I was sick of all the roof rack otions for my e60. I live in Los Angeles and surf quite a bit. I hate the square racks offered by BMW and thule etc. If you need pure bars I suggest Modifiying the Volvo Wing loadbars. They look great, are aerodynamic and are the most factory looking option I have found. You just need to trim a bit off of the bars to make them fit. You don't have to be too precise as there is some adjustability built into the system. Check out the pics!

 

Thanks, that's the way they should look!

BTW, could you tell what the P/N is and possibly where you found them?

 

I originally had them left over from my volvo V70XC. I believe that these are them:

http://vparts.autowebaccessories.com/store...rod126_1137.php

 

That looks really slick. FYI, for safety, I have the oem bmw rack, and the instructions indicate not to mount the rear cross bar beyond the stop bar that is under the rail, located just after the moonroof for proper load distribution, for what it's worth.

 

Thanks, whackit. Your conversion is the best looking solution I've seen.

I decided, however, to go with a Thule-compatible base system so I wouldn't have to trash all of the accessories I already own and start over. I found the strap mount to be easy to install and remove, gentle on the car, and I can even swap it over to my wife's Highlander (so I don't have to put all of the miles on my baby). The rack stands taller than your system, worse for Cd, noise, etc., by it provides needed clearance for a pair of stacked snowboards. Anyway, I am finding it reasonably convenient to install/remove as I need, so I don't have to live with the rack all of time.

Thanks again for your post.

 

nice hack, whackit, i like it.

have any experience putting bikes up there? the curvature of the crossbars looks like it may cause bikes to stand slightly sideways, or maybe its just the optics on the picture angles... ?

if you've put bikes up there, did you also use volvo mounts from your previous ride?

thanks.