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This stylish, aerodynamic Yakima roof rack gives you the space to carry gear on your vehicle. Rubber strips in the top channels push down to load carriers or accessories - no need to trim. Installs to flush rails on your vehicle's roof.
Features:
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Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hey everyone, it's Angeline here at etrailer and today we'll be talking about the Yakima Roof Rack system for the 2021 Volkswagen Jetta. This has the Yakima 50-inch long jet stream crossbars the baseline powers as well as your custom fit kit. So if you're looking for a roof rack system because you wanna carry around the fun accessories like a roof box or a roof basket or even kayaks, what you then need is a roof rack just like this. So this is a Yakima system. It's gonna be a bit more streamlined but also a lot more adjustable. So if you're worried about, let's say crossbar spread, this will give you the most crossbar spread but also the most level roof rack.
So these are the 50-inch long crossbars as recommended by Yakima. You can actually get longer crossbars if needed. But the thing is with sedans like this, if you have too long of a crossbar, you're also more likely to hit your head on the bar as you get into your vehicle. So this will be around the just right good balance of overhang, but not too much. So for our overhang, for our front crossbar it's gonna be about two inches.
The overhang on the rear crossbar is about two and a quarter inches. So these are the jet stream crossbars. Very sleek and a lot more aerodynamic than the traditional round and square crossbars. So this allows the air to flow through them. But you also have some other features here like a heavy duty wake capacity of about 165 pounds as well as a T-track.
Now when you do have accessories on here you are gonna have to think about roof clearances. So one is the height from the top of car to bottom of cross bar. I have it at about two and three quarter inches. This is the clearance for things like clamps. If you have U bolts with wing nuts, this is on the shorter side, so you are gonna have be conscious of that.
The next clearance is the height added to top of the roof. So top of the roof, to top of crossbar that's gonna be about three and three quarter or four inches depending where you're measuring. So here, this is gonna be where your cargo sits. If you have skis with extra tall bindings you would make sure you don't hit your roof. And if you don't have enough clearance, that's when you can take a look at some of our accessories that give you that extra height. So the baseline powers that this uses and it might look a little different from yours just because the door can be matte or glossy, depending on which one you get. But they're gonna work the same way. So they can adjust to the angle of your roof giving you more crossbar spread compared to some other brands. So from one crossbar to the other, we have a 32-inch spread. So take a look at your accessories and see what they require. As much as I like the design of the towers with how sleek they look as well as how it's easy to access the insides, these can be locked, but the locks are sold separately. So if you have other Yakima accessories you can get an entire pack of those lock cords so that everything is keyed alike. If this is gonna be your only option though, or your only accessory, you can just get a four packing. Call it good. Now here we have the included tool. This has its torque spec so you don't over tighten your bolts, and everything else is included to install it. Although I do recommend grabbing your tape measure, or if you do have a soft tape measure, that works even better so you can make sure everything is lined up right. Now let's take a look at that process. So the install process might be a little confusing at first but that's just because there's a lot of different touch points and different settings and adjustments you need to make. So that's what this video is for. I'm gonna guide you through that process and get our crossbar together. So we're gonna do the front crossbar together. We have our towers, our different foot pads our different hook numbers. So we're gonna start by getting the towers onto the bar. You first need to install the plate. So to do so, pull this door out, and then that gives you access to the inside where you can start by getting that plate loosely threaded onto your tower. Once that's loosely threaded you can then slide it into the crossbar. Now on your crossbar, you're gonna have these numbers. So go follow the M1 and M2 numbers and slide the end of your tower to where it's supposed to sit. So right where you are, where the arrow is facing away from you you're then going to set the pitch of your tower. So see where that bolt is. For example, set it to pitch A and hold that down as you tighten it. Next you adjust the toe setting. So you just twist and to go one, two, or three we're gonna go to two, which is right in the middle. Finally, get those rubber pads and pop those on to the feet plates. Now you need to measure where your front crossbar is going to sit. So we measure from the top of the windshield out. So once you found your spot, you're then going to make a little mark. You do have included stickers, if you need to mark your place. Now that you know where to put it, you can