OEM Rail Removal Issues for a Rack
#1
02-25-2021, 05:11 PM
OEM Rail Removal Issues for a Rack
Hey all,
installing the front runner rack on my defender and ran into some issues. Got the rails off and the two front passenger bolts are stripped. Clearly a locktight issue or something.
Has anyone ran into this issue? I’m a bit pissed about the whole thing because our terrible Land Rover dealers are giving me hell and saying stuff like “well... it could cost up to 5k to fix this” and saying I just need to bring it in so they can decide if this is a warranty issue or not. I’ve had this thing two months and It absolutely is a warranty issue. Bolts shouldnt be stripped upon removing the rails.
At this point it seems the only way to remove the bolts is to remove the headliner. Of which I believe Land Rover should take care of.
Anyone else run into this issue or know a solution? Pic below of the two in question...
[img]blob:https://landroverforums.com/6ed5c142-d36c-45cd-b29d-dae44f942e15[/img]
installing the front runner rack on my defender and ran into some issues. Got the rails off and the two front passenger bolts are stripped. Clearly a locktight issue or something.
Has anyone ran into this issue? I’m a bit pissed about the whole thing because our terrible Land Rover dealers are giving me hell and saying stuff like “well... it could cost up to 5k to fix this” and saying I just need to bring it in so they can decide if this is a warranty issue or not. I’ve had this thing two months and It absolutely is a warranty issue. Bolts shouldnt be stripped upon removing the rails.
At this point it seems the only way to remove the bolts is to remove the headliner. Of which I believe Land Rover should take care of.
Anyone else run into this issue or know a solution? Pic below of the two in question...
[img]blob:https://landroverforums.com/6ed5c142-d36c-45cd-b29d-dae44f942e15[/img]
#2
02-25-2021, 06:08 PM
I had the exact same issue. The bolts in the roof screw into rivnuts (or nutserts, whatever you want to call them) and there is a lot of lock-tite from the factory. I was down to the last two bolts when one of the rivnuts broke loose and now the bolt just spins in the roof. In hindsight, I should've heated the bolt to maybe melt the lock-tite. But after the first 14 came out, I thought it was going to be fine.
As for the fix, I took it to the dealership (New Orleans) and they confirmed what I already knew. The rivnuts had broken loose and were spinning with the bolt. My dealership agreed to fix them under warranty and has had the truck for four days so far. Headliner does have to be dropped. They were unable to get the rivnuts out, since there is a structural part of the roof in the way. The two rivnuts that are bad on mine are the front two on the passenger side. May not be so difficult to get to the others. I was told they would have to cut them out and probably use a bolt and nut to secure the front runner rails. One option we considered, was welding the rivnut to the roof. But after having the welder look at it, it was determined that there wasn't enough room for the welder.
I called Front Runner when it initially happened and they told me the same thing: "the dealership will have to drop the headliner and replace the rivnuts". That response combined with the small warning about "taking care" when loosening the bolts in the rails tells me they know it is an issue.
I think the issue arises from Land Rover putting too much locktite on these bolts at the factory. Or using locktite that is too strong. I understand that they are probably using the locktite to make it watertight, but RTV silicone would have done the same thing.
As for the fix, I took it to the dealership (New Orleans) and they confirmed what I already knew. The rivnuts had broken loose and were spinning with the bolt. My dealership agreed to fix them under warranty and has had the truck for four days so far. Headliner does have to be dropped. They were unable to get the rivnuts out, since there is a structural part of the roof in the way. The two rivnuts that are bad on mine are the front two on the passenger side. May not be so difficult to get to the others. I was told they would have to cut them out and probably use a bolt and nut to secure the front runner rails. One option we considered, was welding the rivnut to the roof. But after having the welder look at it, it was determined that there wasn't enough room for the welder.
I called Front Runner when it initially happened and they told me the same thing: "the dealership will have to drop the headliner and replace the rivnuts". That response combined with the small warning about "taking care" when loosening the bolts in the rails tells me they know it is an issue.
I think the issue arises from Land Rover putting too much locktite on these bolts at the factory. Or using locktite that is too strong. I understand that they are probably using the locktite to make it watertight, but RTV silicone would have done the same thing.
The following users liked this post:
Bdcrosswhite (02-25-2021)
#3
02-25-2021, 06:24 PM
I had the exact same issue. The bolts in the roof screw into rivnuts (or nutserts, whatever you want to call them) and there is a lot of lock-tite from the factory. I was down to the last two bolts when one of the rivnuts broke loose and now the bolt just spins in the roof. In hindsight, I should've heated the bolt to maybe melt the lock-tite. But after the first 14 came out, I thought it was going to be fine.
