How To Repair Hole In Hard Tonneau Cover With Steps -

Much as we may take precautions to ensure that our truck bed covers do not come into any harm, sometimes that still happens. The important thing, when such happens, is to know how best we can solve whatever problem it maybe with little or no stress.

Among the problems, we may have to contend with while using tonneau covers is getting them torn or having a gaping hole in their fabric. We shall see how to solve this problem and several others in the course of this article. (Read Also: Extang Solid Fold 2.0 Problems (Plus Possible Fix))

How To Repair Hole In Hard Tonneau Cover

Step 1: Sand Down

To effectively repair a hole in a tonneau cover, you should simply sand down the affected place and rub it with alcohol to provide a good bonding surface for the repair chemicals.

Step 2: Fill The Hole

Next, using Bondo-glass (the Bondo with fibreglass strands in it), take some of the bondo glass and pack it in the hole until it is full and then smoothen it out.

Step 3: Seal Up Then Paint

With the use of a good primer over it, seal it up finally. Thereafter, allow it to dry properly. This smoothening will enable you to paint satisfactorily in the end if you want to.

What Causes A Hard Tonneau Cover To Have Holes In The First Place?

Truck bed covers get holes punctured in them due to several reasons which include:

Sudden and hard contact with sharp or pointed objects.
Repeated application of injurious or harmful chemical substances during either cleaning or washing, that are capable of gradually degrading the strength of its fabric.
Persistent exposure to UV light particularly during parking or while on long journeys, which you may undertake regularly.
Forceful closure of the truck bed cover against a large cargo sitting on the truck bed that has sharp spikes or pointed edges which can injure it.
Tonneau covers may also develop holes in them due to prolonged use or ageing.

What Do I Need To Keep In Mind Before Fixing A Hole In My Truck Cover?

Some of the things you must have in mind before fixing any hole in your truck cover are that, after the repairs, the affected portion is likely to appear distinctively different in colour from the rest of the cover, due to the application of the repair substance, whose colour and texture may not necessarily be exactly the same as the original colour of the cover.

Furthermore, you should be aware that some companies may not permit the use of any repair substance on the truck bed cover. If that is the position of things, going ahead with the repairs may void the warranty and guarantee terms of sale.

To know where you should stand on this, you can reach out to the company just to know whether that is allowed or not, and where it is not, proceeding with the repairs may void your warranty agreement.

Are There Tonneau Covers That Are More Resistant To Having Tears/Holes?

It is true that some truck bed covers are harder than others and hence are more resistant to getting easily torn. However, this depends on how well you use and maintain them.

The truck covers that are more resistant in this regard are the hard types of truck covers, whose material fabric are tougher and more durable, such as the hard folding or the hard retractable types.

How Can I Prevent My Tonneau Cover From Having Holes?

There are many ways through which you can prevent your tonneau covers from getting punctured prematurely, which could be by using only recommended cleaning or shining chemical agents during their maintenance.

Another way by which you can help is by making sure that you do not park or leave the truck in the sun as much as possible. (Read Also: How Hot Does It Get Under A Tonneau Cover? Find Out)

This is because UV rays are known to gradually eat away at any substance left in them for prolonged periods. Heavy objects should not also be placed on these truck bed covers as much as possible.

Similarly, avoid standing on them either during washing or loading, even if the manufacturers claim that such can be done without any harm.

Additionally, do not forcefully close the bed covers against any large cargo in its bed, especially where such cargo has pointed spikes or sharp edges.

Finally, tonneau covers get pierced during the handling of certain objects around them which may injure them accidentally.

Make sure that when handling potentially injurious materials around your truck beds, do so with absolute care, lest you puncture your tonneau cover unintentionally, or better still, move away from the vehicle while handling such items.

How Much Does It Cost To Repair A Hole In Tonneau Cover?

It costs relatively nothing much more than what you may spend to buy the Bondo glass repair agent and the primer. So, essentially, to repair a hole in a tonneau cover may actually cost only a few dollars.

How Long Does The Repair Take?

Considering the fact that great care must be taken while fixing a hole in a truck bed cover, there is also the need to allow the repair enough time to dry, still, you do not need more than about thirty minutes to get the entire operation fully executed.

Though this time frame may slightly vary depending on the size of the hole to be repaired and whether or not you have someone to assist you.

FAQ

Can You Patch A Tonneau Cover?

Yes, you can. All you need to do this satisfactorily is to prepare the site of the repair such that the bonding agents can get a good grip and you can do it nicely and fast too.

How Do I Patch A Hole In My Tonneau Cover?

