Hey Guys,

Hoping someone can help me on this.

I currently own a 2012 Porsche Cayenne that does NOT have the factory fitted roof rails.

I was impatient and couldnt wait the additional 4 months to get a vehicle to the same spec with them fitted.

As such I am wanting to now fit them as i find the thule or likes clamp on style to be unsightly and unattractive.

I have seen numerous ebay sellers and online vendors selling what appear to be the oem style roof rails however all dealers have advised that it is impossible to fit if not done at factory.

Can anyone advise if this is the case 100% and or if someone has fitted them after how this has played out for them. The aftermarket version of the OE seem to require drilling holes in the roof which is a little worrying along with how this would hold up from a load rating perspective with a roof pod mounted with snowboard gear and weight etc...

any help pics advise is greatly appreciated...

 

Unless you have the factory rails, it is impossible to add cross bars later. Many European vehicles have anchor points on the roof so you can add cross bars without rails. Even the Panamera has them. The current Cayenne is probably the only SUV in the world that in its standard configuration you cannot add on any roof carrier. How practical is that?

 

thats what i have been told however here is why i am thinking otherwise -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PORSCHE-CA...item5adf21d3f6

and also -
http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod12...--957-Cayenne/

and finally - check out response from user "Jace"
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...oof-rails.html

 

I would check with Suncoast, they seem to be very knowledgeable. There are many things running beneath the roof, sunroof mechanism, wiring, etc. It will be best if done by a Porsche dealer. You cannot just fasten the rails onto the roof metal skin, you need proper anchor underneath, you don't know if these anchors are there for non-sunroof Cayennes. When you install a roof carrier box and go on the highway, the wind force can be enormous.

 

We once had a Nissan Pathfinder, it was a final model year Special Edition which included dealer installed roof rails. They had inadvertently punctured the tubing to the rear wiper washer during installation. They ended up having to replace the interior roof liner due to washer fluid damage. And this was done by a dealer.

 

The only way to hook up a roof transport system on a new 958 Cayenne is to have the roof rails installed from the factory. Not sure why Porsche designed it that way, but we do not have a solution if your vehicle came without them.

I would suggest going with an aftermarket roof rack which you can take on and off when you do not need it.

Let me know if we can help you out.

 

looks like a no go... yep wind load rating would all be reasons for reluctancy to fit.

thanks everyone for advise.. have Pm'd Jace to find out how his friend managed this all however havent heard a thing.

 

yes they changed the system, no longer have the tracks in the roof and only the factory rails work. Maybe in time someone in the aftermarket will design a soluiton but does not exist now to my knowlege.

 

That's why when we ordered our 2013 Cayenne S, we had to decide whether to add the roof rails or not. But we didn't like the look of the raised roof line with the roof rails. I think the recessed channels in the previous Cayenne is the best design. However, we did add the trailer hitch to increase the car's practicality. I cannot imagine having a SUV that cannot carry anything on the exterior. Perhaps we should think of the Cayenne as a sport car with the look of a SUV.

 

We have no affiliation with either of these companies, but I was searching google for racks. Here is a few I found:

http://www.whispbar.com/cars/porsche.../5doorsuv-6235

http://www.rackoutfitters.com/2012-p...ade-roof-rack/

Hopefully someone will report back here if they find a solution...

 

thanks Suncoastryan..

this is the same sort of setup i had on my previous car (B7 RS4) .. although its ideal from a practicality point i just find it fairly ugly and outlandish.. no offence to those who have purchased and or fitted this type of system.

considering the circumstances i think it will be my only option other than selling the car and buying one with.

 

Hi everyone,

My first Porsche and just wondering if anyone has been successful in fitting the roof rails (not cross-bars) to a 2011 Cayenne with panoramic sunroof.

The only aftermarket option I can find to replicate the factory rails involves drilling 4 holes in the roof. This is obviously "no going back territory."

TGED is spot on saying that you cannot simply fit the rails to a rook skin. Since there are no anchor points, i'm wondering if there is anything to anchor underneath the metal skin. I would actually be putting cross rails on and getting my mountain bike on top.

Did anyone get round to doing this and if so, how are they going etc? Would very much appreciate any feedback.

I am very close to purchasing these (check out fitting instructions on screen) but I'm thinking due to proper anchoring issues, they might end up being for cosmetic purposes only.

http://www.direct4x4.co.uk/porsche-c...rds-roof-rails

Thanks, Al

 

I wouldn't go that route for two reasons.

The first is that I don't trust it. If the rails really could be added after the fact I would expect Porsche dealers would be more than happy to charge you an arm and a leg to do so. Since they don't offer it I have to assume that it is more involved than just drilling a couple of holes. So my feeling (supported by their "we do not have any data" statement) is that these are cosmetic only and can't be used to carry anything.

Secondly, you'll know that they can't carry anything but somewhere down the road that knowledge is going to get lost for a future owner. That means some future owner won't realize they aren't real and try to strap something to them which could result in a very dangerous situation. This is the same reason I argue against people that want to cheap out on a hitch with a lower rating than the vehicle can actually tow.

I'm sure it has to be possible to safely anchor rails after the fact, but someone is going to have to pull the roof skin off to figure it out. Until then the clamp on style from someone like Thule or Yakima is the only option though (and at a much reduced capacity too).

 

Listen to gnat. He's spot on with his advice here. In addition the product page for that link even says it's decorative.

 

It is really lame that the Porsche Cayenne does not have a pre-built hidden rail like most vehicles do. I have a Mercedes CLS and it has those mounting points as standard and they are covered by painted covers so you hardly notice them. So much for the Cayenne for being a "Sports UTILITY vehicle" >!