What do you want on your ROOF RACK?

[CBI OffRoad Fab]

Big thanks to everyone for all of the feedback! You guys are really great and it is good to hear from the rearl experts... THE CUSTOMER... as to what is acceptable and should be offered.

Keep the comments coming and we will start to post info in the coming weeks as we start this process.

 

[theizzardking]

Good point! The thing you have to take into consideration is some guy building in is garage has no overhead to worry about like a huge fab facility, laborers, payroll liabilities, utilities, huge government taxes, etc. So there is a difference. It's easy for him to make money when he doesn't have all the extra cost that a business in America has.

Maybe you have a point though... We should get him to build our roof racks!... I'd have to check the quality first before I would pass off on that one.

I acknowledged that , lol , like i said a bit of a mark up is to be expected, but not double , your other products are very reasonably priced, so I'm sure you're going to do whatever you can to keep the price down and still feed the kiddies, i got faith in you guys , just saying personally i think someone's nuts to spend that on a rack , and that's why I've avoided the g word racks and was bummed at what the $350 Yakima racks provided, massive price gap there so you either get stuck with the same one on your buddies Subaru or shell out more than some people's first car cost altogether, haha , but hey like you said it costs x to make and you guys got live as well, no offense meant , just offering my butthole of an opinion, cheers

 

[gamerc]

I think it is important to note a few things (since you asked for opinions).

A 1.3k price point certainly puts it in the range where the rack becomes more than utility, but requires a high level of quality and function. For instance, a Gobi rack at 1.3K comes with a ladder. And if Gobi is already making a rack that looks like that and costs 1.3k, why do I want to buy one that is newly designed but probably pretty similar in design? I dunno, other than Gobi's lackluster customer support stories.

Baja has a few rack options that are in the 650 - 1k range. No ladder, but another great product. Additionally, they have outstanding customer support and contact.

I dunno, if you're launching a new product line, is there any motivation to get an introductory price going or is it just matching the competition and hoping for the best? I guess that all depends on your motivations and long term expectations.

As to a guy making one in his garage, well, I would assume that while he doesn't have overhead, he also doesn't have access to a large oven for powder coating, bulk cost on materials vs retail cost, multiple employees who can crank these out in a relatively quick turnaround using a jig or whatever, multiple customers who will be more than willing to fork out the money, etc. There are advantages that a business has that a guy in the garage doesn't have.

 

[Dusty Driftwood]

Good point! The thing you have to take into consideration is some guy building in is garage has no overhead to worry about like a huge fab facility, laborers, payroll liabilities, utilities, huge government taxes, etc. So there is a difference. It's easy for him to make money when he doesn't have all the extra cost that a business in America has.

There are obviously pros and cons to purchasing from an individual or a company. You would hope that ordering from a company would come with better customer service and faster turn around, because they have the man power to do so.

However, once you get through the ordering/purchasing process and you have the rack on your vehicle, all that is left is quality and functionality of the rack. I believe that CBI turns out a quality product, but is it worth double what I can get from someone else? Everyone has to answer that question for themselves. My answer is no.

The truth of the matter is that the extra price you are paying is probably going to overhead/advertising/etc, not higher quality build materials or quality of the rack. You might get a warranty when ordering from a company, but really, how many things could actually go wrong with a roof rack?

Back to the actual R&D, My ceiling for a roof rack like this is $600 - I'd pay more for a ladder option. In my opinion, there should be multiple options and add on options (like the ladder, spare tire mount, etc)

I would probably prefer 1 piece construction, but wouldn't want to pay to have that monster shipped, so I would think a bolt together option would appeal more to the masses. I also think universal adapters and tie downs are a big plus since each person will probably use/modify it to their own needs.
Hope this helps

 

[CBI OffRoad Fab]

Good points on pricing everyone. Again thank you for your feedback.

The plan is to start with the rack we are building for a customer in September. If the ideas we put into this rack allow us to create a product that fulfills a need for you all then we will offer up a new product. Like you have all said there are already some decent rack options in several price ranges so we don't want to be in those same categories.

Keep the feedback coming... you guys are awesome!

 

[fourwd1]

I'd like it to have a 50"+ HDTV and 2 Barcaloungers with a mini fridge for my beers.
The TV must automatically fold down when it sees a tree limb ahead.
And if the rack would train my dog to fetch beers from the fridge, I'd pay xtra.

 

[CBI OffRoad Fab]

I'd like it to have a 50"+ HDTV and 2 Barcaloungers with a mini fridge for my beers.
The TV must automatically fold down when it sees a tree limb ahead.
And if the rack would train my dog to fetch beers from the fridge, I'd pay xtra.

Now that could take some work to build but I bet we could do it!