Will the Thule Outway Trunk Mount Bike Rack Fit a 2009 BMW 535 and 2014 BMW 4-Series  

Hi , My wife and I have just purchased a new comfort/hybrid bikes and I am looking for a rear carrier for the bikes to go on our 2009 535 xi 4 door sedan. I used your car fit tool and after doing a fair amount of reading , I think an excellent choice for us is the Thule OutWay TH45jv and the bar adapter TH982XT she has a woman's frame . For a number of reasons , I have ruled out buying a hitch or a roof bike rack. Also , I have ruled out the platform model because it is too heavy. Some additional information for you to know before you read over my questions below is that we have a second new BMW , a 2014 4 series convertible , 2Dr 435 . This car is not listed in your car fitter as it is a new model this year. While we intend to mostly use the 535 ix for transporting the bikes, it would be ideal if the rack I buy would fit both cars. Of note, the new 4 series BMW is bigger than the old 4 series BMW , in fact close to the size of the 535 , but it is slightly smaller. The 435 is a hardtop convertible and the trunk compartment is adapted for the retraction of the top when it’s down. Its possible we would want to use the rack on the 435 with the top down or up . I don’t know how to research this . I will ask the dealer what they recommend. I have a few questions about my decision and I am hoping you can give me some advice/information. 1. Are there any other manufactures and their models for me to consider ? The question is not asked from an economic point of view but from a quality, ease of use , safety and low likelihood of damaging the car or bikes. 2. In your response on your web site to a question , you stated , ” The newest version of the OutWay # TH45JV, is just a little bit lighter and features upgraded cradles with road dampening technology and upgrades to the spooling mechanism inside the rack” . Does that mean there are two versions of the TH45JV ? How does one know which one is being purchased if they have the same model number? I would certainly want the newest version of the TH45JV. 3. I have read the tips pertaining to the rack . The only complaints some users have are bumper damage, paint scratches on the trunk and the bikes rubbing against each other . One reviewer mentioned using three M Tape on the Trunk. Are there other tweaks to avoid paint scratches, bumper damage and bike damage? 4. Since we only have two bikes, the TH45jv seems the logical model as the th56bv is for three bikes. However, if I got the th56bv with the idea of putting our two bikes in the 1 and three slots, thereby separating the bikes more and perhaps having less contact damage, would that make sense? Thanks for your response ,

asked by: Alan T