then gently, very gently put the tower onto the roof. Since you have those rubber pads on the bottom that should help you as you move it around. Next, insert your hook. So this should just slide right in, clip into place and then you're gonna lower it as you tighten down that bolt. Now go put the other one on so you can tighten it down evenly. So you're included Yakima tool actually has a torque spec at the end. So as you're tightening down your hooks, listen for that click, and that's how you know you have enough torque and it won't over-tighten. Now pop everything back into place. That includes this door, the end caps for your crossbars the door for your hook, as well as the end cap for your tower. So this is a time that if you do have the Yakima same key system lock course, you switch out those plastic ones for those metal ones. But other than that, now everything is tightened down. You are done with the install and you're ready to hit the road. So my personal thoughts about our roof rack system here is I do like how the Yakima system is sleek, but also works with other Yakima accessories. With how this adjusts to the roof, you do get more crossbar spread compared to others and just a nice more custom fit, I'd like to say. The downside to this is it makes it a lot more difficult to install. If you get confused with like where to tighten things down or how the hitch works, you might want something more simple like the Rhino Rack roof rack system instead. But for this video, hopefully I was able to guide you through the process with getting it installed and then you are able to see if this is the right fit for you and your different accessories or not. And that right there was a look at the Yakima roof rack system for your 2021 Volkswagen Jetta..
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (184 Customer Reviews)
This stylish, aerodynamic Yakima roof rack gives you the space to carry gear on your vehicle. Rubber strips in the top channels push down to load carriers or accessories - no need to trim. Installs to flush rails on your vehicle's roof.
I gave it five stars for the rapid delivery. This set fits my Telluride. However be forewarned that the ridgeline product that goes with these clips needs some re-engineering to make it easier to install. I have been a Yakima user for over 4 decades and this is the only one that I have ever criticized.
The product works, and seems durable.
The downside is that the clips aren't locked into place on the towers. They just kind of dangle there until you get them maneuvered onto your rails and tighten them. They often fall off their hooks when making shifts and adjustments with the rack, getting it into place. I've yet to find a way to get the clips into place while the towers are sitting atop the rails. You basically have to take the whole rack and both towers off, reset the clips and gently place into position again while the clips dangle there. Only to be knocked off their position by the rail itself when trying to place and becoming a 2 oz. chunk of metal falling onto your roof sheet metal.
Spot on. Customer service, communication, shipping all of it. Perfect.
The SightClips with bases were very easy to use with my Yakima Ridgeline Roof Towers. When the towers are loosened and off of the vehicle the clips can come off, but it is really no big deal. I just take the off when not using the rack. When I put the the rack back on I only put the inner clips on before putting the rack on the roof. Then I add the outer clips and snug everything down. It is much easier that way.
The only problem I had, was when I watched the video showing how to install the rack, I did not realize that the actual installation process was a lot more complex. For example, the woman who was in the video only showed the installation one rack (I believe itg was the back rack and she gave the width measurement for that one. The front rack was already on the car and the woman neglected to say, "check your manual. The width of the front rack (may be) different than the back. She also did not explain carefully that there were three different screws that needed to be adjusted for a proper fit so the towers were properly adjusted for yoiur specific car. (My car is a 2018 Chevy Volt.) (I also bought Yakima kayak cradles from you guys, which were easy to install.)
However, I blame myself for not reading the manual carefully, so when I installed the racks, they did not fit right and one of them actually fell off while I was driving. (Luckily there were kayaks on and no one was hurt. The two towers were damaged but luckily the rack and the kayak cradles were fine. I called etrailers and was told I had to contact Yakima, which I did. I explained to the Yakima customer service rep that I was at fault for trusting the video and not reading the manual carefully and after asking me to send him photos of the damaged towers he sent me two new towers for free, as well as another torque wrench, so I could work with a second person.
This time I read the manual carefully and watched the Yakima video many times during the a week before I felt confident enough to try installing the racks again.
This time they fit perfectly. I love both the rack and the kayak cradles. I use them to transport my two kayaks down to the Hudson River near my house and have also used them to carry the kayaks to a family camping site 50 miles away, confident they are safe and secure.
