Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In a few words: A great value for the money. I own an Isuzu VehiCROSS, and I wanted a roof basket that wouldn't look out of place on it. Most baskets are too boxy or angular; I wanted something with some curve to it. I also wanted good quality. The Curt 18115 roof basket fit all of those needs. While inexpensive and light weight, once put together it is very solid. After I installed it, I could grab it and rock the whole car and it didn't budge an inch. I feel that it could easily carry whatever you put on it for your adventures. Assembly was very easy, a few screws torqued down with a small allen wrench (which Curt helpfully supplies) was all that was needed, and it was ready to go on the roof. It was easy to install by myself, but some people may want to have a helper around (especially if you have a lifted vehicle). Once in place, it was just a matter of locating the plastic supports and u-bolts in the right spots, centering it up, and torquing down the supplied knobs. At that point, it was done. The hardest part was getting the thing centered! Are there any negatives? A few. All of them are minor, and can be easily and cheaply fixed with a little effort. First, when installing the front wind fairing, take care with the plastic brackets that hold it on to the basket. I put my basket together on a cold day, and when I was tightening up the screws for the brackets, the bracket cracked. Fortunately, Curt Mfg. sent me replacement parts when I emailed them, but if you have the option, put it together on a warm day, or put the brackets into some hot water for 5-10 minutes to make them a bit more flexible. I did that with the replacement, and it worked great. The u-bolts have a fine-pitched thread; tightening the knobs down to get the basket solid on the bars took a great deal of time and effort. After the bolts were snugged down, you may also be left with an inch or more of the bolt ends remaining, which can snag on things you put inside the basket. If this is the case for you, keep reading! Lastly: Rust. Since the rack is steel, and uses steel bolts and nuts, water can get into the seams of the tubes that slide together and quickly forms rust. Mine rusted fairly quickly after a heavy rain; a bit of water got inside the tubes, and led to rust, because the inside of the tubes aren't powder coated. So in lieu of these issues, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is also why I gave the product fewer than 5 stars. Fortunately, in the Amazon reviews for the Curt 18117 extension, another user gives a good set of tips on what parts to buy and how to prep things, which I'll reproduce here. These notes are slightly different. You don't have to follow them exactly (with the exception of the nut and bolt sizes); if you want to mod things another way, go for it! 1. First, off any existing rust with a rag or other means, before it becomes a real problem. After cleaning, use some grease or spray oil/penetrant. Apply it to the problem surfaces of the tubes, such as where the tubes slide together, and on the insides of the tubes. I sprayed a generous amount of Liquid Wrench silicone spray inside mine. 2. Fit the tubes together, then use a dollop of black silicone sealant at each joint; smear it around and work it into the seam. Then put another dab on each screw hole on the top and bottom tubes. 3. Replace all fasteners with stainless steel screws and nuts: 15 pcs - M6-1.0 Stainless Steel Nylock Nut - Fastenal #1L2550000A40000 ($0.43 ea) 8 pcs - M6-1.0 Stainless Steel Acorn Nut - Fastenal #11508471 ($0.27 ea) 5 pcs - M6-1.0 x 16mm Stainless Steel SHCS - Fastenal #MS2550016A40000 ($0.48 ea) 3 pcs - M6-1.0 x 40mm Stainless Steel SHCS - Fastenal #MS2550040A40000 ($0.84 ea) 3 pcs - M6-1.0 x 25mm Stainless Steel SHCS - Fastenal #MS2550025A40000 ($0.64 ea) As you can see, these parts will only cost a few extra dollars. They are worth the peace of mind. Note that you will need a different size allen wrench, as the one supplied by Curt will be too small for these screws. 4. Once you have the screws in place, take a break and let it dry for 24 hours. 5. Once the sealant has cured, use more sealant on any other spots which may collect water and rust; you basically want to seal up every hole you can on the rack using the sealant. Let the sealant dry for another 24 hours. 6. After this last round of sealant, you may then want to give the rack another protective coat; use whatever you think is best for your application and aesthetic desires. For myself, I am planning on using black PlastiDip. I purchased 3 cans of the stuff, plus a spray handle. I should be able to apply 2 or 3 coats. After you have the rack completed, you can mount it on your vehicle. I also intend to put pieces of rubber hose over the u-bolts, to give the roof bars a bit of additional protection. Also, I am going to replace the knobs with additional nylock nuts. If you do this, use an extended length 10mm socket to drive the nuts on. The extra length of the socket will allow for the extra bit of the u-bolt to pass (if that is an issue for you like it was for me). Afterwards, you can take a rotary tool and cut off the end of the bolt, leaving about 1/4 to 5/16 of an inch exposed. Then put one of the M6 acorn nuts over the end (you can add a touch of low or medium-strength thread-locker compound to the bolt as well). That should complete the install, and there shouldn't be any further issues with rust. Note that if you intend to add the basket extension (Curt #18117), you will need four additional 16mm screws. I really suggest getting the extension if you have the room for it. You will need about 30 inches between your roof rails for it, otherwise it won't be very stable on your roof. Hopefully my pictures illustrate what I discussed above. I intend to update this review as I complete the project.