T5 bike rack owners advice welcome

[Hotel California]

I never felt the need for a bike rack on my T5 as we never take bikes other than a Brompton sometimes , we have a dog and always point out trips where we walk a lot.
But maybe i can get my hands on a 2nd hand rack at a very good price , be looking at it in a few days .
Maybe in the future i can use it anyway , bikes or to carry a box ?....even just to dry the towels
Where should i be looking for defaults , things that are the weak spots and get easy damaged ,...
I know i probally need the new paddngs to protect the paint but guess they are not all that expencive.
Any usefull tips welcome !
....and don't come to say , hey HC use the search function
Got a split up foto of the rack , not good quality .

Thankx in advance !

 

[calikev]

make sure the arms undo and the one with the lock works

 

[soulstyledevon]

The biggest weak spot is the rack itself...
If you like easy access to the boot area, you might want to think about an alternative.

 

[Calihunter]

They sell the paint protectors in the club shop.

 

[larrylamb]

Love the T5 rack, looks great, well built and carries our 3 bikes with ease. You don't want to be lifting the tailgate with bikes loaded if you can help it but with the right Cali packing this won't be an issue.
As you said, great for drying towels and clothes but with a cargo bag enables you to carry more gear.
As stated above just check the arm threads and lock.

 

[bigmac77]

Check the threaded locking bars work and it has the separate clamp for locking a fourth bike (you might not need it but you never know it might come
In handy), check the threads are working where the rack clamps to the vehicle. Any straps that may have some damage or fraying can be replaced.

I use electrical tape to protect the paintwork it works just fine.

We carry four bikes on ours regularly and it lifts easily with two adult mountain bikes, with four it still works with me holding it up, but only to show the gas is off at the tunnel.

I also use short bits of pipe lagging over the bike wheel rim to protect from the metal buckle on the strap.

 

[sapto]

Wow, just from the pictures: it looks in mint condition!
Sorry if I ask again: You haven‘t got a towbar?

 

[Hotel California]

Wow, just from the pictures: it looks in mint condition!
Sorry if I ask again: You haven‘t got a towbar?

No i have not .

 

[WelshGas]

No i have not .

Make sure you have the correct Tailgate Gas Struts fitted to the California - 1250 N, and be prepared to replace them or have them re-gassed as they can weaken over time and you will need them at full strength when a tailgate rack is fitted.

 

[Ting Tong]

Also new racks come with a set of tailgate buffer mushroom heads that are made of a harder rubber than the ones there already. They supposedly stop the extra weight from closing the tailgate too much and damaging the paint. I guess you can buy them cheaply if it is a concern.

My biggest complaint is how easy they are to steal: just 2 M6 x 60mm Allen bolts and there’s no bolts available to fit instead that are particularly more secure. These bolts are better but still easily removed with a common tool https://www.a2stainless.co.uk/M6-x-60-Pin-Torx-Button-Head-Screw_A1D324.aspx

 

[bigmac77]

Also new racks come with a set of tailgate buffer mushroom heads that are made of a harder rubber than the ones there already. They supposedly stop the extra weight from closing the tailgate too much and damaging the paint. I guess you can buy them cheaply if it is a concern.

My biggest complaint is how easy they are to steal: just 2 M6 x 60mm Allen bolts and there’s no bolts available to fit instead that are particularly more secure. These bolts are better but still easily removed with a common tool https://www.a2stainless.co.uk/M6-x-60-Pin-Torx-Button-Head-Screw_A1D324.aspx

They are easy to steel but has anyone on the forum ever had or known of a theft?

 

[calikev]

Has anyone tried to remove one without opening the tailgate

 

[Ting Tong]

They are easy to steel but has anyone on the forum ever had or known of a theft?

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/t5-bike-rack-theft-warning-question.4383/ and I'm sure there are others.

Has anyone tried to remove one without opening the tailgate

The Kylie rack that I fitted was easier to attach with the tailgate closed, so the reverse must be true.

 

[bigmac77]

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/t5-bike-rack-theft-warning-question.4383/ and I'm sure there are others.



The Kylie rack that I fitted was easier to attach with the tailgate closed, so the reverse must be true.

Yea but it wasn’t actually nicked was it.