But please, review the video you put out for the installation of the racks onto a 2017 Chevy Volt, and either correct the shortcomings by doing it over, with an explanation about the adjustment of the widths, and also reading the manual and finding the correct positions for the adjustment screws. (Or delete it and refer your customers to the Yakima installation video. Though it’s more generic than yours, at least the tell the customer to refer to the manual.
Super happy with my purchase from e trailers purchased yakima roof rack. Knowledgeable sales rep.Help me through the process on purchasing my roof rack Recommended to anyone quality parts
Sightline Towers(along with #82 Sightclips)are a perfect fit on my 2024 Mazda CX-90 even though not confirmed by etrailer (Yakima HQ did confirm it though). ETrailer’s sales support staff was super helpful in getting this figured out. Yakima’s instructions are very thorough—follow their measurements! Mazda has four locator holes on the flush rails for positioning the Sightline towers—use them. Note, I reused my Jetstream crossbars, hence them looking a tad weathered.
Works well, after getting them in place. On my Kia Sorrento it's very tricky to get the towers to fit the holes in the factory rails -- takes a lot of loosening and readjusting the bars.
For a 2015 Mazda 3, 4 door sedan.
I used the 50" jetstream bars with the skyline towers and the #22 Landing Pads.
Went together easy, great quality, very solid feeling! And, easy to remove and install when needed.
Fit our Subaru Forester perfectly. Install was a breeze.
I chose Yakima because I had one in the past and they were always reliable. Thule was my next choice but didn’t like the look of 53’ crossbars on my car. I really appreciated the easy to follow instruction that made installation a breeze. The kit came complete with everything I needed to install right out of the box. I purchased the 2 Hightower bike racks to go with the roof rack system and plan to safely secure both bikes for our trips. It was a bit heavier than I anticipated (combined with the bike carriers) which will hurt my MPG but having easy access to disassemble the bike carriers when not in use made it a no brained. Additionally, I love the look of the system on my car.
I waited several weeks for roof rack to arrive after ordering online. I am accustomed to Thule racks, but could not find any towers/bases to fit the 2019 Santa Fe. Once here, the Yakima rack mounted with ease and I look forward to hauling kayaks or basket on the roof.
Thank you etrailer.
The yakima jetstream crossbar looks beautiful. Quality is great. Took my vehicle for a test drive, and i didnt hear anything loose or broken from the bars. Very satisfied with the product and the instructions were great. It was my first time installing a roof rack too.
The installation was super easy, and despite a long time stuck in shipping the delivery itself was extremely fast, and the package arrived in spotless condition. The manuals were very easy to follow, and the end result is absolutely amazing. I love that there's a rubber piece in the top rail that doesn't need to be cut, which makes it a very flush and smooth fit. I also love the modularity and the weight that it can handle, especially for the stuff i plan on carrying.
One quick phone call and Gwendolyn figured out exactly what I needed for our new car to use my old Yakima rack.
Very happy with our purchase. I love how easily you can remove the entire rack easily. Too bad the locking mechanism comes separately but we are still happy with what we received.
Super solid rack and the only one that fits the Jeep Cherokee without rails well and looks good too. Easy to install and worth the price
Amazing quality easy set up fast shipping buy the locks the 4 pack With this fast shipping super impressed
Well you asked for it so;
I ordered this as part of my roof rack for a 2021 Nissan rogue. The complete roof rack set was unavailable le as one bracket was on back order and said would ship in under a month so I ordered everything else in the meantime. Little did I know it would take a over a year to get one stupid bracket and yes, I'm still waiting. I can't even return the items I bought because it's way past the 90 day policy even though they're brand new still in the box collecting dust. etrailer, this has been the worst experience I've had yet with you guys. Oh still waiting for my one bracket to complete my roof rack
Lightweight and actually quite quiet with no attachments on them. With my bike racks there is a fair amount of noise but it doesn't come from just these. Mine is on a 2011 BMW 335.
the product was exceptional. I would recommend it to anyone, who has a vehicle with a naked roof. It is a solid as a factory installed rack. Josh went out of his way to get me a replacement torque screw driver because the first one from Yakima was working properly.
Still look and work great after a year. Fantastic investment and they didn't reduce my fuel economy. They don't produce a lot of wind noise either.
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