The Rack Spot

These guys installed a custom rack set up on my 2016 Subaru WRX. To say they did a killer job does not do it justice and i could not be more pleased with the work they did. I consider myself a perfectionist and these guys well exceeded my expectations. From start to finish their customer service was well above and beyond the standard call. Also they did something another place told me was impossible. And for a significantly cheeper price. If you are looking to get racks put on your car either come here and dont look anywhere else as they will be your best bet or at the very least stop by and let them show you what they can do. They took their time and did it right as well as took the time to place it on the car before drilling to make sure it was what i was looking for. Then to top it all off they sent me home with lock cylinders so everything would match up on the Yakima accessories i already had and trusted me to send the ones i already have into them. Really great work guys i cant thank you enough and look forward to doing buisness in the future. You gained yourself a life long customer! Keep it up!

This is what small business should be all about.
These guys have a VERY good price matching policy (although their prices were already at or below what I could find online). What’s more, they offer service in an area that is really important to have a pro look at your stuff (attaching precious stuff to a metal box that you plan on taking down the highway at 80mph). I’m quite comfortable with doing my own car maintenance and even working with hitches and rack components. But why not have a pro look at it when it’s free to do so.
I went to buy a roof box for a last-​minute Sierra trip. I planned on paying a 20% or so markup from online for my poor planning (and a shop right down the street from these guys was happy to oblige my plan). Instead, I 1) found these guys, 2) had them actually show me that the box I thought I wanted was bigger and more expensive than I needed, 3) watched them open a new, sealed boxed item, 4) had them throw it up on the car to see exact fit, 5) had them to consult with given that the fit wasn’t exactly perfect with my antenna despite the manufacturer website claims, 6) declined their offer to pull out an even smaller box to check the fit on and 7) paid not only less than down the street but also a few bucks less than online without even having to call in their price match policy. If I’d have bought it online, I’d have had too big a box, too late for that trip, not known what to do with the antenna fit, and been left to figure out mounting on my own. Again, I could have done and handled all of those things, but why?
These guys run a gem of a specialty shop that I’m very happy to have near me. I have a feeling I’ll be back here a lot.

I needed some last-​minute ski carrying capacity, and found all my usual on-​line shopping places to be out of stock, expensive, and couldn’t get me the product in time for a Tahoe trip. Not so with the Rack Spot. I called and spoke to the owner Will, he was friendly, helpful, immediately offered me a discount over the phone (cheaper than any online deal I found), offered to install the cargo box on my car, and allowed me to pay online to reserve the last one they had in stock. The whole transaction was fast and professional. Then I showed up the next day and they installed the cargo box on my car free of charge, showed me how everything worked, made sure it fit my vehicle, and explained the warranty. Amazing and efficient service — would highly recommend these guys!

These guys will give you a good deal.
Came in to get some advice on a rack on my subie. I didn’t want the clip-​ons and didn’t have any factory bolts so they quoted me a custom setup that was… quite a lot cheaper than the «other» chain store in san jose. Plus by showing them an invoice from this other store they were nice enough to laugh in my face a little and immediately give me a quote that was much cheaper than the other store. What i appreciate was how upfront Will was on the pricing. Jimmy and Dan were helpful and detailed when going through the different types of fit kits and feet each setup can have and how they planned to drill the roof of my car…
Installation took about 1.5 hours and the setup looked like it was straight from the factory. came back couple weeks later for additional snowboard racks and though the Thule discount was over, i still got a «courtesy» return customer discount which was awesome! They warranty their install job for life while the racks themselves are warrantied by the manufacturer for life…
This is an independent store so they treat each person with respect and are upfront of everything so that they win you back as repeat customers… and they succeeded.
If you’re thinking of getting a custom rack installed… make the trip… it’ll be worth it.

Great service and prices! They were knowledgeable and patiently answered all my questions. Offered me a great discount, and installed a trailer hitch and bike rack in less than an hour.

Great selection — fantastic advice and good prices. I picked up a box for my car and was in and out in no time. The best spot to outfit your rig on the peninsula — hands down.

I originally call rack solid in San Francisco for a quote to have a trailer hitch and a new bike rack for my car. Rack solid said the install alone was going to be $ 574. I hung up the phone.
I came to the rack spot in San Carlos and got the hitch installed, and a new yakima rack for $ 607.00 out the door.
As usual I showed up last minute to have everything installed. Even though they were booked and I didn’t make an appointment J.P. Said no problem and installed everything in the alley.
I recommend the rack spot to everyone who needs a rack or hitch. Will, J.P., Dan and Mike go above and beyond in customer service.

This place rocks; they installed a rack on my truck, and did a great job. Fast, honest service, they have a passion for what they do, and they do it well. Will definitely use there services again.

