Here we are in February 2021, trying to get forget 2020 and hoping for things to change eventually by the end of the year as most of us are still locked down in our homes with the cars in the garage. 

I do not know about you, but I got eventually so bored and started to look at our shop’s F80 M3 sitting in the garage, desperately to find something challenging and entertaining to do.

With plenty of time on my hands, Shows like Bimmerfest, Fuel Fest, Euro2020, Elite Tuner and others cancelled or postponed, I figured it would be great idea to attempt to add a Roof Box. 

Now you will think, what’s the big deal? Buy a Rack, a Box and just put it on! Easier said than done as the F80’s have been equipped with a factory installed Carbon Fiber roofs. And unless, for some strange unexplainable reason you optioned for a Sunroof from factory removing the Carbon roof, there are no mounting points for the roof rack to be installed.  

Luckily a fellow BMW Enthusiast, Business partner of ours and very good friend of mine, Malte from CFD Dynamics in Germany, spent a lot of time researching this topic comparing standard F30/F32 with his F82 M4. Malte did an extensive write up on this topic and posted it on the forum, which I took as my guide.  As it turns out, the frame of the F80/F82/83 does support the mounting points, but they are covered underneath the overlayed Carbon roof. In a nutshell; “All it takes is to locate those points, drill them free in order access and remove the plugs BMW placed to cover them.” Once the plug is removed, access is given to add the actual mounting points. Install and seal the hardware and you’re good to go.

While the tools and actual work required are about a 5 out of 10 in terms of difficulty level for someone that does DIY’s regularly. The scare factor of drilling 4 circular four inch holes into your very expensive carbon fiber roof with very little indications of right positioning to go by, potentially turning your car into a watering can deserves a bump to an 8/10.

Arguably not a wise decision to add a Roof Box to a Performance Sedan if you’re chasing time, but it does come handy on short Road trips, on Car shows storing Cleaning supplies, Chairs and of course a cooler with your favorite snacks.

If you are in the market for a roof rack, bike rack or Ski box reach out to us as HKP Tuning is an authorized Thule Dealer. For inquiries, please send us an email to shop@hptuning.com 

Next time I will share my quest of adding a Roll Cage to the M3 and still be able to use the backseats on regular bases when needed. Until then I am Phil with HKP, our shop M3 is @stormtrooper_f80 and Wir fliegen tief!