Thule 695 & 696 Expeditions Now Available

[vt_maverick]

I'm creating a new thread to make sure as many folks see this as possible as quickly as possible so they can snap these up. The original thread is here:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=17253

Here's some key points from that thread to save you some reading time:

1. Thule has discontinued both the 695 and 696 cargo racks and they are no longer available from 3rd party retailers (online or otherwise)

2. Audi roof racks with the part #4L0-071-130-666 are really rebadged Thule 696's (or 821's in the UK).

3. These Audi racks have been discontinued and are no longer available in the United States (I personally called an Audi parts warehouse and had them run an inventory search against all dealerships nationwide with no luck). A few racks are/were available on eBay in the UK but either do not ship to the States or will be subject to import taxes if they do.

4. If you have oversize tires in excess of ~31" OD, you need the 696 to carry a full size spare. Otherwise the 695 should work.

I personally came to the conclusion that the "ship had sailed" on these racks last week, and actually just typed "cargo basket" into images.google.com to see if there was anything else cool out there. Well low and behold, I came across a picture of the 696 rack on a HYUNDAI dealership website. Pay dirt. Turns out Hyundai also rebadges Thule 695 and 696 racks and sells them to fit their 2006-2009 Tucson and Santa Fe. And unlike Audi, there are still some left. So here's your (only) two sources:

Hyundai Online Accessories Store
1510 Auto Mall Loop, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
866-864-5555
http://phillonghyundai.oemdealer.com...1884_24571.php
Listed as "2006-2009 Hyundai Santa Fe Cargo Basket"
Price: $195 for 696 model ($88 shipping to VA)
Available Stock: EXACTLY 2 LEFT

Puyallup Hyundai
111 River Rd
Puyallup, WA 98371
253-845-6600
Ask to speak to Hyundai Parts Department, then ask for Jerry Heilman
Listed as "2007 Tucson Cargo Basket"
$90 for 695, $120 for 696 ($125 shipping to VA)
Available Stock: 5 696's, 4 695's

I ordered my 696 from Jerry yesterday and he put it out the same day and sent me the tracking number. If you call, tell him you're a friend of Ashley, the guy that turned him on to the cheap aluminum racks.

Have fun!

[Mile High VX]

I took one of the 2 in CO.

Ashley you ROCK!

[ZubrAZ]

I ordered the roof rack from the web site that appears to be a "daughter" site of the dealership in WA. here is the link: https://www.1sthyundaiparts.com/prod...a87f8d657457ea

however, the 120 shipping price was for next day air, and i chose 16.95 ground shipping.

I dont think I will end up with the rack, and, in my opinion, Jerry figured the hype around this item, and trying to make up some money using outrageous shipping quotes. However, It is just an assumption, and I'll take my words back and apologize to him personally if im wrong

[Mile High VX]

I called Jerry in WA to see if his price and shipping would be less than the higher price in CO.

What he told me was that when he put in the weight of the item he came up with a low shipping cost, but once he entered in the size of the box it jacked the rate up because of the size...

[RabidPony]

Just ordered one from the WA dealership. My gf is gonna kill me bit I don't care.

[vt_maverick]

I ordered the roof rack from the web site that appears to be a "daughter" site of the dealership in WA. here is the link: https://www.1sthyundaiparts.com/prod...a87f8d657457ea

however, the 120 shipping price was for next day air, and i chose 16.95 ground shipping.

I dont think I will end up with the rack, and, in my opinion, Jerry figured the hype around this item, and trying to make up some money using outrageous shipping quotes. However, It is just an assumption, and I'll take my words back and apologize to him personally if im wrong

The website is bogus which is why I didn't post it. The reason I had all the detail on Jerry was because I noticed that they only had one cargo rack listed, and it didn't say which one it was. I looked at the website's contact info link and their phone number is listed as 800.XXX.XXXX, so I used their address in maps.google.com to identify their dealership affiliation, then called the number in the directory. The receptionist forwarded me to Jerry, and he said he didn't have a clue which model the website was referring to. He actually had to order both sizes from their warehouse and physically measure the racks when they came in on Wednesday to identify them. He priced out shipping via ground (5 days to VA) and came up with the $120 price quote. I paid a similar figure for shipping the Kilby skidplates from AZ, so I think he's probably not gouging. I'm sure the next day air option would be MUCH more expensive.

I bet when your website order gets to the parts department they're going to call to tell you the real shipping will be more.

[ZubrAZ]

I bet when your website order gets to the parts department they're going to call to tell you the real shipping will be more.

That what I'm thinking is going to happen. At the same time, I havent used any ground shipping in a long time so I dont know even ballpark ideas on shipping charges, but if you are saying it sounds right, I'll hold off from the purchase. I could spend $100, but not two

[Dumke]

1 left on the 696 in WA.. Thank Ashley for the leg work . He said he is going to get or try and get some more.