For good business and awesome customer services. I ALWAYS make time to give a review. (I really should be working now but it’s alright. i will get to it…)
My hubby wanted a bike rack. After a pathetic experience from Pepboy, he went to The Rack Spot. The owner was working on the weekend and he took care of us. We got the hitch and a Yakima bike rack installed.
The owner is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Knowledgeable, helpful and overall one of the best rack shop I’ve been to. The guys at the shop will spend as much time as you need to understand which rack system will work for your car and the equipment you want to carry. They will even install a rack system bought from a different store.
I bought the Yakima SUP dawg on Amazon (had gift card credit) brought it into the store, purchased Yakima railgrabs and bars in store and they installed everything within 20mins!
Overall, I highly recommend going to this place.

These guys are the best! Will took care of us. They did everything they said they would. I give them five stars.

Today was my second time at The Rack Spot. The first time, I had JP install a tow hitch on my Forester XT. He did an amazing job on the install. Not only did Will quote me a good price on the install, the customer service was definitely top-​notch.
I like supporting small businesses with great owners and The Rack Spot is one of them. I talked to Will again today about getting a ball mount for my Forester XT. He showed me which mount he recommended and even let me try it on on my vehicle. I didn’t bother asking Will to price-​match because I was really happy with my experience with them so far that I didn’t mind paying a few dollars more. Will surprised me again and gave me a discount on the items. Thank you so much for the great service!

Just left this place after doing tons of research for the best product at the greatest price. Thankfully all roads lead back to The Rack Spot! They had the highest quality merch and we’re super knowledgable on the whole world of hitches, racks and all the other gadgets necessary for hauling and stacking. They were super busy, however we still got stellar customer service! I love supporting businesses like this! Doubtful I’ll need another rack anytime soon but will definitely recommend that anyone looking for one begin their search here! Thanks Rack Spot!

I was very impressed with the service I received from The Rack Spot. I ordered my hitch for my car online and needed a place to install it. I contacted The Rack Spot which I have used in the past with my previous vehicle and knew I would not be disappointed. They quoted me a price which I thought was a bit high but then they told me that they would match it if I find another place that can do it for less. Well, I did find another place and called them to let them know. They were true the their word and matched it! It only took them about an hour to install it. Thank you Rack Spot! Now my kids will be happy that I can cart their bikes around!

I bought racks from them before they became independent. My girlfriend needed a rack for her car and we went in and bought a trailer hitch model from Thule and got it set up. It met our specs at the time of purchase, but we soon found out it was not working for my mountain bike and her hybrid. We could hang them from the frame and my mtn bike with a seat to goose-​neck bar. But, both bikes were hard to hang that way and the mounts that they hung from were slipping on the rack frame (they said they had never seen that before). Our bikes were getting scratched too, as the hanging and mounting was work.
So, we looked at other racks and asked if we could switch up to a stand style rack. They did not have to do this, but they did. That is what a «stand up» business owner does and they allowed for an upgrade and took back the original rack and let us upgrade with the price difference. The new rack is great, no scratches and not too heavy for her to set up on her car.

I’ve got both my racks from this place. My Thule rack 2 years later was in need of some repair (bad bushings) and these guys took care everything. Took photos of the issue, emailed Thule, got new bushings from Thule and repaired the rack in less than a week. Great service, really professional and personable.

Will installed a permanent rack and Thule surfboard rack on my car a few weeks ago.
I was hesitant to have a permanent rack installed on my new car but so glad I did. He did a beautiful job. I wanted a standard basic rack to carry my board but as he went to install the surfboard rack he realized he was out of stock. He knew I had plans to go surfing early the next morning so to make sure I’d get to the beach, he gave me a deluxe locking model for the same price as the basic. It’s very easy to use, strong and looks great. I’m so happy with product, installation and service. Everyone was so kind at his shop.

I love this place! And I am not an easy one to please.
I have dealt with this place multiple times and always found them very knowledgeable and helpful.
I recently damaged my Thule Hullivator and needed a part. They just happened to have an extra used part — exactly what I needed for my coming trip. They helped me install it and checked to make sure it worked.
These guys totally understand it is a service business. Why go to a small shop over a big box retailer? Because of the service.
I want this business to be successful and always be around. I will always go here for my rack and trailer needs.

What great customer service and expertise. The missus coordinated most of the purchase — we got a Thule 4-​bike rack for the minivan (nothing mini about it, actually).
We were heading out of town for the weekend, and the guys at the Rack Spot were awesome — we dropped off the car early Friday morning and they held the car for us until Tuesday afternoon, rack installed and ready to go.
When we picked up, they showed me how the rack worked, answered all of my stupid questions with a smile, and I was on my way. Have used it a few times and it’s great. I recommend the Rack Spot to anyone. If you need a good rack (and face it, who doesn’t?!), you need to get thee to the Rack Spot.

I can’t recommend these guys enough. I’ve purchased two hitches from them and they are always super friendly and helpful. Moreover, on two separate occasions they have helped me out of (big) mechanical jams — things I couldn’t fix myself. I’m very grateful for their help and personally wouldn’t consider going anywhere else. A++
Note that they used to be Rack N Road San Carlos and just went independent — this is why there are so few reviews. Many positive reviews under the old name.