[NRA_guy]

I am close to buying a hard, folding tonneau cover for my 2015 Titan SV (King Cab).

I have studied the threads here on Titantalk and clicked sellers' links and read reviews until I am half blind.

Invariably, EVERY model and EVERY brand I have read the reviews for have 3 or 4 negative reviews that say the cover leaked. Some are small leaks, some are major leaks.

But . . . the rest of the 20 or 30 reviews say the cover is water tight and non-leaking even when driven through a storm or car wash.

I don't know what to believe, but I need a cover that does not leak.

Is it:

a. poor design (lack of good sealing and weather stripping),

b. poor installation (the buyer is incompetent),

c. just a bad fit for the truck on which it leaked, or

d. all of the above?

Is a leaking cover justification for sending one back for a different brand and model?

(Warranty replacement with an identical one does not seem like a good solution.)

Thanks all for any insight.

 

[jdmartin]

I would say two things: 1, all of the above, and 2, the vast majority of tonneau covers are not working with integrated lips over the truck bed & tailgate (like a hard bed cover). Water is nefarious and will find any tiny hole in anything.

I think with a tonneau cover that you accept that they are highly water resistant, if installed right, but not 100% waterproof. If you need something that waterproof you go with a cover or a camper top.

 

[NRA_guy]

Yeah, I think you are right.

I just don't think a 1-piece hard cover will be convenient for my use.

Thanks.

 

[bender2]

Yeah, I think you are right.

I just don't think a 1-piece hard cover will be convenient for my use.

Thanks.

I have both variations. The one piece is 100% waterproof. But it's also 100% pita to remove without help, store when off and totally useless if cargo surpasses the height restriction of the cover when closed. My last Titan had a "hardcover" tri-fold that was waterproof, but when folded up you lost the space behind the cab. My current "soft" Trifecta cover works nice, but it's a 50/50 shot whether it will leak or not. No setup is perfect, gotta choose the less of all evils I suppose. Good luck.

 

[jdmartin]

Yeah, I think you are right.

I just don't think a 1-piece hard cover will be convenient for my use.

Thanks.

I have toyed with getting the hard lid several times, and almost pulled the trigger on a used one a couple of years ago. But everyone I talked to that had one told me the same thing - they look cool but they're a pain in the *** for anything that sits higher than the edge of the bed. Considering that I use my truck for house remodels and demo, I can't picture *not* having stuff higher than the bed. Also, I have a bed toolbox and I'd have to ditch that as well.

If they didn't look so dorky on the truck, I'd probably get one of those convertible camper tops - but even though my truck is for work, dammit I still wanna look good driving it

 

[jimmytheman]

Flex Seal it man!!!

 

[NRA_guy]

We all have heard that "nature abhors a vacuum."

Well, I have also noted that nature abhors dryness . . . and also standing water.

Nature seeks to make things slimy wet.

I often comment that I have spent my life trying to keep water IN things like water heaters, swimming pools, the wife's steam iron, bath tubs, small ponds, and truck radiators, that we want to keep water in.

And I have spent the rest of my life trying to keep water OUT of things that we want to keep dry like attics, basements, tents, truck cabs, and car trunks.

Water: you can't keep it in, and you can't keep it out.