Funny you bring this back up, I just got a rear hatch rack yesterday. It is a Yakima KingJoe 2. It fits OK. The biggest issue I see is that the top straps rest on the rear valence (I think this is a S-line only piece?) just a little bit. I don't think it will be enough pressure to cause anything to come off. But I haven't had a chance to load my bike on to it yet.

Other than the top strap, it is really adjustable and the hooks are a tight fit. But they do fit. It was 20% off at REI and was about $120 out the door. Here it is at Yakimas site: http://www.yakima.com/racks/bike-rac...kingjoe-2.aspx

I am not sure if there is another type of rack where the straps wouldn't rest on the valence since the other Thule ones I looked at were pretty much the same design.

 

I'm using Thule speedway2 rack that I bought for my last car (mazda3). It works great except the first time I put it on I noticed the belts/hooks would touch the paint. To avoid swirl marks or possible scratches, I bought a roll of cabinet liners and used that to wrap around the hooks/belts. Spending $2 on the liner is much cheaper than getting a roof mount kit + rails.
I do notice the hooks that hook on the top fo the hatch is a tight fit so I try to keep my rack off the car whenever I can just in case.

 

That was one reason I went with the Yakima over the Speedway. The hooks on the Yakima seemed slightly thinner and bent at one angle instead of multiple bends. The Yakima also came with rubber pieces covering all the metal clips and fasteners where the Thule demo unit didn't have them... though maybe they were just missing...

 

I tried to find info on this forum when I was looking to get a rack for my A3. Unfortunately not much info was available. I did not want a roof rack as my complex has underground parking, making an "incident" inevitable. I've never liked racks that strap on such as the rear hatch rack eger purchased, because they do not hold bikes securely enough for my liking - too many stories of bikes falling off on the freeway! In another post someone provided a link to hitch-web.com, who have a class I hitch that fits the A3.

I looked into it and it seemed to be the best option for me. The one drawback was having to cut out a 2x2"piece of bumper fascia during installation. It seemed like a small penalty so I went ahead with it. I got the hitch from hitch-web for $170 all-in. I would highly recommend them - very helpful, and they had the model I needed in stock. I had it installed by my local mechanic for $200. For a rack I got the Thule T2. It fits fairly well on the car andis easy to put on / take off if you choose not to leave it on. The only issue with fit is that when folded up it is close to the bumper and gate so I had to trim the front wheel trays a bit. Overall I'm very happy with it. Something further to mention is despite the fact the A3 does not have great ground clearance I have had no problems with the T2 dragging or scraping anywhere, and the ramp out of my parkade is steep at 20% grade.

So at a total cost of $650-700 it is a bit pricy but it works well, is very convenient, and looks good on the car. Check out pics. If anyone has questions feel free to ask.

Hare links to photobucket images:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...r/IMG_0341.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...r/IMG_0342.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...r/IMG_0344.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk51/edogger/IMG_0349.jpg

 

evdog, those photos were awesome! thanks for sharing. definitly going to go this route once i get back into biking.

From the photo I can't tell what 2x2 you had to cut, can you explain? ( I guess its good i can't see , eh?)

also, what wheel tray did you cut? On the lower/inner bike holder for when folded up?

thanks again

 

Like Eger, I went with the King Joe 2 which fits nicely on the back hatch. It's seamless in it's fit (however I don't have the s-line rear spoiler, so the clamps sit nicely on that valence). All the parts that come into contact with the car are rubber coated or foam - so there is no rub issues with the paint. It's not as ideal as a roof rack mount, but I didn't want to lose the look of the smooth top. My two cents.

 

hey joelsindc,

I'm glad the pics were helpful. Sorry I don't have one of the piece that was cut out. But you're right - the fact you can't see it is a good indication that it is not a big deal! Take a look at the installation instructions on hitch-web's site. The hitch is mounted on the frame rails directly behind the bumper. The part that drops straight down to the receiver ends up where the edge of the bumper is. So the 2x2 piece is not a hole in the bumper, its basically a notch cut out from the underside of the bumper, nearest its front edge.

As for the trays I found that both need to be trimmed. The lower/inner one required more because it would hit the bumper, approx. 2.5-3 inches off the top for it to clear the bumper. That amount of trim should not impede the ability of the rack to hold the front tire, but I chose to leave that tray in the trunk til needed rather than cut it up as I drive with one bike most of the time. The outer/upperone folds close enoughto the tailgate I chose to trim 1/2" off it as well. There is always some vertical play in a hitch so it is possible the rack could rotate up and into the tailgate if you hit a big bump at speed, and trimming the top tray ensures it will not contact the car.

good luck

 

I added pics of the cut as a few people asked. See them in this thread: https://www.audiforums.com/m_453270/.../tm.htm#910056