OEM Roof Rack Installation on the First-Generation Acura RDX

Confirm the factory rack kit is complete: the side (longitudinal) rails, the crossbars, three mounting brackets, the Torx nuts, and the sets of color-coded clips. The manufacturer's sheet calls for a KTC plastic trim tool, made by Kyoto Tool Co. It is a hard tapered plastic wedge, roughly 5/8 inch wide narrowing to about 3/8 inch and thinning toward the tip. A dealer service department may lend one; failing that, a putty knife with its edge wrapped in tape does the same job without marking the paint. Also have flat-tip screwdrivers, a tape measure, a fine-tooth saw, and Loctite ready before you start.

Lay masking tape along both sides of the black molding that runs from the windshield base rearward to the hatch. Although it looks like plastic, the strip is black-coated aluminum and will kink permanently under only light force. Start releasing it at the forward end, near the base of the windshield, and work the tool under the first retaining point. Once that first clip lets go, the remaining ones release with far less effort.

The tightest part of the removal is sliding the tool between the strip's bonded rubber edge and the painted A-pillar. Move slowly here so the thin rubber lip stays intact and the paint is not gouged. This is the one spot where rushing does real damage.

With the molding lifted away, pop the underlying clips loose using flat-tip screwdrivers. In practice this goes quicker and more easily than the printed instructions make it seem.

The three brackets require openings in the molding, and every cut end must butt up cleanly, because any gap left open will whistle at highway speed. Measured from the rear of the roof forward, the combined length that must be removed is 54.85 inches. Make the section above the windshield your first cut; the remaining length then stays straighter and is easier to handle for the other cuts. The instructions specify a 32 teeth-per-inch hacksaw. A razor saw handles the first cut nicely, and a sharp carbide blade produces clean, square edges through the aluminum, though it shrieks loudly during the cut.

The kit supplies color-coded clips. Discard the green ones and reuse the purple and pink clips. Before pressing any of them home, dry-fit each in its intended position, especially the run that continues down the sides of the windshield, so the molding will later snap back flush and hold securely.

Install the center brackets first, then bolt the longitudinal rails to them before tightening the front and rear Torx nuts. The front and rear mounting holes have a little play in them; securing the middle bracket first keeps those holes aligned so the Torx fasteners line up and seat properly.

Apply two drops of Loctite to every bolt and nut as insurance against loosening. Then press the trimmed molding segments back onto the seated clips; with the clips correctly located they seat firmly and solidly, and the brackets conceal the cut ends. Budget about two hours for the whole job.