Do dealers not like the Honda tonneau?

I want to put a tonneau on my Ridge. I like the looks of the Honda one in pictures but I wanted to see one up close. So I went to the dealer to look at one. They don't have one to show me. Hmm. Okay, I go to a second dealer. Nope, they don't have one to show either and the parts guy tried to talk me out of buying one. So then I go to a third Honda dealer. And again, they don't have one they can show me either.

I think what I'm taking from this is that the dealers either don't have faith in the OEM tonneau or that they don't want to do the complicated install. And I guess that pretty much has made me decide to go 3rd party.

Oh well.

My dealer doesn't even carry basic parts for the RL. You'd be hard pressed to find one at any dealer. It's cost prohibitive to keep $1400 accessories in stock when no one buys them. I would look to the aftermarket unless you have your heart set on this item.

IMHO, It's too expensive anyways for what you get. I can make 2 of my DIY tonneaus for what this one costs and have enough left over to buy 2 tanks of gas.

I think what I'm taking from this is that the dealers either don't have faith in the OEM tonneau or that they don't want to do the complicated install. And I guess that pretty much has made me decide to go 3rd party.

Oh well.

From what I've heard in previous posts, the install is not as complicated as the operation of the cover itself. It's bulky and non-user friendly.

IMHO, the Retrax or Bakflip are much better covers in comparison.:)

The speed at which they can get the accessories beats keeping them on hand. My experience is the same as ChrisM's, they didnt have hardly any inventory.

From what I was told, the OEM cover is very expensive and the accessory guy told me it wasnt as weatherproof as you'd expect it to be.

When I bought my '06 RLT and ask about a bed cover the dealer told me to go buy an aftermarket one. He said that the one from Honda when open still covered half the bed and it cost $1500. :(

"From what I've heard in previous posts, the install is not as complicated as the operation of the cover itself. It's bulky and non-user friendly."


The OEM tonneau is a joy to live with. Rugged, strong and allows full access to the trunk. Very well worth the money.

Fortunately I was able to see an RL with the OE tonneau before buying mine and that's why my RL proudly sports a BakFlip. IMHO the OE cover is too expensive, too hard to remove/reinstall and not terribly convenient to use since it only folds in the middle (making it really difficult to haul something large that won't fit under the cover). I'd recommend looking at the various threads here for BakFlip, Retrax or the Pace-Edwards Full Metal Jackrabbit - all of which have some devoted fans here and all of which cost less than the OE cover.

btw, if I was buying a cover today I'd go with the P-E FMJ - but it wasn't available when I bought my RL and I chose the BakFlip over Retrax because of prior experience with how easy it is to scratch the type of plastic used on the Retrax. Must admit that I (and many others here) had some problems with the original BakFlip but they exchanged it for the new, improved (seriously so) G2 model nearly a year ago and I couldn't be happier with the new one. Easy to install and use (and less than 5 minutes to remove/reinstall if you need to take it off when hauling something really huge) and have never had more than a few drops of water in my bed, even after heavy rains.

me dealer also poo-poo'ed on the oem tonneau


I think I like the torza hard hat best so far

I want to put a tonneau on my Ridge. I like the looks of the Honda one in pictures but I wanted to see one up close. So I went to the dealer to look at one. They don't have one to show me. Hmm. Okay, I go to a second dealer. Nope, they don't have one to show either and the parts guy tried to talk me out of buying one. So then I go to a third Honda dealer. And again, they don't have one they can show me either.

I think what I'm taking from this is that the dealers either don't have faith in the OEM tonneau or that they don't want to do the complicated install. And I guess that pretty much has made me decide to go 3rd party.

Oh well. Myself I love the OEM Tonneau cover. We have had it since Feb 2007 when the truck was picked up from the dealer. There have been NO water leakage issues & the truck is washed with hose often. The little water that does get in mostly comes when the truck is washed & then I open the cover. This is the water that drips from the cover when open but its none that comes in from rain water. Since we got the truck it has been more aftermarket covers for the Ridgeline on the market some are newer versions.
I have not had the cover off once since having the truck. Everything we have hauled fits under the Tonneau or with the back part fliped & with use of the Bed Extender. We had an old school teacher type desk that my sister got from a yard sale in the bed of the truck. Last week I picked up a BBQ grill for her at Lowes. Standing the grill up with the back part of the cover fliped over would have worked but I wanted to lay it down with the Bed Extender.
I also purchased two Igloo Marine 48 QT coolers 76 can capacity with drain plug (Ice Chest) from Walmart for about $20.00. The cooler slides underneath the OEM Tonneau Cover with room to spare. It can be put anywere in the bed of the truck & it wont tip over with cover closed. I got this to use because my Coleman 56 QT cooler will not fit underneath the Tonneau you have to put it in the in-bed trunk. The dealers would not have the OEM Tonneau in stock because it is so big & takes up space. The lock is not the best but very important stuff I keep in the in-bed trunk.

Use the search, there are tons of opinions on the various covers available. I have the OEM with the hitch pin mod and love it. I can take it on and off by myself. But if you want to roll all the way open it isnt for you. Do your research and get what you like.

When I bought my truck 2 weeks ago the dealer refused to even tell me about the tonneau since it was "total junk and a very large waste of money". Seems most people have heard that as well.

like my oem no complaints

Oh, I have been doing my research. Actually, I read just about every thread on this site about the various options while I was drooling and saving up for my Ridge. Man that was painful, lol.

They all have their good points and their bad. From a pure style point of view I personally like the OEM best (obviously your opinion may vary). I had decided on either the OEM or the new bakflip. I think I'll probably now get the bakflip and put the extra money towards a new chartplotter on my boat or something. And that will give me the opportunity to try Chris's $10 tailgate lock mod.

me dealer also poo-poo'ed on the oem tonneau


I think I like the torza hard hat best so far

Take those rails and make a cover........

Access makes a good tonneau cover. Rolls up, looks great, and holds up to the elements.

talked with my dealer fri they had 2 in stock and they said they would make a good deal.
bought our truck used and already had oem lid :)
like it well enough but if going to buy one we like the look of the back-flip :cool:

buy an after market one. Can I recommend the Torza hardhat. The install is super easy, the look is clean and seamless, can be removed in under a minute by yourself. I researched for 2 weeks before I bought a tonneau and couldn't be happier.