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Again tonneau cover - happy?

25K views 53 replies 35 participants last post by  2013 Ridgeline Owner 
#1 ·
OK! While on the topic of tonneau covers - while we have heard that several of us are not impressed with the factory tonneau cover and are awaiting alternatives (to Honda'a) I would be interested in hearing from those who currently have the Honda Tonneau Cover. Like it? Don't like it beacause .... Comments?
 
#2 ·
As per my feelings only...I'm happy with the "Honda" factory tonneau cover so far. I think it looks good and do believe it has helped a bit with my fuel mileage. Do realize that soon, there will be other aftermarket options and wonder how they will address the weather-proofing issue. It will be interesting to see! On the loss of bed useage, I have a 5' by 10' open trailer that I use to haul my four-wheelers and will probably use it whenever needed to haul anything large. ;)
 
#3 ·
I have the cover, and am satisfied so far. I knew going into it that the cover wasn't totally watertight, so the minimal amount that leaks in doesn't bother me. Maybe the cover helped me get good mileage on the open road (21-22mpg), but in traffic I am getting around 17 mpg, nothing special. With the cover folded back, it isn't that much of a reach to get large objects from the back. I haven't yet tried to take it off, and for my uses, it will be a rare day that I will need it off. My needs are for secure storage. Although the lock isn't huge, it works easily, and gets the job done. Not sure how the aftermarket products will deal with the lack of a lock on the tailgate. I've gotten lots of compliments on how it looks.
 
#6 ·
The issue my wife had is that it is awkward to handle from the side of the truck. When she loads things and folds it over on itself it is heavy to bring back from the side. I could see some sort of gas strut to raise it up and then you can pull it down. Yes it does lock, you have a lever on the tailgate that when you push down on the lock it slides through to lock the gate. The cover does assist in better milage. Overall it does look good and does what it is intended to do.
 
#7 ·
I guess I am probably late to the party here.....but I am gonna make a comment anyway....

I don't know about the rest of you folks, but for Honda to come out with a hard tonneau cover, that is "water resistant" and not water proof....I dunno what to say, but it doesn't make a lot of sense.

I was thinking about having one installed on my truck, so I went over and talked with one of the service guys at the garage where I bought my truck. They wanted $1500, for the tonneau and to install, which I thought was pretty high. I was still on the fence, whether to get on or not and then the guy leaned over to me and said, "I'm not supposed to say anything bad about anything on any of the Honda products......but the tonneau is "water resistant", not "water proof". I said, "What, you gotta be kidding me. You guys wanna charge me $1500 for a tonneau that can't keep out water?!? What the frick is the point"?!? He said, "Well, that's exactly why I told you. I didn't want you to get a month down the road, have something valuable in the back, and have it get wet.....and then you come storming in here and rip me a new one for not telling you".

Anyway, I really wanted a tonneau, but I didn't want it that bad. I see some folks are talking about the Retraxx and a couple other tonneaus....I guess I will have to do some research.....
 
#8 ·
Yes, there are many threads on the various tonneau covers. If you have any specific questions you don't find an answer to, be sure to ask.
 
#9 ·
Retraxx is somewhat cheaper, I don't think it is completely weather tight either, and only has a 1 year warranty. Most that have it seem to like it. I went with the Honda cover and like it. Got it installed for $1311.00. Easy to use, simple to remove if needed and very tough and secure. The lock is a little wimpy but you would need to rip screws out of metal or physically break the mechanism to get in. Nothing will keep everyone out if they want in. I think it looks the best becasue it matches the other plastic but obviously I am biased on that one. There is a thread on here somewhere that gives all the pros and cons of all the covers. It should help you decide based on your needs.
 
