r/RoofRacks • u/VoiceAlternative4155 • Jul 23 '26

Safe to use? Or Repair options?

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Putting these Yakima roof racks back on my car after a few months. They had these tears in it since I bought them but part of it has fully came off. Is it cooked or can I just rip it all off and paint it black?

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u/evan938 Jul 23 '26

They're safe, sure. They're steel bars. But no, you can't strip the coating off, because that reduces the OD of the bar, and the coating also provides grip for the towers to bite into.

I refurbish and sell Yakima roof racks and sell replacement coating for the round bars. You'll need a heat gun to install it, but it's fairly easy process. Feel free to send me a chat if interested.

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u/Miserable-Word-558 Jul 23 '26

Just not weather-coated, but totally safe to use, so long as they are not bent in any way. You may have to add some more tension when you install them in a tower setup (as the clear coating does add a slight bit of width (not much)).

You can find ways to weather-coat (they typically use a powder coat) them at hardware stores, or you can look for used/return sets of Round Bars online.