I have a few questions about the OEM Roof Rails and Cross Bars:

1) Can you adjust the Cross Bars? Do they slide forward and backward? If so, how close can they be brought together?

2). Do they lock? Is theft an issue with nothing attached?

3). How easy are the Cross Bars to remove?

4). Any pics available of a Black A-Spec with Black rails?

 

There are two locations to fix the front crossbar. I suppose you could move the rear one to one of the locations for the front but I don't know why you would. Not sure about distances between crossbars. I believe the distances are pretty standard.

You can lock them but you need to buy locks. The crossbars are made by Thule. Just buy a 4 pack of their lock cylinders and you're good to go.

The crossbars are easy to remove. It just takes a bit of time to loosen them. Maybe 10-15 minutes.

I bought the rails and crossbars from a dealership selling on eBay. Price was much better than going to my local dealership. Both were easy to install and the guides are available in this forum.

 

Don’t the cross bars come with keys? I bought some, but they are still sitting in my basement. I swear they had keys that came with them though. They are mentioned in the installation instructions too.

 

Hmm...you might be right. I purchased lock cylinders but it may have only been for the kayak attachment.

 

yes
I got keys with my crossbars.
​​​​​​​they lock in.

 

To anyone that has replaced their own roof rails, and I know there are instructions, but just to clarify...(and I have a set of those plastic trim tools)...do you just start pulling/prying from the rear of the strip forward? That whole existing strip just basically pulls off back to front? The thought of breaking or destroying something important scares me in this world of plastic everything.

 

I wimped out and had the dealer put the rails on my 3rd-gen RDX at time of sale, but I did the rails on our 3rd-gen MDX. MDX required cutting the strips to put a piece back on, but RDX does not.

There are little plastic clips that hold the black strips in the grooves on the roof. Those are the things that you may break, but there are new ones in the roof rail kit. For RDX, the strips get discarded.

I suggest you get a set of plastic trim tools to minimize the risk of damaging the roof. Otherwise, use a plastic putty knife or something similar to pry up the back of the rail. It's best to pry against the bottom of the groove, because that will be hidden by the rails. But if you use a metal tool, try not to damage the paint. If you do chip or scratch the paint, be sure to apply touch-up paint to prevent corrosion. Good luck.

 

I just pried them up with my fingers from back to front. Very easy and no damage.