Does anyone have any experience with the Thule ski rack system for the W211? I'm about to order one with an enclosed carrier and wanted to make sure no-one knows of any problems.

No experience. Does the Thule attach to the threaded inserts in the roof of the 211 like the factory rack? That would seem to be the way to go for the best attachment and least risk of damage to the car. I think Thule makes the factory rack, so I bet it's the same thang...

You can get a Thule that does attach to the factory points by ordering from the UK. Last time I checked, Thule USA hadn't bothered to support the W211.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

According to my local ski shop, they can order the hardware that connects to the W211 factory points. If no-one has had any bad experiences with them, I'm planning on ordering a set.

I finally received all the bits and pieces for the Thule ski rack for my W211. The whole system works well on the hard mounting points on the car, the only downside is that installing/removing the racks takes a few minutes because of the allen bolts that hold it in place. It's a little pricy, but it should meet my needs.

hello Craig,
I am happy for you to ear that you found what you were expecting.

can you post the references of the complete set I own a W211 420CDI and have a projetc to by them. pictures may be?

Which length are the bars?

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Keep us posted especially if your problem is solved
Present cars:
My car: E-class 420CDI, 2008, W211, V8, 180 000km

Wife's one: C-class 220CDI Sport Coupé, Euro, 2002, W203. 345 000km

Son's one: GLK class 220CDI, 2009, W204

Sold E class 260E, W124, 1988 beloved car sold after 489 000 kilometres of reliable services (engine M103, clutch and 5 speed manual gear box all original).

E-class, W210 320CDI, 2000[/B], 225 000km, Sold

I don't have it installed at the moment, but I'll grab a photo later.

I have the 50" bars (the rectangular type).

I have the Ascent 1100 cargo box.

The "460 Podium Fixpoint Foot Pack" is the part that bolts to the car:

http://www.rackattack.com/product-pages/thule-460-podium-fixpoint-foot.asp

With the keys and everything, the total cost was about $8-900.

Edit: Here's a photo of one of the bars in place:

Attached Thumbnails