Rola59504 V-Tex Rooftop Cargo Basket 48 Inches x 37.5 Inches x 4 Inches

UPDATED: Oct. 20, 2021. (BELOW)... I have a 2017 Explorer with fixed (non-sliding) OEM crossbars, and I took the chance, given some mixed Explorer reviews.I took a lot of advice from the previous reviewers… I was initially nervous when I simply placed the constructed carrier, with extension, on top the roof on the crossbars. It teetered side to side. When looking at the Explorer from the aft end, I later realized the OEM crossbars, are higher in the center of the roof than on the sides… the roof rack 'rocked', left and right, UNTIL I added the hardware clamps which actually evened-out the height difference from center, to the sides.The U-Clamp Assembly supports leveled the high center point of my crossbar. I wasn't initially pleased about the alignment of front and back supporting rails, as the carrier rails were resting so close to the edge of the crossbars edges, I wasn't sure it was as formidable as I might prefer... (see the pictures). Yet with the cranked-down U-Clamp-Assembly, it seems unmovable. (I wish there might be better shaping of the U-Clamp-Assembly for my specific vehicle, yet for the cost, I'm okay with it for now.)EXTRA STEPS I TOOK...There are some fabulous $800 rooftop storage solutions, and I feel I looked at dozens and dozens, but I kept circling back to the robust and seemingly fair cost of this roof rack. I drive Chicago salted roads, so I decided to follow the prior reviewer's suggestions, to add (304) stainless screws, and taping the ends of the interlocking tubes, and double-coat painting the brand new rack for added rust resistance with '3M Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating' on the outside. I'm not sure my extra effort was needed though...There were earlier reviews suggesting indications of rust over time… Yet I was impressed that it seemed the inside of the tubing beings had been well painted. I saw no bare steel inside, although one can only see a few inches.The comments about the rubber tubing being 'made by satan himself', not far off the mark. (I should have tried the liquid soap idea. Cautious use of a heat gun did help a bit. Our weather in Chicago was snowy this week, and I had to move the project from the garage, to the house, since the rubber joint covers were cold and less malleable).I did take a reviewer's suggestion of removing the logos. (Sorry Rola).I typically search Reviews using 'Most Recent' so I can see indications of improved manufacturing techniques. I did see improvements with Rola.The screw hardware from Rola seemed good, and the U-Clamp-Assembly (as I call it) was awesome. I added a M8-125 (304 marine grade) self-locking nut, as a stop nut, to each knob.I saw my box came well protected with an outer brown box sleeve that was push along the snow on the driveway by the shipper. Box was in great shape regardless and all internal parts and box within the main box was cleverly (plastic) wire-tied with one of the biggest wire-ties I've seen in a while. Also, the two piece rack was smartly wire tied to everything else so my unit had no scratches.SO far pleased. If needed, I'll return more insights.(Thank you prior reviewers. Your tips were helpful, and I appreciate you taking time to share your insights and suggestions.)OCT 20, 2021 REVIEW ADDITION...Well, is nearly two years later and I'm still enjoying this Rola Roof rack with the painting and hardware upgrades I applied before I installed it in Dec 2019 (I think). Additional NOTE: The suggested '3M Professional Grade Rubberized Undercoating' applied to the outside became chalky by Spring 2020 and thought I may have had to get the rack professionally painted. A car body shop gave me an estimate ($650 to $725) to paint the rack alone in a paint room. I declined. INSTEAD I decided to use Ace Hardware BBQ spray paint. WHICH WORKED GREAT! Perfect look. I didn't prep the rack before applying the Ace BBQ spray paint, which still looks great (like new) even after a full summer parked in the sun in Greenville, SC area, and it's blazing hot down here (moved away from Chicago aft 40+ years). So maybe due to the original toughness of the '3M Rubberized Undercoating' on the outside but this rack, and the ACE BBQ paint, (now my favorite black spray paint), the rack is one of my appreciated purchases.I'm updating this post as I saw a more recent buyer/reviewer note his cleverly use of an 'expanding foam' to keep water from later infiltrating the inside steel. I would likely do that to a prep a new rack as pre-2019 review cited that rust was a culprit from the inside out. I haven't experienced that as I was very careful to seal each possible entry point. BTW - I used Stainless 304 screws and heavyier Rubber washers to keep a full seal of the screws into the frame so (hopefully) no water gets inside.(Maybe Rola has learned from the earliest reviews to 'undercoat' the inside of their Racks. I like the expanding foam idea. (thoughts?) - Thanks all. -tg

So as you can see I took lots of photos for this one.I did so much research and looked up so many reviews on this specific roof rack before I bit the bullet and bought it.There are a lot of good videos, 4Runner/Jeep forums reviews that specifically talk about how to assemble this piece and put it on your car AND how to extend the life by properly prepping the rack !! I recently purchased my dream vehicle (4Runner!!) .. and I’ve been doing a lot of custom work to it myself-so thank you to all those guys for their awesome videos and feedback!First- like I said-I did a lot of research about prepping the roof rack before you put it on your car! So if you’re like me and you can’t afford a $2000 roof rack, do your research so you can extend the life of the less expensive roof rack.Second- You see in one of the attached pictures some items I bought .In total the items I bought came to $35 (One tube of clear silicone, 2 shake cans of rubberized truck bed liner and one can of spray foam insulation ).The clear silicone: I applied to any exposed welding that was part of the rack. Any part where the bars are connected -In order to protect it from any wear and rust in the future.Third- I bought expandable foam spray which I sprayed inside the tubing of the roof rack in order to stop any water from running inside the roof rack ..(which would essentially turn to rust and leak on your car.)Fourth - I bought my own washers, nuts and bolts made out of metal to replace the plastic parts that get sent with the basket. ( one reviewer suggested this because it lasts a lot longer than plastic)I replaced the plastic parts for metal because obviously it’ll last a lot longer.Fifth - after the silicone sealant dried, ( about 24 hours) I sprayed rubberized truck bed liner all over the roof rack. I applied about four layers altogether -( I personally love the way it looks when dry...rugged and Matte)Sixth- I also applied silicone around the bolts and screws that you apply to the roof rack -(just for added protection from water getting through) there’s a couple photos I took of that as well.Seventh-it definitely helps to have another person to help you assemble it and put it on your car without scratching anything. This was my first project I did myself without any help from my husband and I think I did a pretty good job!The product came out amazing. It weighs about 50 pounds (with the extension) which is what I have. so keep in mind that you don’t want to overload it with too much weight! Do your due diligence-I plan on keeping this on my car year around. I live in Boston so we get unpredictable weather.. so whenever it’s snows I plan on putting a tarp over it just because ice and snow can get caught between the hood of your car and the basket and I don’t want the basket resting on extreme weather conditions.It looks amazing on my car! I absolutely love it ! It Definitely ties in and complements my DIY blacked-out emblems and wheels .Hopefully this review is helpful!