In order to transport more bikes, I decided it was time to add Thule cross bars to the roof. My Thule roof bike racks require the narrower Thule bars and do not work with the wider LR OE roof bars. And my daughter's new bike does not fit on the hitch rack very well.
Anyway, I bought the Thule 3112 fit kit from Atlantic British. The problem is the small rectangular anchors that are supposed to slide into the factory roof rail track. I think they were designed to fit into the cut-out entry slots then slide down the roof rail track. But they are just a little too big to fit into the entry cut-out slot. Tried both the LR3 & LR4 roof rails - same issue. With plans to travel with bikes today, I had to grind down the anchors using a bench grinder. Thule used some very strong metal for these, they got so hot that I had to wear an oven mit to hold the vise grip holding the anchor while grinding. After a quick bath in ice water the anchors fit perfectly.
One note of caution - if you bought the kit and slid the anchors into the track with the long side of the anchor parallel to the roof rail you could have a disaster. As you tighten the bolts attached to the anchors, the anchors will spin and somewhat attach to the rail. But only two corners of the anchor are grabbing the rail. If the anchor loosens and spins back, it could lift straight up and out of the track. The anchors should just clear the track entry slots so once you slide them into the track they cannot spin at all.
Both our LR3 & LR4 have the short roof rails. Maybe the full length roof rails have a wider track or larger entry slots and Thule engineered the anchors to fit the long roof rail track.
Anyway, I bought the Thule 3112 fit kit from Atlantic British. The problem is the small rectangular anchors that are supposed to slide into the factory roof rail track. I think they were designed to fit into the cut-out entry slots then slide down the roof rail track. But they are just a little too big to fit into the entry cut-out slot. Tried both the LR3 & LR4 roof rails - same issue. With plans to travel with bikes today, I had to grind down the anchors using a bench grinder. Thule used some very strong metal for these, they got so hot that I had to wear an oven mit to hold the vise grip holding the anchor while grinding. After a quick bath in ice water the anchors fit perfectly.
One note of caution - if you bought the kit and slid the anchors into the track with the long side of the anchor parallel to the roof rail you could have a disaster. As you tighten the bolts attached to the anchors, the anchors will spin and somewhat attach to the rail. But only two corners of the anchor are grabbing the rail. If the anchor loosens and spins back, it could lift straight up and out of the track. The anchors should just clear the track entry slots so once you slide them into the track they cannot spin at all.
Both our LR3 & LR4 have the short roof rails. Maybe the full length roof rails have a wider track or larger entry slots and Thule engineered the anchors to fit the long roof rail track.
