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Any others have issues with fiberglass cap leaking?

boo radley

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Getting ready to buy an ARE Revo.

Quite a bit less than a Leer XL and they offer a $125 rebate.
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RyanStroeder

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Update....cap was replaced under warranty and the new cap also leaked. My dealer went above and beyond trying to make it right. He wanted to give me a full refund and send the second cap back. This would have left me looking for a new manufacturer and dealing with new lead times, invest more of my time driving around for install, etc. So, I decided to keep the second cap and fix the leak myself.

If anyone has a Leer with a windoor slider; the slider rail is not sealed on the ends where it attaches to the window frame. This means if you are parked on any slope the water will not drain via the weep holes in the frame and water will come into the cap/bed. I solved the issue with some butyl and fixed 90% of my problem. The weep holes are not at the extreme ends of the frame so water can pool up and drip into the bed.

My advice to anyone looking for a fiberglass cap, stay away from Leer. My dealer is actually dropping them since he's tired of dealing with issue after issue from them. Low quality control. Second thing I've learned talking to dealers of ARE and Jeraco, the overall quality in the industry is low. We're paying $3500 for caps with too high of expectations I was basically told. Fisheyes in paint, uneven gaps, some leaking water, and even poor fitment are all par for the course for the industry. The ARE dealer actually told me the company only expects the paint finish to be acceptable for the areas of the cap you see when standing on the ground. So the roof could be full of fisheyes, dirt, fingerprints, etc and ARE would consider that acceptable. I was stunned.

Overall, the cap looks great but the experience was very, very poor.
7535EDB8-D579-43C5-8796-8BAD20E03A5F_1_105_c.jpeg
Any suggestion for a good brand.
 
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markitzero

markitzero

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I have wicked leaks along the bed rails. It's really focused at the backend where there's plastic caps (I think where you can put posts in). I have a SmartCap. The shell is sealed up... The water comes in between the metal lip and plastic lip on the inside. It's a nice constant drip. Anyone have a fix? My first thought was to foam the whole underside, but now I'm thinking of sealing that "cap".
On the front of the bed rails at the cab installers will use something like butyl tape to seal the front edge of the plastic bed rails. That is possibly where your leak is originating. My Leer is sealed the same in addition to foam tape on top of the rails. I have yet to notice any leaks from the bed rails.
 
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markitzero

markitzero

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Any suggestion for a good brand.
From what I can tell they all are generally the same. I visited an ARE dealer and spoke about the troubles with my Leer and learned ARE (and likely rest of the industry) makes their product to a certain level of quality. (Not the absolute best they can do.) For example, I learned that a lower quality of paint finish (i.e. fish eyes) is acceptable on the roof of a cap. If some water comes in at the rear window that is acceptable to the mfg as well.

What matters most is the dealer. If they have great customer service and stand behind the customer's issues that carries a lot more weight.
 

that1guy

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I have wicked leaks along the bed rails. It's really focused at the backend where there's plastic caps (I think where you can put posts in). I have a SmartCap. The shell is sealed up... The water comes in between the metal lip and plastic lip on the inside. It's a nice constant drip. Anyone have a fix? My first thought was to foam the whole underside, but now I'm thinking of sealing that "cap".
Hey I am thinking about getting a SmartCap and wondering if you solved the leak problem and how you like it in general. Would you get it again over a Leer or ARE? I do a lot of camping (also CO) so I like the SmartCap in theory, but not sure its just a bunch of overpriced gimmicks or what...
 

lynskynbnd

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I got the ARE MX installed in August. The truck stays outside. I've been on several off-road trails and lived in the camper shell for a week. Bone dry.
Ford F-150 Any others have issues with fiberglass cap leaking? 20221008_134403
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