Hey all,

Does anyone mount a bike rack on their trunk? I need to transport my bike around and afraid that the bike rack will scratch the paint.

Any comment or suggestion?

Thanks.

 

I had a trunk mounted bike rack on one of my previous cars. The trunk was scratched pretty badly. I wouldn't put it on my S2000.

 

You may want to consider putting a trailer hitch on your car, and plugging in a bike rack attachment. Obviously the added weight of the hitch hinders performance, but it's one way of carrying around one or more bikes without messing with the body. Besides, you can get other attachments to haul other stuff around (like having removable trunk space).

I've done this with other cars I've owned, and it's really convenient.

 

If you're considering one of the bike racks that rests against the painted part of the car in any way, don't do it. I tried to put one on my Integra and the results left permanent marks in the paint. Sorry to say it, but this car isn't designed to have a bike rack, you need to get a beater.

 

At my local bike store they sell a product by Duh Innovations (love that name) that's essentially small patches of the same 3M material used in Stonguard and the like. Just put the clear plastic down on the paint where the bike rack supports would go, and you'll never have to worry about paint scratches again.

http://www.duhinnovations.com/info.htm

 

Do a search on the topic. There is a hitch out there that looks pretty sweet. You can remove it easily when it's not in use. The catch is that you have to drill into your trunk...which I won't do. That's why I still don't transport my bike with my car. Luckily I live close to where most of the rides start from around here. Don't use a trunk mounted rack. I did that on a Maxima and it definitely leaves marks.

 

I've looked into many bike racks, but there's really nothing out there I would trust to not mar my paint, so I've never used one. I've used my wife's car if I needed to transport my bike in the past, although last year I had to take my bike into the shop with the S; practically took the darn thing apart to fit in my passenger seat with the top down; then the issue of grease and dirt exposed on my interior caused me some grief.

I'll make due. Perhaps I'll buy an extreme $500 beater just for bike transport!

 

thanks for the response..

 

You can try a Saris Bones bike rack. I had (and still have) one that worked really well with my S2000.

It didn't mark the paint as long as you clean the surfaces before you put it on. You might want to put a rag down to keep the pads off the paint.

The only time I had some small scratching was when I was in a hurry and put it on and the car was REALLY dirty. The scratches buffed right off with some Meguiar's No. 9 Swirl Remover.

Anyways, if you need it only occasionally, I'd go with the Saris Bones. If you're doing this more than once a week, I'd find another option or learn to accept less than perfect paint.