#10 ·
I'm a new member to the forum and discovered it while trying to learn if there were others who were unhappy with the Honda Ridgeline Tonneau cover. My wife and I are retired and want to spend a few years on the road camping with a hybrid trailer. We did a lot of research and a lot of car dealer visiting to find a vehicle that would suit our needs which were a vehicle that would serve all purposes....general running around, road trips, trailer towing, and that would get decent mileage. We bought an RTL with roof rack (to carry our kayaks on) and tonneau cover to keep our cargo safe and dry. We just assumed without thinking that a $1500 tonneau cover made for our truck would fit the bill. When we learned that it leaked water and would not keep our cargo dry, we were disappointed, to say the least. Especially the wife, who would have preferred a minivan had it been capable of towing 5,000 pounds. We took our concern to the dealer (Holtz Honda in Rochester, NY). Our salesperson was appalled. I showed him the little disclaimer in the "owner's manual," which of course we did not see until after the tonneau was installed. He had no idea the thing would leak. He did his best to correct the problem by sending our truck to a local tonneau cover installer who pronounced that it could not be fixed and that there were no other tonneau covers made for the Ridgeline. I know that to be untrue because of this and other threads. As it stands now, we will attempt to get the sales manager to agree to a fix if one is ever made, or a new cover should that be done by Honda. We believe the dealership was sincere in not knowing that the cover would leak. However, we feel, that at the very least, we should have been informed upfront. That would have influenced our decision. I look forward to keeping up-to-date with news from other owners.
 
#11 ·
If you are getting some water that gets past the seals at the front and side panels, of course you could try some additional weather stripping or silicone sealer. I don't think either one is an ideal solution. If you have a rubber mat in the bed that is just ridged enough that it does not settle into the valleys of the bed, the water should run in the valleys and out through the tailgate keeping your stuff dry. I use a piece of commercial rubber floor covering an it works great. There are a number of other mats that are made to protect the bed. If you choose one of those just make sure that it has bumps, bulges, or whatever you want to call them, to keep the mat itself from being in direct contact with the bed. That way you will allow the water to drain and not get trapped.
I have the Retrax cover and have adjusted it so that it is almost but not quite water tight. Water does get past some of the front seal when I wash and rinse the truck. That is a lot more water and pressure than rain.
 
#12 ·
Wulf, welcome to the forum. You are going to have so much fun in your truck. I think you can work around the amount of water that might get into your cover by the way you pack.

When we went to Canada, the only real water test we'd had on our Retrax was in the car wash, because it was a dry summer. We felt we'd done a good job of making it as waterproof as it could be, but you surely don't want to be hauling around wet stuff. Our packing method worked perfectly, with one mishap that nothing to do with the cover. I'll try to find time to explain in another post in the next few days.

We were in drenching, unrelenting rainstorms. Only a small amount of water came in from the rain. I kept worrying that we'd have to have the cover open while we packed or unpacked when we moved to a new cabin, but the weather gods spared us and we always had a break in the storms when we needed it.

Anyway, I would be pissed too, over such an expensive oversight. That is something the sales person should have known. We ordered our Ridgeline last March and our sales person knew it wasn't watertight. Of course there is a high turn over in that profession and there is an awful lot to cram your head full of to know the features of every vehicle.

I'd say that's another positive thing about shopping around and talking to more than one sales person. We learned a great deal when we went out of town to see a BLUE one. That sales person had attended the big Honda training in AZ and he explained a lot about the VTM that we'd not have known otherwise.

This forum offers a wealth of information too. I know I went into the process knowing more than our sales person about many of the RL features.

I hope you get a satisfactory outcome with your dealer.
 
#13 ·
#15 ·
Hi Wulf. I too have the OEM cover and happy with. During a rain storm or going through a rain storm, I will get a couple of wet spots, but nothing major. It will drip thru at each end of the hinged seam. Then again, whatever water gets in is isolated to that bed channel like UH said.The remainder of the bed is bone dry.
 
#16 ·
#17 ·
Retrax, Retrax
 
#18 ·
I'm afraid your cover is what it is and that Honda nor your dealership will fix its leak. Mine, like almost everyone else leaks as well and I too learned the hard way. There are definitely some key areas causing my issue, at the corners and on the edge where the cover folds. Both have that foam type material that acts like a sponge. If another material could be used, I think the leaking would disappear. If your dealer does find a remedy or you fix it yourself, let us know.

As for the other brands, it appears they leak as well.
 
#19 ·
I'm glad I read this. My wife and I just got our Ridgeline two weeks ago and she has been bugging me to get her the tonneau cover from honda for it to keep the rain out but the Honda dealers down here want $1700 for it. Extremely pricey for something that doesn't keep the bed dry.

On a side note, are they hard to take it off if you have something tall to carry?
 
#20 ·
Welcome aboard.

Although I dont have one several RL owners love the Retrax cover and you don't have to remove it to carry tall items, just roll it back.
 
