I saw reviews about people crying about this rusting too soon. Simple fix"¦ I bought some truck undercoating and sprayed all the tubes where they were open. Put it together and did a little spray on all the joints and screws. I wanted this size so I could also have a storage pod on my roof. Side by side it was a great combo for traveling.

Install was easy! Very secure, the rack did not move an inch. I had zero problems during travel. Highly recommend if you want a sturdy rack for a good price.

I read most all of the reviews and was aware that many claimed that it rusted after the first rain. True to the reviews it did just that in the welding points. As suggested by others I just purchased a single can of flat black Rust-Oleum spray paint and in about 30 minutes I fixed it. Now it does not rust! For the money it is a good rack and very sturdy. I use it on the upper tier of a Malone kayak trailer next to a Yakima torpedo cargo box. For the purpose of carrying the trailer spare tire and a large cargo box with equipment it is perfect. a lot cheaper than the Yakima version and seems to do what I need it to. Highly recommend it.

Got the rack in good condition, I read lots of reviews before purchasing so I took someone's advice.
Before using it, I put it together, painted it with rustoleum, then I siliconed all the connections.
I used it for two months, 10000 plus miles and it worked great. I have no rust issues. The only thing I didn't like about it was the parts that hold it to the roof rack required a screw cap and once tightened the bolt is still sticking up thru it and I put a suitcase on it and had to protect it from ripping my case with foam. It needs to have a way to put the bolts pointing down instead of up. Otherwise the rack was great.

First off, I paid about $150 for this rack (Amazon Warehouse), and I wouldn't pay more. I have it mounted on a 2015 Subaru Forester and it fits great but does bend the antenna back a little. Doesn't bother me, but it might bother you. I live in Colorado where it's pretty dry, but unless you live in the middle of the Mojave Desert this rack WILL rust...unless you do the following:

The first thing I did was get rid of most of the hardware that came with this rack. It's mostly junk. I instead put it together with M6 x 1.00 Hex Key Socket Head Cap Screws (that's how they're listed on Amazon by Inline Designs...but they're actually bolts) matched with 1/4" lock washers and M6 x 1mm Nylon Insert Hex Lock Nuts from uxcell....ALL 316 STAINLESS STEEL. There are other stainless options, but I like the look of the hex key "socket heads".

When I assembled the rack, I used shrink tubing to somewhat reinforce the spaces left between the interior bars, which works for my purposes (cargo bag), but at some point I'll replace those with either pvc or metal sleeves. After the rack was completely assembled, I caulked every single seam and bolt with Red Devil 078060 StormGuard 920 100% RTV Silicone Sealant (Black). I let that cure overnight, then began spraying several coats of Rust-Oleum 300607 Stops Rust Hammered spray paint in Matte Black. As you can see, it's more of a gray than black, but I knew that in advance and wanted it to match the color of the car. I also love the "hammered" look, and this particular product doesn't need primer. Choose whatever color suits you.

The only original hardware I did use was when mounting the rack to the car, I used the original u-bolts, except instead of using the included knobs I opted for the aforementioned lock washers and nylon lock nuts. It mounted great to my aftermarket rails and Apex RB-1004-49 Universal Side Rail Mounted Crossbars. The last step was security, and I just used a couple Sanwo Security Bike Lock 4 Digit Resettable Combination Cable Lock for Bicycle, 2 Feet x 1/2 Inch, one on each side.

I installed the rack in Spring of last year (2021) and we had a very busy travel year. We made road trips both with and without the CURT 18221 Extended Roof Rack Cargo Bag, which fits perfectly in the rack and holds a ton of gear giving my dogs space to move around in the back of the car. I easily exceeded the 150 lb limit, but of course I can't suggest you do that. There is some increased wind noise, but not too bad. You will also sacrifice some mpg, especially over 65 mph, even with just a bare rack. If you're not going to be using it on a long road trip, I suggest you leave it at home.

I posted some pics of it after assembly, and the rack on the car, and some destinations. It obviously holds up well and we had absolutely zero problems with it as we traveled to and through the following states: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Kansas. We traveled through all kinds of weather, carried a ton of gear, took the cargo bag on and off several times....and not a spot of rust.