Roof Rack questions

Hey everyone,

New to the site, so forgive me if I am repeating questions. I recently lost my truck to Hurricane Sandy and probably wont be replacing it until the spring, which leaves me without a vehicle to tote my snowboard and skis around in. My current DD is a '08 528xi. I am looking for a roof mounted snowboard rack that I can use to carry my gear north without having to sacrifice my back seat.

When we got the car, we did not order the BMW roof rack. I know that some cars have specific locations along the gutter rails which can be removed with a screw-hole in it that you use to mount the roof rack. My car does not have these locations. After doing a little research, I have found that there are clamp-on racks that mount along the outer ridge of the gutter and wrap around the roof line around the door. Has anyone had any experience with these? If so, reviews?

I was looking for aftermarket/alternatives as well, such as Thule. Does anyone have any experience with the aftermarket vendors?

If anyone has any experience with roof racks and these snowboard/ski systems, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have not had to deal with them at all since I always just had my Yukon to throw everything into.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

I have a Yakima rack that clamps to the door frames as you describe.

Pluses: affordable, mounts very solid, strong, bars are nice length for wider (or just more) items, numerous accessories, not too noisy with the wind deflector (a must in my opinion), can remove & reinstall in about 5 minutes.

Cons: not as sleek and integrated as BMW's crossbars, can mar the paint if support pads and roof are not clean, deforms rubber seal around doors (although it seems to return to original shape quickly after racks are removed.

I carry bikes and a paddleboard without any issues. Skis I usually carry inside my car (I have fold down rear seats and the ski bag pass-thru).

Overall I'm very happy with them.