Project: 2014 328i xDrive Wagon F31

[Apoc]

Larger boxes actually don't look that large on this car. Spend the money and never look back.

[Steve85]

Steve, are the roof rails flush mount?  If so I'd be interested in those for my E91.

I didn't ask, but I would venture to guess they are the BMW branded rails (which are flush mount) that were bought along with the BMW box. 

I heard back from the Canadian Packline distributor and he said that box "hasn't hit North America yet" so it would new to them too. It's OK though, $2265CDN...so what like $1800USD. I mean, it's pretty and sleek, but it ain't that damn pretty.

[JustinG]

I have a Yakima Rocketbox 11. Takes up half the roof. Worked well on the Fozzy, and works well on the Prius. 22x14x89. I have thought about getting a full width box, but with one kid, we haven't run out of room in this one.

I think a Yakima Skybox 21 fits your requirements. Roof boxes are damn expensive, but worth every penny for vacations with family. The moment you have everything you need and can still see out of the back window is priceless. 

If you already have stuff from Yakima or Thule stick with one brand. Then you can order the lock cylinder kits and do 1 key for all of em.

[.RJ]

Steve, are the roof rails flush mount?  If so I'd be interested in those for my E91.

I didn't ask, but I would venture to guess they are the BMW branded rails (which are flush mount) that were bought along with the BMW box. 

Let me know what you decide to do then.  If you pass on it send me the info, too.  I can join the roof box wagon mafia.

[Steve85]

Steve, are the roof rails flush mount?  If so I'd be interested in those for my E91.

I didn't ask, but I would venture to guess they are the BMW branded rails (which are flush mount) that were bought along with the BMW box. 

Let me know what you decide to do then.  If you pass on it send me the info, too.  I can join the roof box wagon mafia.

I think I'm going to pass, here is contact info for seller:

"The box is at my work in Maryland. Can you text me if you have anymore questions 571-205-7828

My name is Min Park"

[Steve85]

I think a Yakima Skybox 21 fits your requirements. Roof boxes are damn expensive, but worth every penny for vacations with family. The moment you have everything you need and can still see out of the back window is priceless. 

That sounds like a great idea! A few minutes after passing on the other box and posting the contact info for RJ, I took another shot at the CL and got lucky! Someone had just listed a Skybox 16 for about what I would have had in the BMW box after selling the rails. The 21 was a bit big for me and I'm hoping to get away without the 92" length of the 18 and I'm taking a shot on the 16. My skis should just fit, they say max is 180, I think mine are 182ish, so might have to diagonal them or something.

She's getting dirty (and the box could use a cleaning too) but I like the box!    Hard to tell how much extra wind noise there will be on a normal day, but it wasn't bad at all even with the windy day. It's pretty light and we had it on the car in just a few minutes which included adjusting for my rail spread. I'll probably make some minor adjustments but hatch opens fine as is. It will take all of 2 minutes to put on / off now.







-RJ, I let the guy with the BMW box know I wasn't interested anymore so I know he still has it.

[JustinG]

With the sun roof shade pulled closed I never hear anything more than normal wind noise.

[JPolen01]

Do those rails sit extra high or something? Seems like the box is way up there compared to other photos I've seen.

[Apoc]

I think the BMW rails sit a few inches higher than most Thule bars.

[WRXtranceformed]

You should color match that y0

Looks real dad status right now. Like flannel, light wash jeans and big white New Balances old dad status

[Steve85]

Yeah, if I didn't already have the BMW rails I would have gone with the lower profile Thule. It's part of the reason I didn't want too tall of a box. I'll see how this works, if it's too small I'll go with the Motion. It's 17" tall but the box drops down below the bars bringing it closer to the roof. I mean, the only style box I'm going to love is a strictly "Alpine" style but I want to be able put more than skis in the box.

---

You should color match that y0

Looks real dad status right now. Like flannel, light wash jeans and big white New Balances old dad status

Get off my lawn! Seriously, I’m mowing, get off my lawn.

[WRXtranceformed]

Get off my lawn!    Seriously, I’m mowing, get off my lawn.

OMG you have the dad shoes!!!  Haha love it 

[Steve85]

First weekend of skiing with the new ride in the books and all went well!

