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I’m installing a Frontrunner roof rack that requires the removal of the caps covering the mounting bolts of the OEM roof rails.
Frontrunner’s instructions show a screwdriver, but nothing else as far as how to actually do it. I’ve also looked at LR’s install instructions to understand the tabs holding it in place.
Anyone have tips on how to remover the covers/caps? I assume I need to get a lever in there and pry them, just don’t want to damage the covers or rails.
I was able to remove them by inserting a very thin blade between the rail and cap along front/back of the cap (not the long side of cap). Be very careful to not scratch the rail with the screw driver - I used tape to protect it, but still ended up with a few marks. I noticed even the picture in the instructions that came with the rack had a little nick.
There’s a tab on the front and rear of the cap that needs to be depressed inward to release, and I don’t see how that’s possible unless there’s a specific tool. Even then, it seems like you’d need to approach it from the bottom. That said, my goal was to break one of the tabs off of the cap, then gently pry them out. I figured I’d rather repair the plastic tabs than tear up the rail, etc..
By the way, the new rack (Frontrunner Slimeline 2) is great.
If you ask me they made these things disposable. I’d be OK with that if I wasn’t still scratching up the aluminum roof rails to get them off.
Grrrr...
Damage to roof rail. This will be covered by my rack, but still...
From above Pried off to get out Broken completely off How it looks installed. Just no room to get anything in to depress the tab. Most things thin enough are too flimsy to push the tab in.
I figured out the technique. You have to hammer a slim piece of metal or very small screwdriver straight down. This will depress the tab and as you remove it it will pop the cap up. Took half an hour to get the first one out. Took five minutes to get the rest.
Caps removed successfully with proper technique.
I feel a little better about the scratches on my rails now. It took everything bit of patience I had not to hammer the hell out of them...
I think you're right too about them being disposable. My basic goal was to snap a tabs on the short ends of the caps with the blade of the screwdriver.
Funny that I came across this forum and post while doing a search to locate some new rail caps.
I also installed a Front Runner Slim Line, (or more correctly, am in the process of). I too, destroyed my rail caps in trying to install the FR mounts. By the time I got to my 6th cap, and had marked up the black LR rails (even after applying tape as you all had done), I figured out (1) the caps were disposable, and (2) if they were disposable, I would rather destroy the cap and not scratch the rail. To that end I drilled two holes in the cap with a spade bit and pried it out.
After all that (which I figure was the hard part of the job) I went to install the FR supports, only to find that their aluminum spacers were about 1/4" taller than the factory rails. This left an ugly gap between the rail and the support. I spoke to FR and they had to discuss it with the designer in S Africa, which took about a week. The answer I received back was the spacers were correct, and had been revised to allow room for the sunroof.
Not loving the process or the look, i got some 1-1/4" EPDM foam rubber gasket and tried applying it to the bottom of the support legs to fill the gap. That became a pain in the ***, since the aluminum spacer needed to go through the gasket.
About the same time, a fellow from England contacted me about the installation through FB and let me know that his FR Slimline came with these really nice clamp on supports, no cap removal and no bolting needed. I contacted FR and they agreed to take the bolt down kit back and send me the 'new style' clamp on kit, which is supposed to be here today.
Now I'm trying to replace the caps, which I could only find on line through a JLR dealer in Tennessee. Look like the shipped coast for all 6 is around $60.
02-03-2018, 12:36 PM
Roof Rail Cap Removal
