Honda Pilot Crossbars

Installed these yesterday with very little troubles. I will say that the box I was shipped did not have instructions (as was indicated on the packaging), so I had to look that up online, and I'll attach that link for easy reference. I go into quality at end of review, but in summary highly satisfied at this point. Also high load capacity and low noise compared to off-brands make the extra money well worth it. What you will NEED: - Flathead screwdriver - 5/32 drillbit and drill - T-15 Torx Screwdriver - Someone to help align the rails Here's the full instructions (this includes instructions on how to install the rails (steps 1-14), but you'll only need the last 4 steps (which I've included a photo of): http://www.bernardiparts.com/images/install/2009_Pilot_RoofRack_AII39407.pdf Step 15 already has the covers popped off, but this is easy to do, don't be afraid to use a little force. Just get a flat head and pop it in the notch with a small opening for you to do so and pry up. Also you may need to push in the plastic tab to get it to come free, I did for one and not the other side.(I'll get a picture of this when I can). This video details this better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1QjlmzrS80 Step 16 shows dots (holes) you need to align with on the rails. These are very small, and look almost like imperfections, but you'll see them. These are the optimal position for the rails, so you're best bet to even distribute your load safely. Step 17 in the instructions is what you'll need the drill for. The holes that come factory standard with the rails are two narrow, and need drilled out but this is easy to do. The screws that go in there secure the rails to your car, so they don't rip off. This may not seem likely and you could put it off for a short time. But if you'll be hauling anything I STRONGLY advise you to take this extra step. Those screws are what you need the T-15 torx screw driver for (that's the 6 pointed star screw driver, similar to an alan wrench, but with points. Think Philips screwdriver meets alan wrench). I'll update my review later as far as the actual performance of the bars. For now I will say that they were quite quiet on the highway, contrary to what I've heard about other rail systems. Also my Yakima kayak mount that was for my Honda Passport (with factory rails) fit these great. They tightened well, and I'm looking forward to a kayak packed summer.

Original high-quality OEM part. Arrived in original Honda packaging. Installation was relatively easy (instructions available on Honda's website), though there were two issues with the product: 1. Portion of the plastic rail on one of the crossbars was broken off and fell out of the box when I opened it. This piece was retaining one of the two thumbscrews used to secure the crossbar on that side. However, I was able to install the crossbar anyway, with the broken piece in its proper place, and so far it appears to still be securing the crossbar as expected. 2. According to the instructions there were supposed to be two Torx screws included with the crossbars, to be attached to the existing roof rails and function as rear stops for the crossbars. These were not in the package, and it does not appear that they would have fallen out (since the broken clip from above was still in the box when I opened it). Since the packaging is OEM, and the box dis not appear to have been opened and re-sealed, the above two issues may have been out of the seller's control.

I have a '09 Honda Pilot which fits into the specs for these Crossbars. The rails on my Pilot were factory installed, so only Crossbars were needed for my Yakima J low kayak holders. The first shipment arrived broken. While disappointed, I contacted the vendor and they shipped a new one right away, which was appreciated. The next set of Crossbars arrived safely and in complete pieces. We installed according to the manufacturer instructions. The install was a little tricky as the bars do not slide well within the rails, but we managed. You likely will need two people for this part. They were tightened to "finger tight", installed the J Lows and kayaks, and we on our way. There is a LOT of wiggling with these bars, which I only assume is part of the design and on purpose given they are Genuine Honda products, but it definitely makes me uncomfortable seeing the kayaks bouncing around on the top of the car. After the trip, we noticed the crossbars seemed to have shifted a bit - which seemed bizarre since we knew they were definitely tightened. Turns out the clip to keep the crossbar in the rail had broken! The two kayaks that we had loaded were each only 40lbs, so we were well under the weight limit for these bars, so this should not have caused the breakage, but it looked like the clip snapped in place from too much weight. I have read other reviews on Reddit that suggested these bars are made "cheaply" and have had similar issues. I went with a Honda product because the price was reasonable compared to Thule or Yakima, but I just don't think the quality compares. I would not purchase again, we will replace these broken Crossbars with Yakima.

The product looks good and fits tighly / securely to the Honda Pilot base rail system. Installation is fairly easy and straightforward. On the roof rails for my 2013 pilot, it took some time to find the small dimples (really the size of a pin hole) to align the crossbars to. There are a set of dimples forward and aft on each roof rail. Once I removed the plastic endcaps on the roof rails (I used two flat head screwdrivers to do this), sliding the crossbar into the channel / track on the roof rails was pretty straightforward. You have to advance each side of the crossbar slowly, so as to not jam it. The only modification that I had to make was to insert the retaining screws at the aft end of each roof rail as the penultimate step of the job. I found the pre-drilled holes were too small for the retaining screws that were included in the box with the crossbars, so I had to drill them out to 9/64 inch, which was very easy to do. Overall, I am pleased with these crossbars.