Bak Industries Tonneaus - Read Before You Buy

ember1205 · March 27, 2015

I have had a number of trucks, and tonneaus on all of them. My last truck was a 2011 Tundra Crew Max with the 5'8" bed and I installed a Bak Industries F1 hard folding cover on it. The fit and finish were very good and it operated very nicely. The seals around the cover (bulkhead rail, side rails, and over the tailgate) sat flush and provided a very good seal against water / weather. I was easily able to open and close the tailgate without having to open the cover after it had been in place for a little while (especially in the cold weather when the rubber seal was not likely to move much once the gate was opened).

Fast forward to my 2015 Sierra SLE Double Cab with a 6'6" bed. My previous experience with the Bak cover myself coupled with similar experiences from others on their trucks led me back to Bak (no pun intended there!) to secure my truck bed.

I had some issues attempting to install the cover with the GM drop-in liner (the manufacturing process for the liner made it so that the side rail on the passenger side could not be installed within 1/4" of the bulkhead rail and the driver side had approximately a 1/8" gap (the rails are supposed to butt up tight against the bulkhead rail). I decided to pull the liner and have a spray-in liner installed to remedy the situation.

Multiple phone calls and emails to Bak asking for guidance on the optimal way to have the liner material installed with regard to the bulkhead rail finally yielded a general recommendation of "normal installation will be fine". One of the requests I made via email actually was returned three days AFTER I got the truck back from having the liner installed. This is where all of the troubles started.

First of all, the liner material (IMHO) should NOT be applied along the top edge of the bulkhead rail. These trucks come with factory-installed side rail caps which sit slightly higher than the height of the bulkhead rail. Because of this, the rubber weatherstrip seal that they provide (which, by the way, is supposedly only for vehicles WITHOUT a drop-in liner - clearly, they have no idea that the factory drop-in liner does not cover the bulkhead rail) will need to be installed to properly weather seal the cover. This seal has an adhesive along one edge, and that is the edge that is supposed to be installed onto the rail. Since there is now a textured material on the top of the rail from the liner, the adhesive a) does not stick securely and b) will not create an actual full water seal for the weather strip.

The second problem is with the overall design of the cover itself. Well, actually, there are a number of design problems, but I'll start with the largest of them. If you measure the distance from the bulkhead rail to the tailgate, INSIDE the bed, the measurement is 77.375" (77 3/8"). The actual cover (not including the rubber weather strip along the front or rear edge) measures 77.875" (77 7/8"). That's a difference of only 1/2" in length, which means you would ideally have exactly 1/4" of overlap of the cover on top of both the bulkhead rail and the tailgate. My opinion here is that this is terribly insufficient, especially at the rear of the cover.

This leads me to design issue number two: Lack of "Ultimate Security" as Bak advertises it. They state "Get ultimate security with the BakFlip HD all aluminum tonneau cover. Simply lock your tailgate to secure all your valuables. " With virtually no "hard" material overlapping the tailgate, it takes essentially no effort to slip a coat hanger or other stiff wire under the cover to hook the release cable and open the cover without opening the tailgate. Don't get me wrong on this - I do NOT want to imply that having more of the cover overlap the tailgate would make the cover actually provide security. It won't. But, in its current form, opening it from the outside is a joke. Ideally, the latch should use a mechanical cam system with a twist handle that you have to pull downward to open.

Design problem number three is the complete lack of anything to hold the third panel in place when the cover is closed. Starting at the front of the truck, if you number the panels from front to back, the third panel back does not have a latch on it that snaps into the rail. Panels two and four both do, and the cover relies on them to keep the third panel in the channel. I was told that having a latch there would interfere with how the cover folds, but I just don't see it. I understand the need to use four panels on the longer beds so that the width of the panel (which becomes the height of the panel when stood on edge) will not position the panel so that it blocks the third brake light when it's fully opened. What's funny, though, is that the cover I had on my Tundra DID block the third brake light. Seems like it wouldn't be any issue to do this since requiring the cover to be fully opened had a high potential to mean that there would cargo in the bed large enough to block the brake light itself.

