Wet Floor Mats & Thule Roof Racks

I'm sure that Thule will have all of the information that you need. I do not have any documentation to share with you... I guess that I would only know by having owned a few different styles of roof racks on different vehicles over the years. The style of "feet" for your rack are clamps, designed to be quickly and easily installed, removed and/or adjusted. This is what I would define as temporary. Thule, along with others, make what THEY call "permanent" roof racks. Drilling is required. These have tracks that are to be secured to the roof, usually by means of an adhesive along with bolts. The foot packs then install into the tracks. The foot packs can be removed from the tracks, but removing the tracks themselves from the roof will result in you having holes in your roof, which will probably leak... Other than that, the big metal bracket on you clamp style foot pack sitting behind the door gasket of the vehicle can't be a good thing. I'm not sure what else to tell you, but I sincerely wish you luck with your claim.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

 

Thank you for being a stalker. How long have you been waiting for me to post something that you could throw that in to get that off your chest? With that said, I have no idea what message you are trying to convey. Next time, please just PM me when your feelings are hurt.

 

I would be curious to know where your formulated this opinion?

I've read this a couple times in this thread...and as a certified installer of both Thule and Yakima products, (this is the Thule Rapid Traverse 480 foot pack) have never seen "temporary" printed or asserted in their installation materials. Long term installations of these products is the norm...not the exception IME.

The second photo of the e-trailer install posted by the OP shows the weather strip pulled down for reference of where the "clip" mounts flush, but the weather strip is pushed back flush and should not impede water resistance at the door sill...if installed correctly.

Measuring the length from the windshield paint evenly on both sides of the front bar system is critical to clip fitment, and also sets the clip fitment of the second (rear bar) system. Hopefully Thule works with you on this, their CS and warranty departments are usually very responsive.

 

These will also rub the paint off your truck where the bracket touches the truck. Had the similar ones that Yakima makes installed on my DD and they ended up taking the paint off down to the primer.

 

As stated after the post you quoted me in, I have owned multiple types of roof racks. In my experience of installing and owning multiple, my opinion of any clamp style of anything would be temporary, as defined by me. I am not claiming to have written any literature for Thule or anyone else... Also, the 2nd photo that you are referring to of the bracket sitting "on top" of the door jamb is exactly where the problem of water intrusion arises. Having any object between the gasket and the door jamb compromises the ability of the gasket to properly seal against the door jamb as intended by Toyota. This scenario can apply to anything being added to something else that is not relative to the original things intended purpose. To me, "flush" would imply that there would be a groove in the door jamb that the bracket would sit in perfectly, resulting in the outer face of the bracket being flush with the outer face of the door jamb allowing the gasket to sit "flat" against both... Can it work as intended by Thule? Sure. Can it also cause water intrusion? You bet it can... This is why "I" classify this type of rack as "temporary", because of the ability of the bracket to compromise the integrity of the door sealing against the gasket sealing against the door jamb... Therefore, by removing the "temporary" rack when not needed, OP could have avoided water intrusion. I apologize if you disagree.

 

No apology necessary...just asking.

The rationale as I understand it for "clip" based rack systems are for what is termed a "naked roof" install...not necessarily temporary, but I suppose it could be perceived as such. This system is recommended where no factory side rails are present, or "fixed point" mounts underneath roof channel weather strips were available.

The clip based systems are designed to carry snow products, water products, etc. in all weather conditions. The small gap created by the clip would be sealed when the door is closed.

In most cases, if the gap isn't sealed it is indicative that the clip location on the door sill or clip seating was somehow compromised during install.

My point is this: after installing hundreds of rack systems and being trained and certified by Yakima and Thule, as well as having had to submit warranty claim photos (from customers) with measurments on improperly self installed systems...that any leaks incurred were (unfortunately) the direct result of improperly installed product...not the product itself.

Didn't mean to place you in a defensive post position, I was just asking a question...my apologies if it came off as any thing more.

Hopefully Thule CS (customer service) works with the OP to solve some of the water incursion damage.

 

Update: 6/1/20

I filed an insurance claim and the appraiser determined that the water was indeed entering through the weather stripping (we already knew this, though). That being said, he totaled the truck and the insurance adjuster paid me just south of 32k for the truck. Keep in mind it was a '17 with ~7k miles on it. I accepted the offer and will be in the market for a new vehicle. For reference, I paid just north of 37k for the TRD OR back in '17.

I have yet to follow up with Thule. I do have a claim # but still need to submit documentation to their warranty department. I'll post an update in the future.

Also, I will be creating a for sale thread for all of the aftermarket parts that I removed from the truck. I'll add a link sometime soon.

Although I never expected any of this to happen, it was certainly a learning experience and I hope this can be a source of reference material for those who encounter water damage in the future.

 

Get a factory or port installed roof rack. In my mind it’s piece of mind knowing it’s on them if there is an issue. I can always upgrade it later, using the holes from the factory rack.

 

Thanks for the advice. I've been looking into a factory install with the pre-drilled roof attachment points.

 

I hate giving them money, but I have always felt this is good money spent, same if your a sun/moon hole in your roof type person.

 

Really shocked that they would total it. What did they estimate the repairs at? I mean it should cost a lot to remove and replace the carpet. Please post up the Vin because that will be an auction that many will like to be on the look out for. I'm no fan of salvage titles, but if the price is right, I would gladly jump on that.

 

Hi, I know I am a little late to this party but experiencing the same thing with Thule Foot Pads and wet foot wells. Curious to see if Thule ever provided assistance and what the cause of Insurance totaling the vehicle? I intend to remove rack brackets and simply shampoo and dry out carpet