I'm a little irritated by Gobi Rack and it's enough of an issue I thought I'd post it here so others don't fall in the same pit that I'm currently in. I ordered a roof rack for my current JK a month ago after checking out the installation instructions Gobi had posted on their page. Everything on the Gen 3 rack looked good, so I called Northridge and gave them my money to get in line for the long wait. Being the OCD person I am I started looking around at install videos on youtube as I had time. I came across one video that had a completely different rear bracket setup. It looked like it was engineered by a two year old! The instructions on Gobi's site showed a frame mount bracket that attached where the bumper did and the video showed one that was several parts that assembeled and bolted to the body with some drilling required to make them fit. I wasn't sure what was up with this so I contacted Gobi and a week or so later got a reply that the design had changed and it was "stronger than ever". I guess my rant is that they need to better represent the product they are selling! If I'd been aware of the change in the rear mount I would have been better informed in my decision. As it stands now, I'm a month into the wait list, no one is wiling to cancel my order even though it's still at least 60 business days out, and I'm set to receive a rack that I more than likely won't end up using. Buyer beware! If you want a Gobi rack, submit a question, wait a couple weeks for them to call and then make sure you are getting the product that is advertised!
I didn’t know what you were complaining about at first. Now I do.
See that frame bracket he installs at 2:22? The Gen 3 design Stealth has eliminated that. It’s not in the Gobi supplied instructions or the parts kit. I’m not sure how it could be “strong as ever”. I’m a bit peeved about it too. Clearly not what I expected.
As for drilling, I didn’t have to do any. I think the guys in the first YouTube misunderstood something.
Edit: now that I think about it, the way those frame brackets are designed in the 2012 video, it’s going to spread the bumper brackets wider to the point that you would need to elongate the holes in them in order to reattach the factory bumper cover. I still prefer this older design though.
What they’ve gone to mounts not only by the “pinch” mount but also ties into the floor of the body via an existing drain hole. What you say “looks like it was designed by a 2 year old” is not as elegant as the original design with the frame brackets. However, it’s obvious that somebody but a lot of thought into re-engineering this. Why exactly is still unclear to me but I’m fairly certain it wasn’t a cost out (if I had to guess I’d say somebody claimed patent infringement). If anything the frame bracket solution would have been cheaper. It’ll be fine for now but years down the road if you get any body rust this new mounting system will prove inferior.
Edit 2: Front light bar attaches differently too. I think this is the giveaway for whether or not you have a Gen 3.
I’m not sure how much traffic this site generates but it’s fairly well known. You’d think Gobi would be along to tell their side of the story. I remember a few years ago I posted a ****** about a Klim motorcycle gear experience on advrider.com. About 10 posts in...BOOM...there was Klim with their explanation. I always respected them for that and they kept my business.