I picked up some cheaper rubber mats from Target and only had to trim the driver mat since it has a pretty deep cut-out for the gas pedal. Parking lots are typically gravel and a terrible wet mess so these were absolutely needed. I'll still want the WeatherTech floor liner that protects the carpet all around the footwell.

The box seems to be right-size for the task. Here it is with 4 pairs of skis, two pairs of boots, two helmets, and eight poles. My wife didn't ski and my boots/helmet have a dedicated bag but there was definitely room for them up top if needed. The rest of our clothes and supplies for the weekend fit just fine in the back of the car with room to spare. 





And putting my Tile Sport to good use on the rack and box keys. Especially since the guy I bought the box from was finally selling because he just found the keys after three years.



I think the best part is that the road leading to the resort has some great parts to it including a mini-corkscrew and quite a few esses that are fun again.

[ScottyB]

I think the best part is that the road leading to the resort has some great parts to it including a mini-corkscrew and quite a few esses that are fun again.

that really is one of the greatest bonuses of having a fun skimobile. resorts almost always have irresistible roads leading up to the summit.

[JustinG]

Buy spare keys from Yakima!

I have a key on both sets of car keys and 1 in each cars center console that doesn't leave the console unless absolutely necessary.

And if the bars are Yakima, get the lock on your box matched to the rails.

[Jake]

Buy spare keys from Yakima!

I have a key on both sets of car keys and 1 in each cars center console that doesn't leave the console unless absolutely necessary.

^ This. I keep one set of trailer keys permanently in the door pocket of the Range Rover. The other is permanently in my kitchen junk drawer, unless I'm going to the track, in which case they move to my overnight bag. Ensures I'm never without a set.

[Steve85]

Pretty sure roof bars are Thule (BMW branded). But yeah, will probably order a spare set or two. I have two sets for the bars and rack already, I'll put one set in the car, have a set at home and would like to have set at our winter home (AKA my parents house).

[*insertusernamehere*]

Mmm. I love these wagons so much. So sexy.

Sent from my FRD-L04 using Tapatalk

[Steve85]

Purchased at 45,266 now at 47,341.

The honeymoon is over...and I am still digging this thing. It really is fun to drive for something that is also  so versatile. The miles are a mix of a couple highway ski trips, acouple drives into Chantilly and Germantown and a lot of in town running around, to and from school and so on. Mileage has ranged from 21 to 25mpg, the roof box seems to have a 2-3mpg hit, I suspect the bars have an impact too. The min octane is 91 and there is a noticeable difference when running 87...ooops. We either get 87, 89 or 93 so I run 93. 

Steering wheel heater is so money. And so are the turning headlights. The roads where we ski are very bendy and it made a noticeable difference driving them at night. 

I am getting used to the 4 cylinder just inherently not as smooth as a v6. The sport brakes do squawk when it's very cold and that is pretty annoying. I've seen some mixed results from taking it in to the dealer for this. If we get another cold spell, I might make an appointment and see if I can get some pads out of it. I have C5 brakes on my C4 and they don't make noise and I'm pretty sure the C5 Z06 does a fine job of stopping without the ringing. I had some squeak when I had XP8s on it (maybe they were actually XP10 up front...) but I doubt the BMW factory pad is that aggressive. Could be though, the dust is pretty evident. Sonax knocks it right off though.

I was a bit torn on the M adaptive suspension because it's likely a nice set of coils and aftermarket sways are better and you get the lowering. But I'm happy to be able to ride comfortable and then as mood and situation warrant, switch over. It's not a huge difference between comfort and sport but noticeable, pretty sure they use damping to reduce some of the roll. I haven't messed with Sport+ much, mostly because it really wants to hold the engine way up in the revs. With Sport mode you can select whether it impacts chassis, engine or both, can't do that in Sport+.  Overall, from where I sit, they do a hell of a job maintaining as much of the BMW magic as they can while delivering everything people and the regulators want in their car. Steering could be heavier on center for a more confident feel for sure.

Up next, oil change. I'll take it to the place that did the inspection and might have them give it a good look to see if there is anything I should get done before 50k warranty. Also still toying with possible extended warranty through BMW.

[KettleKooked]

Love it, and please do the 335ix swap. It deserves the i6.