Thinking of Fitting a Bike Carrier

I am thinking of thinking of fitting a bike carrier to the rear door of my 2017 Symbol.  I known that there are for and against this type of fitting but I quite like the Thule Elite XT in black.  I don't have a tow bar and I only want to carry one electric bike which is just in the single bike limit for this carrier.  The fitting apparently requires no drilling but the support bars are glued in place.  I would welcome comments about this type of fixing and what glue/mastic wold be recommended.  I would also appreciate comments from owners of this particular bike rack.  Many thanks.  Bill

Would you trust glue after reading this thread......

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Aldi have no-more-nails double sided tape which claims to take 120kg for the whole strip but doesn't say how long the strip is. (According to Amazon its 1.5mtrs so you'd have to work it out pro-rata.)

I love the look of the Thule in black and if fitted properly you will have no problems, I don’t regret spending the extra.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


See page 6 for recommended adhesives, I used SIKA 252.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I may be missing something, but if the carrier is glued to the door without stripping all paint of first then surely the weight carrying capability if the adhesive is meaningless if it is stuck to paint that is designed to cover the metal door, not carry large weights?

Bilbobaggins wrote:I may be missing something, but if the carrier is glued to the door without stripping all paint of first then surely the weight carrying capability if the adhesive is meaningless if it is stuck to paint that is designed to cover the metal door, not carry large weights?

Recent thread relating paint coming off when removing some masking or gaffer tape on a Peugeot. I wouldn't want st stick a bike rack on.

The Thule rack that Bill is considering also has mechanical fixings at each end of the 2 bars. The way the top bar sits in the contours of the rear door, the rack will not come off even if the paint failed. Mine has been on for over 5 years and is as solid as the day I fitted it.
I completely understand the points made and totally agree but in this particular case I feel they are perhaps detracting from what I believe is an excellent rack if fitted properly as per the manufacturers instructions.

Bill said 'the support bars are glued in place' , that's what set alarms bells ringing.

He did indeed which is why I provided the full fitting instructions in the 3rd post 

This is a serious issue however and going back to the other recent thread, I’m completely shocked by the posts as to how the bars on coachbuilds have been fitted.

I’m sure it’s glorious sunshine over there in Norfolk Ian but it’s pouring down here!!!
To hopefully explain the Thule rack mechanical fixings I’ve just taken this pic.
There are 4 of them, 1 at the end of each bar. The top bar uses the vans moulding and will never slip or come off even if I had never applied Sika 252 to the full bar..

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Has anyone had issues with the "rear door open" message when they have a door mounted bike rack?