image appeared to show it attached seemingly without roof rails.

[Herbie]

The RX is a bit tall to get a bike up on/off the roof safely anyway isn't it? Unless you carry step ladders around?

[m4rkw]

28 minutes ago, Herbie said:

The RX is a bit tall to get a bike up on/off the roof safely anyway isn't it? Unless you carry step ladders around?

True that, I was mostly just curious. In other slightly related news I’ve discovered that Thule make roof bars that clamp to the bodywork and so don’t need the rails (which I apparently can’t get because of the moon roof). I see a roof box in my future 😄

[m4rkw]

Example: https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php?emulate=roofbar&query=5209&vptype=638548&brand=Thule WingBar black

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, m4rkw said:

True that, I was mostly just curious. In other slightly related news I’ve discovered that Thule make roof bars that clamp to the bodywork and so don’t need the rails (which I apparently can’t get because of the moon roof). I see a roof box in my future 😄

" I see a roof box in my future 😄 "

Any idea who will win the U.S. Election Mark ?

[Barry14UK]

As regards reaching up to roof on RX, I did see somewhere that you could buy portable steps that cantilevered out from the central door posts but these looked a bit precarious to me.

[m4rkw]

4 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

" I see a roof box in my future 😄 "

Any idea who will win the U.S. Election Mark ?

Hopefully not the chap with the hair that looks like cotton candy made with p!ss.

[Barry14UK]

You mean the one with a wife who seems to have a better comprehension of reality than him (which admittedly would not be difficult)?    

[ColinBarber]

9 hours ago, m4rkw said:

In other slightly related news I’ve discovered that Thule make roof bars that clamp to the bodywork and so don’t need the rails (which I apparently can’t get because of the moon roof).

I may be misunderstanding here but the standard rails on the series II RX have no bearing whether the vehicle has a sunroof or not.

[m4rkw]

39 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

I may be misunderstanding here but the standard rails on the series II RX have no bearing whether the vehicle has a sunroof or not.

I looked for roof rails a while back and I seem to remember being told they don’t supply them for cars with a moon roof. I also cannot find them anywhere on the toylexparts.com diagrams for my car.

[Brian26]

I can only agree there Mark. Having purchased a late 2016 RX with a pan roof, Lexus Parts direct would not sell me the roof bars saying that anything that is carried on the roof would cause the roof to flex and the pan roof to shatter. So why put roof rails on the car at all then, and dos'nt that raise questions regarding the rigidity of the body shell in general? I would have thought that the roof rails would have taken the weight but apparrently not. I must admit I would probably not have bought the car had I known this. I can understand Lexus being concerned about people dropping things on the pan roof and breaking it, but that is surley the person dropping something on the roofs liability? All I wanted to be able to put on the roof was cycle carriers for mine and my wifes aluminium bikes as I have been able to do for every other car I have ever owned. I must admit I am tempted to put them on anyway and see what happens but I guess it may get expensive if the worst were to happen. I am currently looking at other alternatives for carring our bikes such as fitting a cycle carrier to the back of my caravan but that raises its own problems which I will not go into here.

Rant over Bri

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, Brian26 said:

I can only agree there Mark. Having purchased a late 2016 RX with a pan roof, Lexus Parts direct would not sell me the roof bars saying that anything that is carried on the roof would cause the roof to flex and the pan roof to shatter.

That is correct for the pano roof but the vehicle in question is a series II where pano was never an option. SE and SE-L grades had both the sunroof and rails as standard.

[m4rkw]

2 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

That is correct for the pano roof but the vehicle in question is a series II where pano was never an option. SE and SE-L grades had both the sunroof and rails as standard.

Really? So if I have a panoramic roof and fit a roof box using Thule bars it's going to shatter the moon roof?

[ColinBarber]

7 minutes ago, m4rkw said:

Really? So if I have a panoramic roof and fit a roof box using Thule bars it's going to shatter the moon roof?

Possibly. When you have a roof nearly made entirely out glass then you have that risk. Just tightening up the bars too much could crack the glass. Lexus do show pictures of pano models with roof accessories but not sure if they have now stopped it. I've heard of dealers not allowing it both in the UK and US. When you purchase the vehicle you have the choice of pano or sunroof and one of the consideration should be if you need to carry things on the roof.

Obviously we are talking pano here:

 

If you have a standard sunroof or nothing then it is fine to carry things on the roof.

[Barry14UK]

One has to remember that you are not just imposing a static weight on the roof which is being subject to additional stress as the suspension throws the body up but as speed increases yet more pressure is generated. I can understand reluctance of Lexis to approve these additional loads and stresses with a Pan roof but this should be made very clear for both original and subsequent purchasers as owners may well fit some sort of aftermarket rails if unaware.

[m4rkw]

On 8/28/2020 at 10:09 PM, Barry14UK said:

One has to remember that you are not just imposing a static weight on the roof which is being subject to additional stress as the suspension throws the body up but as speed increases yet more pressure is generated. I can understand reluctance of Lexis to approve these additional loads and stresses with a Pan roof but this should be made very clear for both original and subsequent purchasers as owners may well fit some sort of aftermarket rails if unaware.

Interesting, maybe this is a bad idea then. I called roofbox.co.uk to ask if the Thule rails would go on an RX with a sunroof and they said yes but the weight should be limited to 60kg. I shall call them again next and clarify that the sunroof is actually a panoramic roof and ask if that makes a difference, and whether they would warrant that it wouldn't crack the glass.

[Brian26]

Hi Mark, I will be very interested to hear their reply.

Bri

[m4rkw]

10 hours ago, Brian26 said:

Hi Mark, I will be very interested to hear their reply.

Bri

I've sent them an email this morning, better to have something like this in writing!

[m4rkw]

“Hi Mark,

Thank you for your reply.

You are absolutely fine to fit roof bars to your RX with a sun roof, providing there are t-tracks for them to fit to. 
However, you will need to check the vehicle hand book to see what the roof loading limit is, with the sun roof, as this will be less than a standard roof. 
You would then need to take in to consideration the weight of the bars, the weight of the box and then the weight of whatever it is you are putting inside the box. 

Best wishes,”

 

Will check my manual when I get home from scotland but I suspect with it being JDM there might not be anything specified.

[m4rkw]

Thinking about it, is there any reason to think it would be different between a regular RX and a Harrier? the body and moon roof are identical and the weight isn’t significant enough to be affected much by engine power..

[royoftherovers]

36 minutes ago, m4rkw said:

Thinking about it, is there any reason to think it would be different between a regular RX and a Harrier? the body and moon roof are identical and the weight isn’t significant enough to be affected much by engine power..

They were manufactured for different markets Mark ?

[m4rkw]

1 minute ago, royoftherovers said:

They were manufactured for different markets Mark ?

That is true but the chassis and roof are the same, I don’t think the laws of physics differ in Japan. If anything less engine power would put less strain on the roof not more I think?

[m4rkw]

So I called Lexus today and their stance was "you should not put anything on the roof", that was all they would say. So I guess that's the end of that idea!