[justin1138]

I used the roof rack for the first time tonight. My stepdaughter and her fiance just moved into an apartment on the first of the month, and it will be a couple of weeks before they rent a truck to get their stuff over there. So they've been sleeping on the floor and a small couch (taking turns on it).

I told them I could grab the mattress portion at least after work today. I didn't want to mess with the box spring, but they said "oh we only have a mattress". So I went over and put a new HF tarp down, and we put the queen mattress on top and roped it down through the side railings on the roof rack. On 2nd thought a box spring wouldn't have been too big a deal -- could've put it on top of the rails then the mattress on top and really cinched it all down.

The trip from the storage to the apartment is only like 1.2 miles. I guess a soft mattress is even doable without the roof rack. Just lay it on the roof, and the driver can get inside while the other person ropes it around through the top of the windows. I wouldn't want 1/4 inch rope closed in the door frame -- may screw up the doors? Probably not, but it's a new car, so I am paranoid.

I told her fiance that a wagon/hatchback/SUV/van is way more convenient than a sedan. He has a Ford Focus 4 door sedan that's on its last legs -- 150k, lots of rust. He agreed and said their next car will be an SUV.

 

[Chicago Jake]

I wish I had a roof rack, but my SE didn't come with one. But I have used the old "between the door and the frame" trick with a clothesline type rope to bring home my Christmas tree a couple of times with the Venue. Put the tree on the roof, open all four doors, tie the rope around the stem on the bottom of the tree, pass it through the open front doors, back over the tree, through the open back doors, back over the tree, and through the doors again. Then slam the doors to hold it tight. Works like a charm! And it didn't do any harm to the door seal. I did the same thing many times with previous cars.

 

[nicedream]

I wish I had a roof rack, but my SE didn't come with one. But I have used the old "between the door and the frame" trick with a clothesline type rope to bring home my Christmas tree a couple of times with the Venue. Put the tree on the roof, open all four doors, tie the rope around the stem on the bottom of the tree, pass it through the open front doors, back over the tree, through the open back doors, back over the tree, and through the doors again. Then slam the doors to hold it tight. Works like a charm! And it didn't do any harm to the door seal. I did the same thing many times with previous cars.

I recently bought a pair of OEM rails from a salvage yard on eBay. Then I had to order the brackets that secure them to the roof from the dealer.
Those came in last week, so now next weekend a friend of mine with a welder is going to help me weld them on.
Planning on doing a write-up of the process (assuming everything is successful 🤞 )

 

[justin1138]

I recently bought a pair of OEM rails from a salvage yard on eBay. Then I had to order the brackets that secure them to the roof from the dealer.
Those came in last week, so now next weekend a friend of mine with a welder is going to help me weld them on.
Planning on doing a write-up of the process (assuming everything is successful 🤞 )

It'll probably be better than a factory install. When I was researching the Venue I almost bought the SE version, but I went with the SEL mainly due to the roof rack and the extra safety alerts like rear cross-traffic and blind-spot detection warnings.

One of the options alone wouldn't have made me pay the extra $2,500 for SEL over the SE but taken as a whole I thought it was worth it. Now I regret not getting the Premium Package for an extra $2,350. lol. The grass is always greener on the other side. The sunroof, heated seats and mirrors, keyless ignition, LED lights, built-in navigation, etc..

Below is the aftermarket one. It's $550 and wouldn't look nearly as good as the factory one.

I am going to install a trailer hitch in a month or so. The same co. as above (eTrailer) has either a Curtis or Draw-Tite hitch for about $220. It is rated for 2,000 pounds of towing and 200 pounds of tongue weight, though the Venue itself is rated for 1,500 pounds I think. Quite a lot for a small car. I imagine the good towing capacity is due to the CVT. If it were a regular AT with a bunch of clutch discs and other friction-based parts, the tow rating would probably be 500 pounds.

I installed a hitch on my previous car -- a Honda CRV. No drilling required. All the existing holes in the unibody are already present, You just drop the muffler (hanging on rubber hangers), and sometimes you have to fish a bolt inside a frame tube with a metal hook (kit includes it usually), then torque down the bolts to the included lb-foot. Some bolts just bolt directly to the unibody.

This video shows Kona install -- should be similar to the Venue one. eTrailer usually has install videos for most vehicles, but not yet for Venue. They do include written directions though.

 

[nicedream]

It'll probably be better than a factory install.

Just curious, why do you say that?

 

[justin1138]

Just curious, why do you say that?

I just meant maybe the welds will be stronger? But I don't know how they install the factory mounts, so basically it was just a guess on my part. lol. I imagine they weld on the mounts at the factory before painting. I think some of the aftermarket installs of non-OEM roof racks like the Yakima above involve removing the headliner and drilling a hole in the roof at 4 points then installing the 4 mounting brackets and they have a water-proof gasket under them. That is probably for older cars though.

 

[nicedream]

I just meant maybe the welds will be stronger? But I don't know how they install the factory mounts, so basically it was just a guess on my part. lol. I imagine they weld on the mounts at the factory before painting. I think some of the aftermarket installs of non-OEM roof racks like the Yakima above involve removing the headliner and drilling a hole in the roof at 4 points then installing the 4 mounting brackets and they have a water-proof gasket under them. That is probably for older cars though.

The factory install does use welds. Here's a post I made a few weeks ago about it, which includes pics from someone who cut the welds off of his Kona.

Adding Roof Rails

I bought my son an SE and it didn’t come with roof rails, so I’m wondering if anyone had them installed after buying? I’m wondering how they are attached to the roof. Thanks

www.venuedrivers.com

I considered drilling through the roof, but that's going to be 8 holes that I'll always have to worry about leaking. So I got in touch with a friend of mine who does a lot of classic car restoration, and he said he should be able to do the welds.

 

[ralph_venue]

Anybody asked a dealership for a quotation? Just curious.

 

[justin1138]

Anybody asked a dealership for a quotation? Just curious.

Maybe I will call on Monday and find out what it'd cost for the dealer to add one. I have to call their parts dept. any way to get a seat belt extender. One of my friends is pretty large, and she has trouble plugging the belt in.