 

[Hotel California]

Thanks for the replies , i picked it up today and all looks in very good state!
It even came with the manual and some leftover protective tape .
A extra arm for the fourth bike , two keys , all the straps,...
Not used that much so it seems and for now not gonne be used eighter , i'm not planning to put it on .
Maybe in the future if we take our bikes , or i might adapt it to a carrier with a bag or even our foldable relaxing chairs ....
For those who like to gamble how much i paid it , i added a poll just for fun....

 

[Ting Tong]

looks like new...you did well and I see you have the hard rubber mushroom heads, or are they the seller's old soft ones?

 

[Hotel California]

looks like new...you did well and I see you have the hard rubber mushroom heads, or are they the seller's old soft ones?

Oh that are those two rubbers in the bag , didn't know ...

 

[Private_Kelly]

I don’t normally carry bikes. But I do take my Bianchi road bike to the lake district once a year. For this reason I have removed the two centre bike carriers to give the van a cleaner look and facilitate a clearer view from the rear. I can still carry two bikes plus i still have a handy clothes line. IMO the van looks better like this.
The two centre carriers are easy to remove and can just as easily be reattached if you need to carry more bikes.

 

[Geesvw]

I never felt the need for a bike rack on my T5 as we never take bikes other than a Brompton sometimes , we have a dog and always point out trips where we walk a lot.
But maybe i can get my hands on a 2nd hand rack at a very good price , be looking at it in a few days .
Maybe in the future i can use it anyway , bikes or to carry a box ?....even just to dry the towels
Where should i be looking for defaults , things that are the weak spots and get easy damaged ,...
I know i probally need the new paddngs to protect the paint but guess they are not all that expencive.
Any usefull tips welcome !
....and don't come to say , hey HC use the search function
Got a split up foto of the rack , not good quality .
View attachment 40449 View attachment 40450
Thankx in advance !

I’ve added new pads to the rack itself so you don’t have to see unsightly peeling plastic. After a while you know where the rack fits so you don’t need the “arrows”
Buy cheap pads in strips and cut to size yourself rather than buying expensive original

 

[mountainman]

I never felt the need for a bike rack on my T5 as we never take bikes other than a Brompton sometimes , we have a dog and always point out trips where we walk a lot.
But maybe i can get my hands on a 2nd hand rack at a very good price , be looking at it in a few days .
Maybe in the future i can use it anyway , bikes or to carry a box ?....even just to dry the towels
Where should i be looking for defaults , things that are the weak spots and get easy damaged ,...
I know i probally need the new paddngs to protect the paint but guess they are not all that expencive.
Any usefull tips welcome !
....and don't come to say , hey HC use the search function
Got a split up foto of the rack , not good quality .
View attachment 40449 View attachment 40450
Thankx in advance !

Don't think this has been mentioned already, but apologies if it has. Make sure bike handle bars don't contact the roof when you open the tail gate. They usually don't when the roof is down, but when the roof is up a mountain bike handle bars will almost certainly contact the roof. It is very very easy to damage the roof when opening the tailgate with bikes on it. Because of the weight it is very easy to push up hard and not appreciate the resistance is coming from contact with the roof. And because of the leverage it is easy to put an appreciable kink in the roof. Yes I have done it!.

 

[Hotel California]

I owe you all the result of the (now delted) poll i added for fun ...


I now am the owner of a original VW bike rack as shown above , and as with many bike racks it is unused for now and stored in the attic of my garage.
Just could not ignore buying it .....@50€

 

[Ting Tong]

Wow bargain and that just goes to show how wrong poles can be

 

[mountainman]

One other small thing. I have my rack on permanently which means it is exposed to salt at this time of the year. In the past this has caused the lock on the long upper stay to seize up completely. Very difficult to free up. So hit it with WD40 regularly. (Other products are available.)

 

[kaf2546]

One other small thing. I have my rack on permanently which means it is exposed to salt at this time of the year. In the past this has caused the lock on the long upper stay to seize up completely. Very difficult to free up. So hit it with WD40 regularly. (Other products are available.)

Agreed , need to keep it all lubed. Rack does a great job keeping the rear window clear of muck though

Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk

 

[ThomasHJ]

@hotel california I have been looking for a manual for my T5 bike rack. Cant seem to find one and wasn;t sure one exists even. I just read in this old thread that you have one. Can I ask if it is a manual that explains how the bike rack works or is it only a fitting instruction?

I'm thinking about cleaning and lubricating my rack, but do not want to risk taking stuff apart and not being able to get it back together ;-)