Mario Ciliotta Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 Hi all, I purchased a 2014 Edge Limited with a Vista sunroof and I wanted to get the side rails installed and the dealer said they would not install that option. I was told that if I purchased the side rails myself and brought the car in for service my warrantee on the sunroof would be voided. Is this true? If it is not true is it possible to purchase the side rails and install them myself? Is it a lot work to install them and does anyone know of a tutorial on how to do it. Thanks, Mario 2014 Edge Limited 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwolson Posted May 6, 2014 Report Share Posted May 6, 2014 I transport kayaks on my Edge with a Vista roof. See my photo. Thule setup! I never heard about voiding warantee, but they may question you if you break the roof when dropping a crsossbar on the glass. The dealer maybe talking about the Ford rail system used by the non-Vista Edge; who knows. I know both Thule and Yakima sell roof rack kits requiring drilled holes in the roof plus an insert to hold the roof rail screws. I never went down the path because the hole's a recipe for disaster in my opinion. I think someone on the forum installed the setup and seemed pleased. Note, part of the Vista roof's a glass or plastic cover over metal and not part of the Vista system. I thought of buying the next gen Edge when available, but instead maybe moving to Audi. I want a real roof rack with a glass roof versus Ford's system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimp Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Your answer is given in the discussion under this title: "Installed Factory/Thule roof rack on a vista BAMR" I believe that it will tell you that the factory side rails work fine. The factory cross bars don't work as they will make contact with the glass when it is being opened. You will need to use aftermarket cross bars that rise above the cross bars. The factory cross bars are kind of useless anyway. If you look through these discussions you will find another one where a member described the mess he had when an object hit his cross bar and deflected into the Vista roof, breaking it into many small pieces. That's something to consider as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReactiveD Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I have a 2012 with only 14k miles. Would like to have a slick top, we won't ever use the rails. I live in central Florida and would like to swap with someone Roof Rails and trim for their trim without roof rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becker135 Posted November 19, 2014 Report Share Posted November 19, 2014 ReactiveD, I left you a reply on the other thread, and will trade you the strips for the rails. Let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jt86m Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I'm not sure if I'm in the right thread, I stumbled on the forum doing a Google search. I purchased a 2013 Edge Limited a couple of weeks ago that has a Vista roof. I love my Edge but wanted to dress it up with the side roof rails. The rails will never be used, I just want them for looks only. 1) Can they still be installed with the Vista roof? 2) If so are they easy to install myself or should be done professionally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autom8r Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 (edited) Jt86m The rails can be installed on the vista roof. If you are comfortable using basic tools, you can install them. Here is the procedure in a nutshell. Get a step stool. Remove the trim with a plastic trim removal tool or cover the blade of your screw driver with some masking tape. You'll be surprised how easy the strip pops off. It's made out of aluminum and has resale value, so be careful not to bend it up. It's also good to have around in case you want to go back. The new trim uses the same clips that your existing trim is attached to. There are three clips across each side, leave the center one in place. Remove the outside (front and rear) clips, this is where the feet of your new rails will land. The Ford rails come with new clips and screws. The holes in the "feet" that attach rails to the car seemed too large for the given screw, so I put a thick washer there to keep the screw from biting into and passing through the foot (the feet are made of plastic). The screws have some goop on them to make them watertight, but there seems to be enough goop in the holes already. You'll need to press a little on the new screws to get them started into their holes. After the feet are installed, the trim snaps into place and then the covers snap over the feet to conceal the screws. Total time, about 20 minutes per side, working really slow. The rails are not that rigid without the crossbars and while the Ford crossbars fit as mentioned on this forum, they prevent the roof from opening. The Thule crossbars fit and after I put the Thule cross bars on, the platform became very rigid and stable. IMO, the Thule crossbars took longer to install than the rails did. It is a little nerve racking to tie things down over the vista roof. Resist the temptation to use a cargo bag placed directly on the glass roof without the benefit of a basket or crossbars. I brought a ladder with me the other day and used some ratcheting ties downs to secure it, the thought of dropping one of the hooks on the glass and breaking it is scary. I'm now looking for velcro straps to use as tie downs to ease my concerns. This thread was also very helpful. http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/8592-oem-roof-rack-install/ Good luck! Edited June 8, 2015 by autom8r 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Su Posted February 15, 2016 Report Share Posted February 15, 2016 autom8r, would you mind posting pictures of your roof rail / rack? Does the factory roof rail come with sufficient details for a novice to attempt the installation? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autom8r Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Kevin: Here you go. Roof retracted underneath the cross bars with ample space beneath. Side rails are easy to install using simple hand tools. I advise the you get some plastic pry tools to pry up the existing covers. Be careful not to over-tighten the bolts on the side rail brackets, insert until level with the car body. Installation of the cross bars will stiffen up the entire assembly. Sorry that my glass is so dirty. They say it's going to rain in SoCal on Thursday so I'm not washing the car before then. Good luck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msing26 Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 I just got a kayak and was wondering how I was going to get it to water with my 2013 Edge Limited with vista roof. I installed "factory" roof rails myself on my previous Edge (2011 w/o the vista roof) and it was really very easy, and I figured it should be fine on the 2013. There are obviously no clearance issues with the rails, and I was planning on using cross bars that sit above the rails like autom8r. Looks like there shouldn't be a problem. I also plan on removing the cross bars when not hauling to avoid potential rock ricochet issues. Has anyone had any warranty issues with the vista roof and added rack since this post started? Thanks! And thanks for all the great info and photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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