Anyone here used one of those bike racks that straps onto the back of the trunk? Just wondering if there is a particular brand or style that would work best with my 2010 G37 sedan. Definitely don't want to get something that will scratch my car up.

I have seen the cool hitch adapters posted here, but unfortunately don't have that kind of money right now (just spent a lot of money on a bike). I can't fold the back seats down either because I have 2 car seats installed. Just looking for my cheapest option to transport 1 or 2 bikes around town ( no long trips).

Anyways... I was looking at this one. Thoughts?

Amazon.com: Allen Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack: Sports & Outdoors

 

Here we go again. You will probably get flamed for even wanting to do this but there are threads on this if you search. It would save you from getting flamed for 2 reasons.

1) for not searching
2) for putting a bike rack on your G

Good luck!

 

Umm.. Ok. Flame me if you want, but I did search. "trunk bike rack" returns the hitch install thread and a bunch of unrelated posts about trunk problems. If there is a thread about the trunk mounts, please point me in the right direction.

 

Max,
Unfortunately, IMO, all of the trunk mount style will scratch your car. I had a higher end trunk mount bike carrier years ago. It had pads on all the contact points...and straps...and buckles.... The dirt gets in between the pads and the car, can't be avoided, and with the movement of the car it abrades the paint surface. I also didn't like hooking the straps on the sheet metal......and if the straps touch a surface more scratches. Plus, you can't get into the trunk.

I am a biker and my G is my daily driver so I have to have a way to carry my bikes. It is your car so ignore the pleas not to put a mount on your car......silly. Just know upfront what you are getting into.

Just my $0.02,
RJ

P.S. I did the trailer hitch and bike carrier. My BMW had a roof top and it stayed on for biking...then skiing...apparently the BMW guys didn't mind!!

 

I would imagine that the dirt that gets in between the pads is from leaving it on there. In my expierence years ago, the kind of bike rack that the op is talking about is made to be taken off and put on each time they want to use it with ease.

I do not know if they even make one for the coupe or sedan. Idk of the trunk area is big enough to secure it properly.

 

Actually leaving it on is better than putting it on and taking it off each time you use it. It needs to be put on when the car is clean or dirt will get under the pads.
A roof rack seems to work better in my opinion...it can also carry snowboards, kayaks, etc....and believe it or not, the roof rack looks better.

 

Just note I wasn't flaming. We buy our cars for our own needs, so what someone else thinks doesn't matter. But yes there are threads on this, and even in the hitch mount threads trunk mounts come up. Most people avoid them as they will scratch the paint if you are not very careful with them. I personally would go with a hitch mount if I was going to do a mount, there is a lot more you can do with a hitch once it's installed.


Oh and I agree with above although I don't like the look on a car.

 

Thanks. I definitely prefer the hitch mount and plan to do that at some point. I just spend over $1k on a bike, so I should probably make due with the trunk mount for a while. I will only be using it once a week or so and only for 5-10 miles to get my bike to the local greenways and trails. I'll just be extra careful and hopefully won't scratch the car up too bad.

Maybe I could put some of that clear vinyl protector film (the kind they use to protect door edges sometimes) to protect the trunk and bumper edges where the clips attach. Anyone know a good place to get something like that?

 

OP, FYI. I was looking into the "Trunk Bike Rack" setup for my G sedan but decided against it.
I had place a order at my LBS for a Thule Trunk Mount Rack and got home and downloaded the PDF intstructions manual that would have came in the box, and one of the "fit tips" for the G sedan was "may cause bumper sag and diformity". So I cancelled my order! Hope this helps