How to Install a Mazda CX-9 Roof Rack
by Russell Wood
The Mazda CX-9 is a crossover SUV, which has room for seven passengers and a powerful V-6 engine to get them to their destination. Although the vehicle comes stock with a lot of different options, not every model comes with a roof rack, something that many people want so they can carry heavy loads on the top of the SUV.
Step 1
Use the stepladder to get on the roof of the vehicle. Locate the three plastic caps on either end of the plastic strips that run the length of the vehicle, and remove them from the rails. There is an arrow on these caps. Push them in the direction indicated by the arrow, and they will come off. This will expose threaded holes in the roof to bolt on the rack.
Step 2
Using the bolts that come with the roof rack and the T-25 torx-head screwdriver, bolt the center supports included with the roof rack kit into the middle of the three holes on the sides that you just exposed. These center supports look like a "T" with a rounded top. The base of that T shape needs to point toward the middle of the vehicle.
Step 3
Lift the side rails that come with the roof rack kit onto the roof and bolt them down using the supplied hardware and the T-25 torx-head screwdriver. Do this for both sides, then slide the front and rear covers over the ends of the roof rack, and lock them in place.
Step 4
Bolt the side rails to the center supports using the T-25 torx-head screwdriver and the supplied hardware.
References
Things You'll Need
- Factory roof rack
- Stepladder
- T-25 Torx-head screwdriver
Writer Bio
Russell Wood is a writer and photographer who attended Arizona State University. He has been building custom cars and trucks since 1994, including several cover vehicles. In 2000 Wood started a career as a writer, and since then he has dedicated his business to writing and photographing cars and trucks, as well as helping people learn more about how vehicles work.
