# Saris Bones 3 on a 2012 Hyundai Accent



## JHoffman1 (May 28, 2013)

A couple of days ago, i purchased my first proper mountain bike for myself. (you can read more on that in my first post) Now that i am starting to get into mountain biking, i decided to buy a bike rack for my car.

I decided to purchase the Bones 3 by Saris. I needed a bike rack that would latch on to my little hatchback opening because i don't have a hitch or a roof rack, and i wanted one that would last me a while. I decided to buy the 3 because i figured i could go with my friends and we wouldn't have to take separate cars.

At first, i couldn't find any threads on my specific car since it's still fairly new. I decided to jump on this one and i have no regrets. It holds all three bikes like a champ and barely moves around while driving. Here are some pics for anyone interested!

P.S. I am a noobie on this forum so please pardon me if i post this in the wrong section or mess something up. Thanks!


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Considering that type of rack, it's pretty much the best. I don't recommend 3 bikes on it, even though it will do it in a pinch. The straps may need replacing after a few seasons, but all in all it's much more stable and secure (in terms of holding the bikes well) than other versions of the same thing. It's also very customizable for different shape bike triangles. If you are going to get into mountain biking, I suggest saving up for a hitch rack. Not something to worry about right away and use the saris for a while, but also realize it puts a lot of pressure on parts of the car not designed for it. Not going to cause anything to fail, but those types of racks do cause a little cosmetic damage over long periods of time. Again, it's a great rack and one of the few of that style that's worth the money.


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## JHoffman1 (May 28, 2013)

Jayem said:


> Considering that type of rack, it's pretty much the best. I don't recommend 3 bikes on it, even though it will do it in a pinch. The straps may need replacing after a few seasons, but all in all it's much more stable and secure (in terms of holding the bikes well) than other versions of the same thing. It's also very customizable for different shape bike triangles. If you are going to get into mountain biking, I suggest saving up for a hitch rack. Not something to worry about right away and use the saris for a while, but also realize it puts a lot of pressure on parts of the car not designed for it. Not going to cause anything to fail, but those types of racks do cause a little cosmetic damage over long periods of time. Again, it's a great rack and one of the few of that style that's worth the money.


I would have gotten a hitch on my car, the only problem is that the only hitch made for my car so far would require the installer to drill holes in the undercarriage of the car. That voids my warranty and also opens up the possibility of rust which I don't want to take a chance on. Getting a hitch would be awesome and a lot more stable but so far, there is not one that I have found that I would feel comfortable having installed. If you have any suggestions on others I don't know about, feel free to reply, I'm always open to other ideas.


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

Mounting a hitch will void the warranty? I don't believe that is correct.


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## JHoffman1 (May 28, 2013)

Mounting a hitch does not directly void the warranty. It must affect a part in order for the dealer to refuse warranty work. For example, while drilling the 4 mandatory holes in the undercarriage of the car, if the holes aren't perfectly covered with anti corrosion substance, the undercarriage can start to rust and eventually the car could become unstable and unsafe to drive. I plan on keeping my car for a long time and I don't really want to have to deal with someone who I don't know drilling around under my car.


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## TenSpeed (Feb 14, 2012)

Some newer cars are coming pre drilled for this. You may want to check into it. A reputable hitch dealer should be able to help you. My last car had a hitch installed by U-Haul.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Most of the time the exact same car is "rated for towing" in Europe and other places. It's a sham that here in the US you can't tow anything. All sorts of people hook up trailers to sports cars to transport wheels to the track. There are a few cars where this doesn't work, but in reality it's very few, for the most part you can usually find a receiver that fits just fine.

That said, the saris bones will work well for a while.


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## JHoffman1 (May 28, 2013)

I have already called the local uhaul dealer which is how I know that they need to drill 4 holes. It kinda sucks that Hyundai didn't think about people buying hitches.


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## JHoffman1 (May 28, 2013)

Jayem said:


> Most of the time the exact same car is "rated for towing" in Europe and other places. It's a sham that here in the US you can't tow anything. All sorts of people hook up trailers to sports cars to transport wheels to the track. There are a few cars where this doesn't work, but in reality it's very few, for the most part you can usually find a receiver that fits just fine.
> 
> That said, the saris bones will work well for a while.


Yeah, it's a shame that the us regulations have to be so annoying. In my owners manual, there is a large, bold statement saying that my car cannot tow anything under any circumstance. That statement makes sense due to the lack of power the car has until I saw a guy on the Hyundai forums towing his boat using a hitch. So far he has like 30,000 miles with no problems whatsoever.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Have you checked all the brands of hitches? Some do not require drilling while others will, and since you're really not towing a load, it might be alright to go with the one that doesn't require drilling and may not be as strong.


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## JHoffman1 (May 28, 2013)

Jayem said:


> Have you checked all the brands of hitches? Some do not require drilling while others will, and since you're really not towing a load, it might be alright to go with the one that doesn't require drilling and may not be as strong.


So far i have contacted U-haul, Curt, and Draw Tite. They all say that in order to install the hitch, at least two holes have to be drilled because there are not any factory mounting points. So, it looks like I'm all out of luck


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