Tonneau covers are used in trucks primarily to protect cargo from contamination by dust, secure it from theft and also protect the truck bed and also its content from the elements of inclement weather. Additionally, they also add to the beauty and value of the truck.
In discharging these functions, they must be analyzed on the basis of the integrity of the materials from which they are manufactured. Some of them are more challenging in this respect than others. We would look at them vis-a-vis their various characteristics and conclude on whether they can do that effectively or not.
So, are tonneau covers easy to break into? Tonneau covers are not all that easy to break into, since in some instances, you may have to apply special skills to get that done.
This does not include the fact that you will also need enough time to be able to break into them. To answer the topic question, tonneau covers are quite secure indeed, especially when it comes to breaking into the hard types
How secure they depend on a lot of factors among which is where you park the vehicle because you are inviting attack if you park in secluded and deserted places.
To make them more secure, always park your trucks at crowded places, or where there are people and not where prospective thieves will have the truck all to themselves.
Read Also: How Do You Open A Tonneau Cover When Tailgate Won’t Open?
In a hurry? here are 3 Covers That Are Not easy to break into you might want to check out
- Hard One-Piece Tonneau Covers
- hard retractable tonneau cover
- BAK Revolver X4 Hard Rolling Truck Bed Tonneau Cover
How Secure Are Tonneau Covers?
For the protection of truck bed contents, the hard type of tonneau covers are more reliable than the soft ones, for obvious reasons.
To make it more understandable, the hard tonneau covers present a little more challenge in breaking into than the soft ones.
To break into hard tonneau covers, you need specialized tools and other cutting tools. However, when it comes to breaking into soft tonneau covers, all you need are a razor blade, knife or a pair of scissors.
Essentially, therefore, tonneau covers are secure up to a certain extent, but to make sure that you make them more secure, always park at places where it would not be very easy to have prolonged access to them.
Read Also: Can You Sleep Under A Tonneau Cover?
Are There Tonneau Covers That Resist Breaking Into?
Yes, there are. Those truck bed covers that resist breaking into are the hard tonneau covers because of the strength of their materials.
To desecrate them, you need not only special equipment, but also a long time alone to perpetrate the act. Therefore, the hard type of truck bed covers resists breaking into as much as possible more than most other types.
How Does One Break Into A Tonneau Cover?
To break into any tonneau cover, you must need certain specific items or tools. For example, you need only a razor blade or a pair of scissors to cut into a soft vinyl tonneau cover.
In the case of breaking into a hard tonneau cover, you need specialized tools with which you can either cut, tear or forcefully rupture the cover.
In cases where a prospective thief does not have any of this equipment, they are left with no other option than to go around the locks and most of them are really not easy to crack.
In fact, some tonneau covers are even equipped with electromagnetic locks and hence breaking into them will require the services of a skilled peterman, who is a thief with special skills in locks.
Read Also: How To Fix Sagging Tonneau Covers With Steps In 2021
How Long Does It Take To Break Into A Tonneau Cover?
There isn’t a definitive answer, so to say, for this question. This is basically because you take more time to break into some truck covers than others.
For example, the hard types are more difficult to infiltrate than the soft vinyl types and again, there is the question of whether you have all the required tools to effect a break-in or not, If you do and you have enough time, it wouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes.
How long it takes you, if you don’t have the tools, could be much longer than expected. Furthermore, if you plan to break into a truck cover via opening the locks, which makes you a peterman, it takes as long as your skill would allow. All in all, breaking into a truck bed cover should take from 30 minutes to an hour.
What Tools Are Required To Break Into A Tonneau Cover?
To break into a tonneau cover, you require such implements like a razor blade, scissors, pliers, screwdrivers, coat hangers or pinches and just about anything else that will assist you to gain access into the truck bed.
How Do You Secure Your Truck Cover To Avoid Breaking Into?
Theft occurs when the opportunity to perpetrate it presents itself. To lend credence to this assertion, you should first, make sure that your truck bed cover is perfectly sealed by leaving no space whatsoever, through which any intending thief might take a peek into your truck bed.
Additionally, in order to guard against any theft, be very careful in making sure that you park your truck only at places that are not deserted.
Read Also: Do Bakflip Covers Leak? 3 Leakproof Covers You Should Check Out
This is a way of denying any thief the opportunity to have time alone with your truck. Choose your truck covers carefully in order to make them as secure as possible.
This can be done by purchasing truck covers that are both hard and also have very complicated locks, that will challenge any peterman.
When you take these measures, your truck can be described as secure as possible. Take note however that, no measures taken are completely foolproof, especially where you are dealing with a very determined thief.
What Are Some Of The Most Secured Tonneau Covers In The Market?
