I am in the market for a ski rack for my car. I would prefer the magnetic kind over getting the whole rack. What stores carry them? About how much do they cost and is it better to get one in France or Germany? Thanks.

What about coffins (e.g. "Thule"). Is one better off buying them in a normal country?

I don't know what you mean by "normal." I owned a thule 1600 over in the States ($400) and bought a used mercedes roof box that is the best one I have ever seen. I think it cost 2000chf or more when new but I got it for less than 300chf off of Ricardo. I had to drive to Zurich from Vaud to get it but we love it and have dumped our Thule as it is nowhere near as sturdy or easy to open and use.

Good luck to the OP.

Buying a roof rack is as easy, but time consuming thing to do. Getting it installed is another challenge. Merely visit Thule's website, or any other large manufacturer and use their "Fit Guide" to find available options for your specific vehicle.

***Also, look into your vehicle's Owners Manual and read about roof load capacity***

Once you add weight and height to the roof you are susceptible to decreased fuel efficiency, higher chance of roll-over (especially if unsafely overloaded), and decreased braking efficiency. Also, makes parking a challenge for tall cars, vans and SUVs. Know with my car, if one of my boxes is on, I am not getting in most parking garages!

In regards to manufacturers and racks. Buying used racks is the most affordable...but you don't (in most cases) know how the previous owner treated it. Yes, to many people, it is merely a rack, but that mere rack is carrying a lot of equipment that can be the cause of other peoples deaths if improperly installed, and just happens to come crashing down on a roadway. Used racks have no Warranty! You will have all liability. Don't be cheap! Be safe!

Looked into each manufacturers warranty policies, repair centers near you, and then decide. I went with Thule because they have lifetime warranties, many authorized repair centers, and great customer service. Good luck in your search, and email with any questions.

Below is basic information about aftermarket base racks.

Racks 101:

All "Base" racks require crossbars (2) and mounts (4), two mounts per bar..one on either side. Depending on your car you can buy a base rack in these options: clip-style: mounts into doors and/or frame, depending on car, and sometimes requiring an extension kit for two-doors cars (clips are vehicle specific and RARELY interchangeable); raised rail, requires elevated bars running front to back that you can grasp and reach your hand around); Landing Pad (direct mount), must have existing mounting points on roof (many BMW's, Mazda's, Honda CRV's, and others vehicles have slots in roof to mount...great option.); track: very strong and adjustable option, or magnetic racks.

Pros/cons:

Clip-system:
Pros: Cheapest of options, easily able to transfer between other autos, (**with purchase of vehicle-specific fit kit), able to be removed.

Cons: Difficult to install properly!!! Again, difficult to install properly! Clips are VEHICLE SPECIFIC. (Example: Can't use clips from Honda Civic to use on VW Golf!) Least sturdy! Cargo-boxes (aka coffin, roof box, dachboxen), surfboards, or other high-drag items, can cause rack to become dislodged while driving. Common cause is improper installation, or improper fit by manufacturer. With wet weather, sometimes water seeps into car. Easily able to be stolen (except on Audi's and VW's that come with small slots in door-jams to fit rack. Damages exterior of your car: base of mounts deteriorate if left in the sun and outside, causing visible signs of use on car's paint. Can cause dents if rack shifts from wet conditions, being over-loaded, or again, not improperly installed.

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Pros/cons: Raised-rail:
Pro: Easy to mount. Sturdy. Difficult to steal (if using locks. Highly recommend locks). Easily able to be readjusted. Ex: Cross bars set to around 36" for carrying long loads (surfboards, cargo box, kayaks, hang-glider..etc), to 28" for carrying bikes, roof basket, or other shorter loads. Able to be interchanged between narrower and wider vehicles with different crossbars. ***I have used this option for years. Using different manufacturers! Works great. Love it. Own a Thule system and Prorack Whispbar system.***

Cons: Only able to be mounted to car with raised rails. Various other manufacturer design flaws and things to be careful of during installation. Email with questions if you have them.

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Landing Pad Pros/cons
Pros: (Direct mount): Sleek look, sturdy, easily able to be removed. Difficult to steal, (when locked)

Cons: Unable to be adjusted. Fixed mounting points limit adjustability , but that is not an issue. If your car has direct mounting points, use them! Great system! Landing pads are vehicle specific. Won't be able to interchange the landing pads between other vehicles.

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Track (aka: channel in roof) Pros/Cons:
Pros: Sturdy, easily adjustable, easily able to be removed (by owner), not likely to be stolen (when locked). Probably the strongest, most adjustable, most sturdy option!

Cons: Mounts required only work with tracks or vehicles with landing pads, (direct mount option). If improperly installed, can damage track, causing high $$ repair costs. ***Note: People think it is the strongest and put too much weight on their car's roof. DONT DO THAT. Just because it is strong, sturdy, and unlikely to fail, don't be inconsiderate and overload it.

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Magnetic pros/cons:
Pros: Easy to install, simple solution, requires no cross bars and mounts, easily interchangeable between vehicles.

Cons:
Many magnetic racks have speed-limits, only allowing drivers to SAFELY drive between 55-65MPH (~90-105 kph). Theft! Some come with anti-theft strap, but even that can easily be cut. Your money, your decision.

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Conclusion: Each roof rack needs to be specific to each owner. Different people have different needs and wants. I bough a box because I didn't want mud and crud, bags, and gear stuffed in my car, but mainly because I wanted to maintain my visibility out of my rear window, so I can drive safely and keep my family safe. (...and because wife packs too much...what can you do?)

Magnetic also scratches your paint (plus they totally suck). Better to get a Thule or Yakima that way you can convert it depending on season/sport.

I bought a Magnet from "Radikal" liquidation store for CHF 30. and I am totally happy with it.
It has not scratched my car, but there was a warning, it could happen, if you drive over 130 km/h, but since we are only allowed to go 120 km/h here, its no Issue anyway.

Doc.

Got a great magnetic one from Migros Do It +. 66 francs on sale and works great. Thanks for the comments.

Hope it works out for you. Seem to be popular here in Europe.

One comment about the scratching. Do yourself a favour and give the areas where you will put the magnets a bit of a rinse and and wipe with an old cloth. You will get rid of the dirt that is on the roof of the car and lessen the chance of scratching.

The other security measure is that you need to put the little strap with the plastic blocker on the end inside the car. The part with the safety strap should be at the front of the car (so the plastic pieces are grabbed by the driver and passenger doors). If the front magnet starts to lift off the skis will have less of a chance to fly off the car before you can slow down.