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AnOutsider

S532 # XS27
Moderator
Apr 3, 2009
11,958
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There are what look like four little doors around the pano roof assembly. I guess they probably pop open to let the mechanism that holds the roof rise through them...?
attachment.php?attachmentid=3335&d=1320645824.jpg

Looks like roof rack mounts
 
Great pics - Thanks Doug.

Those 4 little "doors" on the roof look like anchor points for a roof-rack.

P.S. Why are the people wearing winter coats? It was 24C yesterday. :wink:

I doubt they are roof rack attachment points, because as I recall Tesla has been saying the Pano roof is not compatible with roof racks.

And yes, the weather has been beautiful...
 
Tesla had originally said that the standard roof should accommodate a roof rack. We all took this to mean that the pano-roof wouldn't. An update from the Tesla forum:

...I visited the Santana Row store in Santa Clara, CA this weekend. They have an S Beta car on display (with the panoramic roof), and there were some funny hinged panels running the length of the roof near the edges where door glass meets the top of the car. I asked one of the reps, and he indicated that these flip up to reveal attachment points for a roof rack.
 
Interesting thing about the roof rack. I was at the Toronto event on both Saturday and Sunday, I even took a picture of an attachment point with the door open; I'll post it when I get home. Hans told me that the roof rack would only be compatible with the Pano roof and not the standard roof.

I was just going through the Model S Design Studio on the TM website and if the picture of the standard roof is indicative of production I can see how Hans' statement would be true. There aren't any running tracks to accommodate the bolt points.
 
Yes, they're roof rack attachment points. You'll find the same exact attachment points on Porsche vehicles including the Panamera. Of course I don't know if you can use the Porsche system with the Model S.

Panamera Roof Transport System

A luggage compartment capacity of 15.7 cubic feet (up to 44.6 cubic feet with rear seat folded)is plenty, you would have thought. You want more? No problem. An integrated roof rail system enables you to fit the optional Roof Transport System. It is then ready to hold any of the popular roof attachments available from Porsche Tequipment, e.g., ski holders or roof boxes. All load-carrying components are made of aluminum. Maximum roof load: 165 pounds.

Rear hatch opening may be partially reduced when carrying longer roof loads.

I think it's fantastic that they were able to engineer them into the frame whether the pano roof was there or not.
 
Hans told me that the roof rack would only be compatible with the Pano roof and not the standard roof.

How strange is that? We originally get word from Tesla that roof racks will only work if you don't get the pano roof and now they're saying they work only if you *get* the pano roof. Seems to me it would be just as easy to engineer the rails so they were the same regardless of the roof type preferred.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
 
How strange is that? We originally get word from Tesla that roof racks will only work if you don't get the pano roof and now they're saying they work only if you *get* the pano roof. Seems to me it would be just as easy to engineer the rails so they were the same regardless of the roof type preferred.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I could be confusing this with the Sat radio option, but I seem to recall them saying from the beginning that only the pano roof supports racks; it was significant because I wasn't planning to get the pano, and took note. They fixed the Sat issue, but this seems like more of a structural deal.
 
How strange is that? We originally get word from Tesla that roof racks will only work if you don't get the pano roof and now they're saying they work only if you *get* the pano roof. Seems to me it would be just as easy to engineer the rails so they were the same regardless of the roof type preferred.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Reviewed this with Tesla NYC 25th Street Friday - their Beta has Pano roof and the attach poaints, exactly as pictured on red car in a post above. The little doors open and the attachpoints are underneath, as pictured. They are apparently Mercedes mounts and can use the Mercedes rack(s) - this is per the Specialist onsite. Sadly, I failed to note whether they were on the White Plains Beta, which has NO pano roof...