You can get that done by simply trimming any jagged edges at the site of the tear or hole and thereafter, apply some alcohol in order to remove any dirt present, as well as to provide a good bonding surface.

Stick in the hole bondo glass repair substance and smoothen it before you finally use a good priming agent to complete the process. It’s as simple as that really.

What Is The Best Vinyl Repair Kit?

There are all sorts of vinyl repair agents on the market to choose from. However, to get the best for your truck cover will depend on that which is recommended by the manufacturers of the truck cover.

As a result of this, before you settle on any repair agent for your truck bed, get in touch with the manufacturers either through their website addresses or customer care services.

Better still, the user manual enclosed in the truck cover supply pack can be of great help in this endeavour. This approach is the best because first, they know what is really good for their products and second, doing as they advise will surely protect your warranty agreement, just in case.

Is Soft Or Hard Tonneau Cover Better?

If you are looking at it from the angle of the security and protection of both your truck bed and its contents, then the hard tonneau covers are the best items of choice.

If on the other hand, you are looking for aesthetic relevance or beauty, then you should go for the soft types of truck bed covers. This simply means that the best truck covers depend on the use for which you want them.

How Can I Fix A Tear In Leather Tonneau Cover?

Most soft truck bed covers are manufactured using vinyl and although vinyl is stronger than leather is, the repair of any tear in either of them is basically the same and the same repair agents are used as well.

To do this effectively, get hold of a good leather or vinyl repair kit. Prepare the site for the repair work by trimming and scrubbing with alcohol before using glue to press the affected edges together.

Finally, mix and fill these edges with the filler material before applying a blending pigment, which will give the repaired area a look as close to the rest of the truck cover as possible.

What Are Some Of The Best Leather Repair Kits Available?

Leather can be durable and long-lasting too, but it is not indestructible and so to maintain its appearance and also guard against any damage, we ought to use the best repair kits available and affordable.

Luckily, there is a wide variety from which we can choose. Some of these are the kit by Strongman and marketed by Amazon.

It contains 25 different pieces between the leather repaint and many other accessories. Each pack contains about seven intermixable paints, leather adhesive, backing fabric, grain papers, a PU leather sample for practice and lots more.

There is also the leather recolouring balm, also marketed by Amazon, which deeply absorbs into leather thereby giving it a good colour and fresh newness.

The balm can be supplied in as many as 21 different colours, which can create lighter or darker tints depending on the quantity applied on the surface.

The Chemical Guys, a California based company produces a leather repair kit that is second to none other. Their products are simple and straightforward to apply and they nourish your leather to give it a rich and supple appearance.

There is also the MASTAPLASTA Self Adhesive Patch for leather and vinyl repairs. Leather patches are an alternative to traditional leather repair kits and MASTAPLASTA is the pioneer in this enterprise. They manufacture leather patches in various sizes and colours too.

Colours variations range from tan, dark brown and many more unique varieties like green, ivory, navy and many more.

The Chamberlain’s Leather Milk Healing Balm is an exceptional product for fixing and restoring leather from the effects of scratches made by pets or whatever means through simply using a towel to fill damaged areas and restore its glossy shine.

Finally, we have the Max Mega Kit for leather repair. This kit is available in about twelve colours that will promptly heal problem areas in your leather.

Its contents include one bottle of restoration and refinishing serum, nourishing leather conditioner, tough leather sealant, backing materials, a filler compound and bottles of black and white leather colour changer that will enable you to either darken or lighten your leather surface.

Their product is waterproof, non-toxic and won’t rub off on any clothing too. All these highly reviewed leather repair kits are available at Amazon.

Conclusion

As much as possible, we try to make the best choices of truck bed covers before we buy. This is particularly relevant since tonneau covers are quite expensive and tender, which means without the necessary care and attention, they can easily get damaged regretfully.

Luckily, there are ways through which we can solve all these common complaints. It is therefore advised that you get these repair kits handy so that you can attend to truck bed cover issues promptly whenever they arise.

However, we should never forget to always seek the consent of the manufacturers before we indulge in anything since failure or refusal to do so may translate into voiding our guarantee and warranty terms of sale.

You can do this with the aid of the user manual or through direct contact with them using their customer care addresses. Absolute care must be taken during any of the cleaning and usage of truck bed covers so as to guard against any willful damage and waste.

All these requirements are so much part of using a truck bed cover that you were advised from the beginning to conduct in-depth research before you make any move with regards to the purchase and use of tonneau covers in your trucks.

Installation is given the seriousness it deserves and you have been repeatedly told what to do or what not to. This is primarily because poor or wrong installation not only kills your truck bed cover prematurely, it also causes it to leak even when there is neither any hole nor damage to any of its parts.