x5 roof rack in car wash?

[m5james]

That link doesn't show the plugs needed from Lowe's/Home Depot. There are other posts out there.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by m5james

That link doesn't show the plugs needed from Lowe's/Home Depot. There are other posts out there.

Yes there are, and several of them are linked from the link I provided. Even links to a few shots of the plugs, and the size details for the plugs.

[realchef]

Do yourself and paint a favor, keep to the brushless car washes. Steer clear of the brush at the hand wash too.

[BLOWN HOWARD]

So does anybody have a close up of the plugs installed to see how it looks? and what is the size or the screw holding the racks on. Maybe a torx bit??

[JCL]

Originally Posted by BLOWN HOWARD

So does anybody have a close up of the plugs installed to see how it looks? and what is the size or the screw holding the racks on. Maybe a torx bit??

Photo below. Linked from my post #10 above, guess you didn't get a chance to read it. One poster said his were T40, two others said T30.

Close up photo of plugs

[m5james]

When I did mine, I just removed the racks first before I went shopping for the plugs. My X is white, so waxing around the area of the holes was required to get rid of the built up dirt around the area. After that, I measured the holes and drove to Lowe's and just went through there bulk bins and drawers. The plugs we're about the size of dimes and nickels, but the only correct sized ones I could find were in black.

I used a gloss white rattle can paint from anywhere, then finished off w/ wheel clear coat that I got from Schucks. About 3 coats of each w/ roughly 15 to 20 minutes between each coat in the sunlight...so who ever is reading this, be cautious of temps so your not spraying coat after coat of wet paint.

After that I put a small bead of white silicone around the base of the plug, popped them in the holes, then smearing around the holes so the gaps were completely gone. Leave some excess on there because the silicone won't stick to the paint. After it dries completely, you can rub the excess off w/ your fingers and it'll leave the perfect seam. If someone has something other than white, obviously you'd have to use clear silicone. Just make sure it's a nice bead, you don't want problems after years water seaping into a little pinhole.