#21 ·
On a side note, are they hard to take it off if you have something tall to carry?[/QUOTE]

I spoke with one of the Sales Managers at a Honda dealership who owns a Ridgeline for his personal vehicle.... he says the OEM is difficult to remove. I know that other ROC members have not had much trouble..... My guess is that once you do it a couple of times you'll be fine.

As was mentioned, with the Retrax you do not have this issue. Also, with Basickoncepts' cover, it folds in half and lifts off easily.... not an issue.

WELCOME to ROC! Hope you'll join our discussions often!:D
 
#22 ·
Bassbud,

I want to thank you again for the authoratative tonneau cover comparison which helped me and many of us to figure out which cove to get. I just got a retrax because snow and ice is not an issue for us. Keep up the great work. your compo chart and Vertrkr's check list certainly helped many buyers to make the proper decisions.
 
#23 ·
Welcome aboard miami-ridgeline! there is a lot of very good information available on the ROC about tonneau covers. I have the Retrax and I am very happy with it. You can carry tall items in the bed by simply retracting the cover into the canister. You will have to tie down tall items as usual except that they can not be placed up against the canister where the item would put a lot of pressure on the canister. For instance, if you wanted to carry a washing machine in the bed, you would have to tie it down in such a way as to prevent it from sliding forward. Someone mentioned on another thread that they wanted to carry a dirt bike in the bed and they wondered if the front tire could rest against the canister. The answer is no. However, a simple back board or barrier made out of wood could be fabricated very easily to allow the bike to be anchored up against it instead of the Retrax canister.
There are several good covers for you to choose from. If you poke around in the accessories forum and search for tonneau, Retrax, cover, bed and similar words I am sure that you will find lots of detailed information to help you select the best one for your needs. You can help the ROC by clicking on one of the sponsors adds (Retrax at the top of this page, for example) when you place your order. If you do it by telephone, please make sure that they know that you found them on the ROC and ask for any discount that is available to ROC members. Doing business with a ROC sponsor helps grease the wheels and allows the ROC to grow and improve. If you cant find the answer to your questions, please, ask away! Someone on the ROC has your answer!
Once again, welcome! :)
 
#24 ·
JMT said:
The issue my wife had is that it is awkward to handle from the side of the truck. When she loads things and folds it over on itself it is heavy to bring back from the side. I could see some sort of gas strut to raise it up and then you can pull it down. Yes it does lock, you have a lever on the tailgate that when you push down on the lock it slides through to lock the gate. The cover does assist in better milage. Overall it does look good and does what it is intended to do.
I too have the factory tonneau cover. I was told, however, prior to purchase that it did not keep the water out. I hardly have any cargo in the bed anyway, so it's not a big deal. I really like the way it looks, though. But I have the same problem as your wife...it's take enough to fold it over, but to put it back i have to stand on the side and grab one of the levers that locks it in place once down and kinda pry it back up...oh well, challenges of being a short girl driving a big truck!
 
#25 ·
I installed the factory cover today. It took me 2 1/2 hours and it was done. The dealership quoted me a price of $1650 installed and $1050 uninstalled. I figured that I would save the $600 and do it myself. After dire warnings from the parts and service departments, they grudgingly printed the instructions out for me and away I went to do the install. I only needed to buy two torx drivers (T20 and T50), that was my only additional cost. I started at just after 1 pm and finished at 3:30. It really isnt't that difficult if you have the tools for the job. The instructions are straightforward and easy to follow.

After the install I took it for the ultimate car wash test and I must say that there are some leaks but minimally so, really.Whatever water that comes in drains out quickly and does not puddle at all and I'm happy with the results of that test.

Regarding removing the cover: it is a 15 minute job and ideally two people should do it unless you're Hercules or something.
 
#26 ·
IMO, if you are carrying a lot of large loads, a hard cover should not be your choice at all. A hard cover is to have secure storage for smaller items and to use the bed like a larger trunk. A soft cover that rolls or no cover would seem to make more sense if you carry a lot of tall stuff. I have not had any problems carrying anything in my bed with the Honda cover. Including a large 9 HP snow thrower. I would not be able to hold two appliances without removal but one would be no problem just by folding it back and it is very sturdy so you don;t need to worry about crushing it in the front. I still have not heard from anyone how the Retrax works when full of snow and ice.
 
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