Are Q5 roof racks base bars useable on an A4 B8 Avant?

[Exotek]

The 2010+ A4 Avants and the Q5 both appear to have the same flush roof rails. I can readily get Q5 base bars on EBay but not A4 Avant base bars. The Q5 bars are P/N 8R0071151D , the B8 Avant bars are P/N 8K9071151B. Does anyone know if the former Q5 bars can be made to fit on the B8 A4 Avant? I know that for the forward bar (drivers side) I would have to grind off one of the pins since the Q5 has three holes for that one location. I am prepared to cut and drill the bars.

Thank You,

Tony

[AofC_RR]

I do not believe they will even with grinding off the extra nub.

[Exotek]

Bummer... I measured a Q5 roof rail today and indeed the spacing of the drivers side forward receptacle holes is entirely different. I would have to cut of two nubs and compromise holding power or else weld on a new nub.

Anyone have used A4 Avant base rails for sale?

[ultra]

I know the sedan and Q5 bars are the same but not sure on how the avant roof rails come into play though

[audi_nightrider]

Def. a Bummer...

We have both b8 avant and Q5....Q5 is definitely wider and thought of cutting them to make em' fit.

Q5 roof rack is so much cheaper than the b8 avant's.

Well thanks for answering my question! Sucks!

[Socks]

Hi, just joined the site as I wanted to add to this...

I have a A4 Avant B8 and I recently gambled and bought some Q5 bars off eBay because they are so plentiful & cheap. Can't get hold of 2nd hand A4 Avant bars for sensible money. The Q5 bars fit (to a fashion) they are too wide. You have to remove the feet, centre & re-drill the aluminium bars (the back ones can re-use the inside holes). The other slight problem is that the front left foot has 3 dowel pins to match the holes on the Q5 rails. (To avoid them being fitted incorrectly) The outside dim is 45mm as opposed to the others at 40mm. I just filed the back 2 off (the front one is the correct one to leave as it is parallel with the opposite pair). You could argue you are reducing the fixing strength, but when tight I'm really happy the bar isn't going anywhere. If you were a little more tech minded you could drill and spot weld another dowel at a 40mm centre. Or buy a second set of bars and put on another 2 dowel foot. (You would have to consider changing the security nut to match). Also, if you were being ultra fussy the back bar looks like it's leaning back a bit but you could shim it with a washer to tip it forward.

Hope this helps someone.

[ducati]

I personally would just buy one that fits rather trying to save a bit of money on one that needs to be altered.

[Socks]

Fair enough, but an unused set of Q5 bars go for £15-£25. Thule sets new are £200. A4 OEM used bars are going for £80-£120

[2slow2race]

I had this bookmarked for a while. Haven't tried it, but at those prices would give it a shot.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...A4-Avant-Sorta

I ended up just getting new towers for my Yakima round bars (Yakima Railgrab #00138). I had to contact Yakima and they sent me the Pin Adapter kit.

[kimodo]

I have the Yakima and Thule setup.. however, I am always removing them. The Yakima Rail Grabber with the pins are pretty decent, but does not allow the sunroof to open fully. The Thule was fine, but I have the older square bars, somewhat noisy. I did not want to buy a new set of Thule Aero bars. I was constantly taking the racks off the car when not in use due to the noise. The factory bars are really easy to put on and remove and figured if I could score Q5 racks on the cheap.. I would mod a pair. If you score a pair, make sure to get the "key" as they are keyed and not universal.

The bars can be unscrewed from the feet. New holes will need to be drilled on the top as well as bottom of the bars. On the bottom side of the bars there are 2 holes to mount to the feet, I drilled/grinded a 3rd hole, ~2.5 inches from the inside hole.
On the top side of the bar I had to drill/grind new holes to insert the bolt to mount to the feets. On one of the feet, there's a 3rd nub that attaches to the holes in base racks, I grounded that 3rd nub off.. and it fits. The pop off plastic cover over the feet on the front bars.. do not sit completely flush in the close position. I dremel the plastic male piece to shorten it a bit and now it sits flush. Time consuming about 3-4 hrs. But I got it on Craigslist for $30. definitely worth the time.

I had this bookmarked for a while. Haven't tried it, but at those prices would give it a shot.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...A4-Avant-Sorta

I ended up just getting new towers for my Yakima round bars (Yakima Railgrab #00138). I had to contact Yakima and they sent me the Pin Adapter kit.