Hi looking for some help on finding roof rails for the car pictured I have noticed you can get some that you just bond to the roof but ideally I’d like the option to attach roof bars if needed. I’m mainly looking for the looks of the rails as I think they look good but again would like the option for the bars. any help would be appreciated thanks (2021 sline)

I'm sure Audi genuine roof rails are not bonded to the car and are bolted on. Have you tried eBay? 

Hi, yes I’ve looked on eBay just seems like bonded ones and still isn’t very clear if it actually fits the newer shape 

It’s some decades since I was associated with trials of adhesive bonding of Transit chassis ‘top hat’ sections. Certainly impressive. 
Having said that, would I be happy to depended on a loaded roof rack stuck down to a painted surface ( if that really is the case!) and take a chance on the lives of others behind me? No I wouldn’t. 

Avoid EBay, these will be cheap, made in China parts, and the only thing holding it to the roof surface will be adhesive strip, and probably not 3M adhesive quality.

If it’s purely aesthetic, then bonded rails are fine, however you get into scenario if you sell the car and the next owner?

Here’s link to Audi A3 Sportback (2021) rails which bolt on. You can double check yourself. https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/audi/RDW/A3/596/8/860/860500

Edited December 21, 2025Dec 21 by spartacus 68

A most important point in your second paragraph Richard. 

3 hours ago, spartacus 68 said:

Avoid EBay, these will be cheap, made in China parts, and the only thing holding it to the roof surface will be adhesive strip, and probably not 3M adhesive quality.

If it’s purely aesthetic, then bonded rails are fine, however you get into scenario if you sell the car and the next owner?

Here’s link to Audi A3 Sportback (2021) rails which bolt on. You can double check yourself. https://www.lllparts.co.uk/catalogs/audi/RDW/A3/596/8/860/860500

Apologies, when I suggested eBay I was thinking of genuine Audi used ones. 

I didn't know roof racks and rails were ever bonded to cars, which shows how out of date I am. What concerns me is that if the rack is glued to the paint, its securety is then entirely dependent on how well the paint adheres to the steel car roof. Can that be relied on, even on modern cars?

10 hours ago, Steve Q said:

Apologies, when I suggested eBay I was thinking of genuine Audi used ones. 

No problem Steve. To be honest it can be advertised as genuine Audi, but your guess is as good as mine as to its province. I'd only buy used Audi parts such as trim on Ebay.

8 hours ago, cliffcoggin said:

I didn't know roof racks and rails were ever bonded to cars, which shows how out of date I am. What concerns me is that if the rack is glued to the paint, its securety is then entirely dependent on how well the paint adheres to the steel car roof. Can that be relied on, even on modern cars?

I think that's purely the after-market dealing with demand. Plastic rear roof spoilers for example are fixed with adhesive strips. If prepared properly (alcohol wipes) and 3M foam tape, they are fine for the lifetime of the car. I wouldn't attempt that with roof rails. They are subject to extremes of temperature depending on location, moisture, plus load if you potentially add a rack.

14 hours ago, spartacus 68 said:

No problem Steve. To be honest it can be advertised as genuine Audi, but your guess is as good as mine as to its province. I'd only buy used Audi parts such as trim on Ebay.

Same here. Harder to get bits elsewhere on older models.