Thule 38" Fairing, Rail Caps mod

[Kenny]

.. I also covered the fairing’s shiny center section with matte automotive vinyl to subdue the advertising.
...

You can also turn the deflector around to put the THULE to the back. Take it apart, flip it, but it back together again - it's symmetrical.
The vinyl may get dinged up by debris and bugs...

Nice work.

[nfpgasmask]

Nice job, Bren! Sorry I didn't get more photos to you. How do they fit? Looks like you have them covering the metal brackets. Are they pushing out or what?

Bart

[workmeistr]

Kenny,
I’ll see how the vinyl holds up. I wanted more matte (fairing end caps matte, cross bars, cross bar supports, etc.), so I covered the “Thule” side and left the gloss side facing to the rear.
BTW, I tried to disassemble the 32” to store in the 38” box. Those plastic push pins holding the mounting brackets and plastic end caps are a BEAR to remove without damaging other stuff. Once removed and likely damaged in the process, though, they can be replaced with store-bought similar plugs.

Bart,
The rear caps look great since they're taller and show no signs of pushing out with all four clips firmly attached. The fronts (narrower heights), do push out a bit. I may notch down another 1/8” on the fronts to mitigate. I don’t mind the bulge, but when it bulges too much for the four clips of the caps (especially the outside two), to seat right on the roof rails, the caps present an uneven plane to the roof rails. On the other hand, the more material you remove, the less rigid the cap. (Man, I’m a geek…) All in all, I think it looks much better, and thanks.