Like we have repeatedly reiterated, tonneau covers have different designs and material compositions which confer on them varying resistances to infiltration. Some of the hardest among them are;
- Hard One-Piece Tonneau Covers: These truck covers are made of sturdy and very durable materials because they are made from fibreglass, polypropylene, or aluminium. All these materials are impressively strong and can bear a lot of weight. If you wish for a strong truck bed cover, you should really give them a thought. Due to their strength, you cannot easily pry the side rails or even cut your way through them.
- Hard Retractable Truck Bed Cover: Next among very strong truck bed covers is the hard retractable tonneau cover. These truck bed covers seal your truck bed by simply retracting into themselves, and are also made with the same materials as the hard one-piece truck covers. They also have the advantage of exposing as much or as little of their content as needed.
- Hard Folding Bed Cover: The hard folding truck covers (such as BAK Revolver X4 Hard Rolling Truck Bed Tonneau Cover) are also another brand of truck bed covers that can withstand an assault from thieves and give them a good run for their money. Essentially, if you are looking to secure your cargo, the hard folding truck bed covers are surely a good option.
How Secure Are Soft Tonneau Covers?
Soft tonneau covers are the least secured when it comes to infiltration by thieves. If you wish to make them as secure as possible, the most advisable thing to do is to take personal precautions such as parking your truck in a place where prospective thieves will not have a field day to allow for any theft.
In addition, always park your truck in a covered garage and install all scientific gimmicks that will alert you the instant any attempt is made on them, both at home and elsewhere. Where possible, equip them with the best possible locks on the market. Though all these are not foolproof, they go a long way in discouraging any potential theft.
What Are Some Of The Disadvantages Of Automatic Car Washes On Tonneau Covers?
The best way to wash your vehicle is manually at home, since by doing that you will avoid complications that may result from automatic car washes.
However, doing that may not always be possible due to reasons of time and so on. In such cases, the only alternative left is automatic car washes, though this procedure is replete with complications. What are the complications of automatic car washes? (Read Also: Can You Take A Truck With A Tonneau Cover Through A Car Wash?)
1. The Spinning Brushes
This method of washing uses spinning brushes to rub off the dirt or grime that is sticking on the vehicle parts. These kinds of brushes apply friction while cleaning and when it comes to soft covers, there is then the tendency of soft tonneau covers to get injured this way.
Though very high-quality soft tonneau covers may not be very susceptible to this kind of injury, it still poses a risk to soft tonneau covers.
2. The Use Of Dryer Fans
Automatic car washes use dryer fans after washing the truck covers so that moisture can be dried up. The dried air used in drying is capable of affecting the truck covers in diverse ways.
The static pressure brought onto the surface of the truck covers is more than the atmospheric pressure, and can thus bring undue stress on the truck cover and its parts.
Where the tonneau cover is not properly aligned, it is likely to open suddenly, thereby causing damage to itself or even other parts of the vehicle. It is also possible for the cover to detach itself from the truck and fly into the car wash properties or even other vehicles around.
3. Pressurized Water
The water in a carwash is different from the water we get from the rains. This is because rainwater falls straight downwards or a bit to one side, whereas the water in a carwash, can come down hard in many directions.
Again, there is the issue of whether your truck cover is actually fully secured to the bed, because if not, water may enter it and cause severe damage to the underside of your tonneau cover or even the cargo you may have in it.
Most tonneau covers are only weather resistant but not waterproof and therefore, even when your tonneau cover is secured, you should be ready to have some quantity of water get into it anyway.
4. Residual Debris
Automatic car washes may in reality not be as clean as you believe, because other vehicles that might have been attended to before you could have an enormous amount of filth on them, which could have stuck to the brushes or other parts that come in contact with your truck bed cover.
Although the changes may be minimal, there is still the possibility of damage to your truck cover from this stuck filth. Furthermore, the dryer fans have the potentials of blowing around bits of rock that can dent your hard truck bed covers.
Taking all these things into consideration, it is far better for you to wash your truck cover yourself than utilize the services of any automatic car wash and its associated problems.
Conclusion
Yes, tonneau covers are used in trucks, first and foremost, to safeguard the cargo you are carrying from theft, and secondly, to protect both the cargo and the truck bed from the hassles of any inclement weather.
However, their ability to discharge these responsibilities properly depends on whether you make the correct choice when buying. That is much the reason why you are required to conduct in-depth research before you do anything.
Even when you happened to have made the correct choices, how well and long these truck covers serve you depends on how well you maintain them. Learn all these things, in order to spare yourself from any avoidable complaints.
You should also be very careful in all you do because it is possible to lose on two fronts. For instance, you stand the risks of not only damaging your precious possession but also losing both your guarantee and warranty terms.
A situation I am sure you wouldn’t appreciate. For this reason, you should exercise serious care in both washing and using your truck bed cover, lest you lose this guarantee agreement.
Take very seriously the issue of conducting thorough research before you venture into anything, lest you wind up regretting your actions. A word, they say, is simple enough for the wise, and you should agree.