I had initially planned on installing the OEM crossbars on my 110 to mount my Yakima ski rack. There seems to be quite a few of the OEM bars for sale in the classifieds. This makes me wonder if they are noisy or other problems.
Question- Would you rather have the factory OEM crossbars or the Thule setup which costs quite a bit more. I believe it is part numbers 3040,753 and 50" Evo 127.
thanks in advance!

 

The OEM bars are made by Thule, and they work just fine. They are only noisy (whistle) if you don't install the rubber strips in the channel.

 

^This. Get the OEM cross bars. Definitely made by Thule, mine came with a Thule lock number that I already had a key for. Well built and easy to install and remove after the first install. Works great with my Thule ski box. Just need to open a rear door and put one foot on the door sill and the other foot on the rear tire to reach into the box.

Beware of the 3040 fit kit. It didn't work well with the LR4 OEM roof rails. Only 2 corners of the rectangular tabs made contact with the inside of the roof rail track. Not confidence inspiring with thousands of dollars of gear up there. Maybe the 3040 tabs fit better inside the Defender roof rail tracks.

 

FYI I had a very similar rack on my previous Audi Q5, probably Thule as well since it looks almost identical. Anyway since I used it to mount a bike carrier on top, I had to remove the rubber strips on top which also caused a lot of wind noise and whistling. I fixed that by cutting the rubber strips into sections, super easy and worked well. Only removed a small section for the bike carrier and the rest was still covered with the rubber strip.

 

3040 kit works fine and is sold by Thule in several markets for this car. Thule kit is worth the extra cost if you want more versatile loading options and ability to lash things easier with the outer overhang. I think they look better too. OEM look like they’re on stilts.

 

X2

That thule (non OEM) set up is officially offered in the European and South African markets. The EVO aero bars are more streamlined than the factory ones and i would think would yield less road noise due to their more aerodynamic shape.

I have the complete kit for sale, brand new in box never installed. I am selling it because i could actually carry my skis in the back of my D90 with the rear seats folded down.