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Having trouble with an install? If at first you don't succeed...


The Yakima Whispbar SmartFoot Through Bar Car Roof Rack
   

    We installed a Whispbar roof rack on a 2012 Nissan Rogue yesterday. It turned out to be a very solid fit, but it did give us some trouble at the beginning. Every once in a while, a roof rack install doesn't go quite as smoothly as you'd hoped. Maybe you dropped a bolt  on the ground and it ran and hid in a deep, dark corner of your garage. Maybe you measured in centimeters instead of inches (don't laugh-it's only funny until YOU do it). Maybe you missed a step in the instructions. Or maybe your rack just needs a little fine tuning.
    If you've installed as many roof racks as we have here at The Rack Warehouse you know that sometimes the measurements really do need a little tweak. You won't that fact written in any installation instructions-after all, these roof racks are designed by very competent engineers, and their specs are usually perfect.
    So back to our 2012 Nissan Rogue install-the front bar just wouldn't clamp down (the clips kept "popping" up over the edge of the roof). So we re-checked everything-we disassembled the front bar and started over. We re-checked the distance between the towers on the bar and the placement of the towers on the roof. We carefully tightened both clips in unison. Still no luck. So we started making small adjustments at about 1/8" at a time-and it worked! turns out we needed to move the towers further apart on the front bar, and then it fit like a glove. The rear bar went on fine without any adjustment at all. This surprised us a bit, but it just proves that you should always try an installation "by the book" first and only make small adjustments when necessary. Whispbar, Yakima, and Thule all allow for slight adjustment in their roof racks when necessary. Generally an adjustment up to 1/4 inch is acceptable in any measurement when necessary. If you're installing your roof rack and feel that you need to make adjustments that are more than 1/4 inch, please either call the manufacturer, or call us at 1-800-272-5362 for assistance.

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