As for the fix, I took it to the dealership (New Orleans) and they confirmed what I already knew. The rivnuts had broken loose and were spinning with the bolt. My dealership agreed to fix them under warranty and has had the truck for four days so far. Headliner does have to be dropped. They were unable to get the rivnuts out, since there is a structural part of the roof in the way. The two rivnuts that are bad on mine are the front two on the passenger side. May not be so difficult to get to the others. I was told they would have to cut them out and probably use a bolt and nut to secure the front runner rails. One option we considered, was welding the rivnut to the roof. But after having the welder look at it, it was determined that there wasn't enough room for the welder.
I called Front Runner when it initially happened and they told me the same thing: "the dealership will have to drop the headliner and replace the rivnuts". That response combined with the small warning about "taking care" when loosening the bolts in the rails tells me they know it is an issue.
I think the issue arises from Land Rover putting too much locktite on these bolts at the factory. Or using locktite that is too strong. I understand that they are probably using the locktite to make it watertight, but RTV silicone would have done the same thing.
As for the fix, I took it to the dealership (New Orleans) and they confirmed what I already knew. The rivnuts had broken loose and were spinning with the bolt. My dealership agreed to fix them under warranty and has had the truck for four days so far. Headliner does have to be dropped. They were unable to get the rivnuts out, since there is a structural part of the roof in the way. The two rivnuts that are bad on mine are the front two on the passenger side. May not be so difficult to get to the others. I was told they would have to cut them out and probably use a bolt and nut to secure the front runner rails. One option we considered, was welding the rivnut to the roof. But after having the welder look at it, it was determined that there wasn't enough room for the welder.
I called Front Runner when it initially happened and they told me the same thing: "the dealership will have to drop the headliner and replace the rivnuts". That response combined with the small warning about "taking care" when loosening the bolts in the rails tells me they know it is an issue.
I think the issue arises from Land Rover putting too much locktite on these bolts at the factory. Or using locktite that is too strong. I understand that they are probably using the locktite to make it watertight, but RTV silicone would have done the same thing.
I do have an appointment at my dealer tomorrow now. Avoided the other dealer saying they could charge me. Or helpful.
Front runner was at a loss too when we called.
funny thing... it was the final two bolts for us too!
#5
02-26-2021, 07:39 AM
Yeah. That’s why they’re being removed because most of them, including on my 4Runner, require rails to be removed so they can utilize the multiple mounting points underneath.
#6
02-26-2021, 07:54 AM
even for the oem rack, you have to remove the rails?
#7
02-26-2021, 07:57 AM
Nope! You’re totally right. I have no clue what I’m doing. Eyeroll.
Geez. Not every rack is designed to sit on rails. They have to come off. It’s the front runner rack and even the instructions said they have to. There aren’t mounting points if not.
Geez. Not every rack is designed to sit on rails. They have to come off. It’s the front runner rack and even the instructions said they have to. There aren’t mounting points if not.
#8
02-26-2021, 08:18 AM
not disagreeing with you. but if it was a "custom" well designed rack, they should design it to work with the existing rails instead of removing the headliner to fix a stripped rivnut.
The following 2 users liked this post by sblvro:
Ehloo (02-27-2021),
MERCTwister (03-21-2022)
#9
02-26-2021, 08:23 AM
No one is removing the headliner to install the rack. The headliner is going to have to be removed because There’s clearly becoming a trend of the bolts under the rails not coming out due to issues beginning at the factory. This is a warranty issue because it’s a simple thing that shouldn’t happen.
what’s not cool - is some bro rolling in here acting like they know what the hell is going on and clearly not reading what the issue is.
good luck telling hundreds of rack designers they suck at their job and don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s not poor design - it’s just a different way of doing things.
what’s not cool - is some bro rolling in here acting like they know what the hell is going on and clearly not reading what the issue is.
good luck telling hundreds of rack designers they suck at their job and don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s not poor design - it’s just a different way of doing things.
#10
02-26-2021, 08:39 AM
Originally Posted by Bdcrosswhite
No one is removing the headliner to install the rack. The headliner is going to have to be removed because There’s clearly becoming a trend of the bolts under the rails not coming out due to issues beginning at the factory. This is a warranty issue because it’s a simple thing that shouldn’t happen.
what’s not cool - is some bro rolling in here acting like they know what the hell is going on and clearly not reading what the issue is.
good luck telling hundreds of rack designers they suck at their job and don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s not poor design - it’s just a different way of doing things.
what’s not cool - is some bro rolling in here acting like they know what the hell is going on and clearly not reading what the issue is.
good luck telling hundreds of rack designers they suck at their job and don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s not poor design - it’s just a different way of doing things.