Jetta bike rack

RyGanley

RyGanley

Member
I am looking for a rack for my girls new Jetta.. I know I need base bars then I can get anything. So are there aftermarket BaseBars and were can I find them?
 
Hi Ryan, how's it going? I may call on your photographic capabilities again for some potraits of our big-wigs. I'll let you know.

Anyway, I just bought a rack for my car (audi) on eBay. It's a Thule base rack. The base rack fits any car so long as you buy the correct "fit kit" to go with it. Go to the thule website and find out which fit kit you need for the model of jetta you have and then have a look on ebay.

It's a bit of a pain as you then must buy the bike rack attachmemt too. I think all-in-all I spent about $240 to get from a bare care roof to the point of being able to load my bike on the car.
 
check out agees bikes at www.agees.com. I can not say enough good things about them. You can can call their sales department, and they will walk you through the options over the phone. VERY knowledgeable and probably the best prices out there. Customer service is excellent, too. After my first rack I purchased from them got totaled, they sold me the replacement parts just above cost.
 
Thule

Thule has had a close working relationship with VW over the years, producing proprietary roof rack systems that result in a much cleaner installation than Yakima or other systems. For the 3rd generation Golf/Jetta, the Thule 404 towers & bars are by far the best fit, and the 4th generation cars have factory rack mounting points built under the weatherstripping at the top of the doorsills. I've had good experiences with both.

You write "new" Jetta in the post, so you might be referring to a 5th generation car? I have no insight into the current fit situation, but I'd still heartily recommend Thule as a starting point. You can spec out the fit online in minutes and get the parts from any stocking Thule dealer.

Bike trays are a one-time investment that can be transferred from vehicle to vehicle. Mine have been on 4 different cars (all VW) over the course of 12 years.
 
ChrisG said:
Bike trays are a one-time investment that can be transferred from vehicle to vehicle. Mine have been on 4 different cars (all VW) over the course of 12 years.
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Trays yes, but not the mounts. The fit kit to put the bike on a '96 (from a '99) Jetta was like $150. A little too highway robbery-ish for my blood.
 
I had a 1998 Jetta and the THule racks were specific to that model year. They did not fit my friend's newer Jetta. The crossbar and towers were one piece. I would reccomend you get seperate components if possible so you can use it on later cars.
 
PedalPaddles said:
I had a 1998 Jetta and the THule racks were specific to that model year. They did not fit my friend's newer Jetta. The crossbar and towers were one piece. I would recomend you get seperate components if possible so you can use it on later cars.
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Right, this is the 404, which is specific to the 3rd gen cars and will not fit any other vehicle. The 4th gen cars use a more univeral tower that will work with other vehicles.

I agree that Thule stuff is not cheap, but the quality of the fit and the security are tough to beat in my experience.

Of course, I have lately grown to despise roof racks and am currently trying to decide on whether I want to spend the $ for a hitch mount setup. 🙄
 
PedalPaddles said:
I had a 1998 Jetta and the THule racks were specific to that model year. They did not fit my friend's newer Jetta. The crossbar and towers were one piece. I would reccomend you get seperate components if possible so you can use it on later cars.
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Another option is to ride a bike made of magnets. Then just throw the fucker on the roof and be done with it. Good luck getting it off, of course.
 
ChrisG said:
Right, this is the 404, which is specific to the 3rd gen cars and will not fit any other vehicle. The 4th gen cars use a more univeral tower that will work with other vehicles.

I agree that Thule stuff is not cheap, but the quality of the fit and the security are tough to beat in my experience.

Of course, I have lately grown to despise roof racks and am currently trying to decide on whether I want to spend the $ for a hitch mount setup. 🙄
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i'm going the hitch mount route as soon as we decide to get a new ride. i've got a couple older thule "bike trays" collecting dust in my attic b/c trying to get bikes ON TOP of the tahoe has got to be fawking disaster.
 
If your Jetta doesn't have a hitch already then you're looking at muchos deneiros to install that puppy too.

I would've preferred a hitch rack as you're less likely to ram the garage door opening with that but, alas, no hitch, no hitch rack...
 
what year?

What year Jetta? I have VW OEM bars and 2 upright bike carriers for it. I know it fits VW jetta from 1999-2005, but not positive about the new body style. I just got rid of my jetta and still have the roof bars, 2 bike racks, and ski/snowboard carrier. Let me know if interested. I need to get it out of my garage soon.
 
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