The next issue I encountered is what I deem an actual defect in the cover. On the driver side, at the second hinge point back from the cab, there is a rubber and plastic (?) end cap that covers the hinge portion. This cap seems intent on NOT staying put in the end of the panel pieces like all of the others do. What makes this an issue is that it gets caught every time you close the cover unless you push it back in while you're closing the panel.

The most recent thing that cropped up is that a piece of rubber seal on panel three got caught while setting the panel in the rail and pulled out of the edge of the channel in the edge of the panel.

There are what I feel are a number of design and manufacturing problems with this cover. I suspect that the problems are not just with my cover, or even with this model. I believe they are present through ALL of the covers that they make for the 6'6" bed GM trucks (2014-2015, at least). What is amazingly frustrating to me is the complete lack of consistent information and actual help Bak can or will provide.

I've personally talked to three different people and have been in touch with two more by email. The information that they provide varies from one person to the next, and no one (including the Warranty manager) has any interest in speaking to my specific inquiry about the potential defect in the cover. The cite measurements from Engineering (that are clearly wrong), tell me to just "pop the rubber seal back in with a flatblade screwdriver", and try to justify their cover by stating that they've shipped "over 1000 of them without issue." Really? How many 2014/2015 GM trucks are on the road with the 6'6" bed? Their defense is that 1000 of them have this cover and no one has complained about the horrible design?

I've given Bak one more business day to respond regarding the defective item. I've reached out to the company I bought it from for help (no response there yet). I will post any updates / resolution that I get so that anyone can have as much information as possible at their disposal to make an informed decision as to whether or not they wish to buy ANYTHING from Bak. I know that I won't be buying anything from them in the future.

ember1205 · March 31, 2015

Still no word from my reseller, but Bak responded to my inquiries regarding the cover being defective and have offered to ship a new one. They have not indicated how the bad one would be handled (do I send it back? keep it? dispose of it?) as of yet.

I have requested explicit information on how to interpret the specifications (measurements) for the cover for this truck, as well as exactly what those specs are - It's important to me to understand whether or not the cover that I currently have is built to their size specifications or not. The whole process of communicating with them, seemingly required to be by email, is painfully slow.

ember1205 · March 31, 2015

I received another email today from Bak. New cover is "being built" and they provided a tracking number. Old cover is to be sent back using a label they send me.

They claim to have no documentation that they can provide that shows exact panel sizes, total length, etc. I took photos showing how I measured, what the measurements were, and have asked for additional information with regard to those photos.

As an aside - the total length of my cover varies 3/16" from one side to the other. There's absolutely NO WAY that's "to spec".

spectaculous · March 31, 2015

You should've got a Roll-X or its soon-to-be successor, Revolver X2. I know that that is just my opinion, but I don't see the appeal in the hard folding variety. They show 3 folding seams that don't help in the looks department and you've pointed out several design flaws in the bak version.

At least Bak is trying to make it better for you...

ember1205 · April 1, 2015

You should go back and read what I've written to date. My issues are with poor customer service, an inferior / bad design, and their seeming unwillingness to even respond to an inquiry about a possible defect until I gave them a deadline. Replacing the cover with an identically built one will address the defect, but does not alleviate the problem with not being well-designed.

As far as a roll-up cover, they do not function well in areas that get regular ice and snow. Once there's some melting of any residual snow into the channel and a re-freeze, you're done until Spring - unless you have a heated garage and can completely thaw and dry it out in there.

stevev · April 1, 2015

Who did you buy it from? Normally, a good seller would help to resolve any issues with the cover.

I recommend anyone buying a Bak cover to buy from Morrie who runs tonneaufactoryoutlet.com (formerly called bakfactoryoutlet.com), he provides great customer service. I currently have the Roll-x cover on my Sierra with no issues. In 2009, I bought a Bak HD folding cover and it leaked at the folding seams and Morrie was able to get me a replacement cover right away, and the replacement cover served me well for 4 years without any issues or new leaks. Morrie will give you a good price too, just ask for the "forum" discount.

I had no problems in applying the supplied thick weather-stripping along the front bulkhead rail. But since our side rails sit up much higher than the front bulkhead rail, I still had a tiny gap so I then applied the other thin weather-stripping they supplied on top of it and it sealed the gap and I don't get any water leaks coming it.

ember1205 · April 1, 2015

Seller has been 100% silent. I got a very good price on it (way better than the site you're referring to), but am getting absolutely zero support from them. They've graduated themselves to my lengthy list of vendors I will never deal with again.

Once I have this entire issue "settled" (either off the truck with something different OR a properly-sized Bak cover installed), I will add photos of the Bak install that I'm dealing with. The weather strip for the front rail seems to be the correct thickness to close the gap, but it should have been installed onto a painted surface - not the textured finish of a spray-in liner - for best adhesion and water seal. Bak provided different guidance and said "have the rail sprayed".

Even though the weather strip seems to close the gap, it's in direct contact with the rubber weather seal of the cover and NOT the metal of the cover itself. This will absolutely provide sub-par water sealing as well. And, there's no way to change that because the cover is too short to properly install and cover both the front rail and the tailgate.

I will see what the replacement cover yields and will hope that it was the wrong cover from the start. I doubt it will turn out that way, though.

stevev · April 1, 2015

oh I see, my weather strip is installed on the painted surface, and I have the drop-in plastic liner that does not cover the front bulkhead rail.

Way better price, but as you see absolutely no customer service. Did you call Morrie's site when comparing prices? Because you can't go by what's posted on the website, they have to post the retail price on the website, and then you just call or message/chat with them to get the best discounted price.

sharper · April 1, 2015

I put a Bak-Flip on my F150. After exchanging it 3 times (I was open to exchanging it once, but the other two times were irritating), I still had water literally pooling inside the bed of the truck (like, if the front end were pointed down I could potentially get several inches of water that would pool). I wasted so much time with a hose and video camera and pictures and re-installing for them. My stroller, suitcase, everything was getting soaked any time it rained or I went through a carwash.

*Finally* they let me return it under warranty but when it arrived they claimed I owed $88 to offset shipping costs. I was so angry and vowed I'd never buy another Bak product ever again. The Extang product line has been a real breath of fresh air, comparably.

ember1205 · April 1, 2015

The F1 cover that I had on my '11 Tundra Crew Max fit, worked, and seal very well. As stated originally, it was very influential in my decision to get another Bak cover.

The cover for the Sierra / Silverado is VERY different in design (four panels instead of three, and NOWHERE does Bak actually show you a current-model GM cover or discuss the details of its build). The bad design is the cause for my griping about fit and finish. I haven't had it long enough to know if it's going to leak, but there's no way I'm tapping the front rail plastic insert caps for drainage until I know the cover isn't going to leak.

I paid via PayPal and believe I could file a very reasonable claim to get all of my money back from the seller, especially in light of the fact that:

A) The email address they have on file with PayPal is invalid

B) I -have- a valid email for them that they have replied to in the past but have refused to reply to this inquiry on

Unless the new Bak cover is longer and fits properly, I may well just file a claim and be done with it if I can find a hard, folding tonneau that actually provides the functionality that I'm looking for.

SlavO · April 1, 2015

Roll-× here 6'-6" bed gad it for a week fit great got it from morrie $729. Free shipping. 50 visa card as well from BAK.. sry about your luck hopefully it works out good 4 you.

ember1205 · April 1, 2015

From what I can see in your first picture, it appears that the Roll-X suffers from the same insufficent length as the HD. By not overlapping the tailgte by more than 1/4", the "security" that they sell you simply isn't there. It's far too easy to slip something between the gate and the cover to actuate the release on the Roll-X as well as the hard folding covers.

Additionally, that lack of overlap means insufficient pressure can be maintained between the cover and the tailgate to keep water out - its position is going to cause water to wick into the bed area instead of staying out completely.

I feel that Bak took a huge shortcut on the design purely to drop manufacturing cost, and it has completely soured me on the entire line of products they offer. Their customer service has been very lackluster, there are NO vehicle-specific instructions, photos, or drawings, and they can't even agree on their own technical specifications.

stevev · April 1, 2015

From what I can see in your first picture, it appears that the Roll-X suffers from the same insufficent length as the HD. By not overlapping the tailgte by more than 1/4", the "security" that they sell you simply isn't there. It's far too easy to slip something between the gate and the cover to actuate the release on the Roll-X as well as the hard folding covers.

Additionally, that lack of overlap means insufficient pressure can be maintained between the cover and the tailgate to keep water out - its position is going to cause water to wick into the bed area instead of staying out completely.

The Roll-X has a bulb-type seal at the rear that seals against the tailgate. This not only helps to keep the water out, but also you can't see the release cable either, so if you stuck a coat hanger under the cover, you would just be pressing into the bulb seal. I have no water leak issues with my Roll-X cover on my 5'8" short bed.

Although this guy (video) says you can still reach the release cable, so he added some extra hooks/chains to make it even more secure, see video here:

SlavO · April 1, 2015

From what I can see in your first picture, it appears that the Roll-X suffers from the same insufficent length as the HD. By not overlapping the tailgte by more than 1/4", the "security" that they sell you simply isn't there. It's far too easy to slip something between the gate and the cover to actuate the release on the Roll-X as well as the hard folding covers.

Additionally, that lack of overlap means insufficient pressure can be maintained between the cover and the tailgate to keep water out - its position is going to cause water to wick into the bed area instead of staying out completely.

I feel that Bak took a huge shortcut on the design purely to drop manufacturing cost, and it has completely soured me on the entire line of products they offer. Their customer service has been very lackluster, there are NO vehicle-specific instructions, photos, or drawings, and they can't even agree on their own technical specifications.

1/4" it looks like mine is about 1" overlap. So far no water has got in

ember1205 · April 1, 2015

My cover ends exactly where yours does. The problem is that the material on my cover at that point is simply a rubber weather seal. And, that seal is less than 3/4" wide. Combined with the 1/4" of the metal frame that overlaps that gate and it's less than a full inch of material.

The two sides of the truck don't measure the same from front to back, either, though. This is due to the "hinges" between the panels being made of rubberized material and not a solid structural material. All-in-all, it's a very bad design.

Bak has had another pass by without responding to my requests for properly measuring the cover.

I'm going back to the drawing board and looking for a cover that will suit my needs.

- Must provide a significant level of weather protection. The ideal would be a cover that can stand up to high pressure car wash sprays, but it must definitely allow even very heavy rainfall to penetrate the weather seals

- Rigid material, folding style. I've had soft tonneaus before, and can't stand how they flap in the wind. Additionally, soft materials provide zero security. And, roll-up tonneaus just don't lendthemselves to the kinds of use I have.

- Must have a latching mechanism that is either completely concealed (preferred) when the gate is closed, or is lockable. The Fold-A-Cover looks interesting, but I'm concerned about the lock and latch staying ice-free in the New England winters.

- Panels must fold up "almost all the way". The one aspect of the Bak that I have been spoiled by is the ability to fold the panels and lean them against the cab, exposing all but about a 4" section of the bed. This last little bit is the main rail that holds the cover in place at the front at all times.

- A three panel system for a 6'6" bed would be preferred compared to a four panel system.

If it does not have ALL of the features above, it is not a candidate to replace the Bak that's on there. If anyone knows of a product that meets ALL of these requirements, let me know. Anything less and I reserve the right to call you names.