Talk of tonneau covers that have become a household name and popular they are and retrax tonneau covers will come to mind.
Time provides the opportunity for improvement on flaws and defects and so, retrax tonneau covers even though may suffer from a few setbacks are great in terms of durability, and their ability to keep the bed of the truck protected from thieves and environmental elements such as rain snow, and others.
While this brand of tonneau cover may not be ranked by customers on the same level as well-known brands such as Bakflip and TruXedo, its outstanding performance makes it a competitor of these products.
They are however not with faults and drawbacks. The aim of this write up therefore is to make sure intending buyers are well aware of problems associated with retrax tonneau cover. Here are some of the problems :
Common Retrax Bed Cover Problems & Possible Solutions
1. Durability problems
Although the company markets its product as a highly durable tonneau cover that will serve the user for a considerable period without malfunctioning, this turns out to be more or less a market hype and nothing more. A good number of tonneau cover users beg to differ.
Based on numerous user reviews, the retrax tonneau cover works excellently well for the first three years. During this time, it maintains its looks and functionality and does not cause any problems.
However, past this time, that is, by the 3rd or 4th year, the tonneau cover suddenly develops disfiguring cracks that will cost it its looks and to sole extent functionality.
The unbelievable thing about this development is how suddenly it occurs. With other forms of deterioration, there is usually a warning sign, a gradual easing into reality, but with these cracks, it is almost like they appeared from nowhere or out of the thin air. The flawless performance of the tonneau cover suddenly becomes a bitter experience.
If this happens during the warranty window, the user can send in pictures of the defect and demand a replacement or refund.
The company thankfully honors its warranty policy on this issue except if the product is bought from an unauthorized dealer or if the user does not have a purchase order.
Given the timeline of this problem, the duration of the warranty for this product becomes a paramount consideration.
Studies and reports from current users of retrax tonneau cover show that the cover develops this problem by 3 or 4th years of usage. Therefore, the warranty must be such that it exceeds 4 years to have you covered and qualified for a refund.
Following the expiration of the warranty duration, it is impossible to get a refund or replacement from the company.
At the first notice of any sign of deterioration, send in a report to the company while the cover is still within the warranty period.
While the actual durability of the retrax tonneau cover is well below what the manufacturing company claims of their product, the level of care users show the tonneau cover also determines how long the cover will last before coming down with cracks.
Proper maintenance of a tonneau cover involves the use of recommended washing materials when cleaning the cover. The cover should not be excessively exposed to the sun and should be shielded from direct sunlight by using protectants.
It is unfair to spend such a significant amount of money on a tonneau cover and not make the most of it. Thankfully, within the same price range of retrax tonneau cover, there are other promising brands of tonneau cover with a longer life span that are budget-friendly.
2. Lock system issues
There is room for improvement on the lock system of the retrax tonneau cover. Why is this you ask? Well, when you take a closer look at the locking system of the retrax tonneau cover you will soon realize that the entire locking system is made up of primarily a pointed screw that is used to clamp into an aluminum rail.
The primary drawback in this design although it looks great outwardly is the aluminum getting eaten up with time due to its soft nature.
When this begins to happen, many users of retrax tonneau cover solve the ineffectiveness of their locking system by further tightening the lock to compensate for the eaten-up part of the aluminum.
While this approach may buy you some time, the reality soon catches up and the aluminum continues to get eaten up further, requiring more and more tightening to get the locking system working.
This cycle usually continues until the locking system of the tonneau cover eventually fails, after which the bed cover will be left open and unable to close.
When cases such as lock problems are reported to the company, they exhibit some level of hesitancy in attending to customers.
Customers are required to send in photos of the said defects which does not still guarantee a replacement. Users of retrax tonneau cover who experienced this with their tonneau cover complain of being accused by the company of forcefully opening the truck cover leading to such development.
Rather than going into a back-and-forth drag with the customer service personnel, you may want to save your breath by taking your truck to a repair shop or by ordering a replacement, a different brand without such a problem.
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3. Problem with construction material
Some remember a time when retrax tonneau covers were most likely the most dominant mesh covers in the market. They were the tonneau cover of choice for a lot of truck owners.
A few years down the line, they ceased to be and lost all attention and patronage. Compared to their prime, there are far fewer people using retrax tonneau cover now than prior.
So, what happened and how did the once-popular tonneau cover become relegated to the trenches? This has a lot to do with the type of construction material used in making the tonneau cover.
After a couple of years in the business, the company decided to replace most parts of the cover with plastic to reduce the cost of production.
This was not a move made only by manufacturers of retrax tonneau cover but by many other brands, why then is that of retrax tonneau cover different?
Replacing construction material with plastic reduces the cost of production at the expense of durability. This is more true for products in which the replacement does not spare even the essential parts of the cover, which is the case for the retrax tonneau cover.
Check out the tracks of your retrax tonneau cover and you will discover it has been made of plastics. These tracks are a crucial component of the tonneu cover as the ability of the tonneau cover to be topped up depends hugely on this. This part should therefore be made of more durable construction material and not plastic.
4. Post-installation problems
While most users do not have a problem with installing the tonneau cover, following installation, operating the tonneau cover is not as smooth as one would expect.
It does not run on the tracks smoothly on the first day of installation thereby making it difficult to slide it back and forth and almost impossible to do so with one hand, except of course you are a bodybuilder with high biceps.
This problem can be waved aside as something of lesser concern compared to other drawbacks associated with retrax tonneau cover. Moreover, after a few days of usage, the cover quickly smoothens up and gets smoother with time.
Overall, the retrax tonneau cover is still a good buy for some of its incredible features such as the ability to handle bad weather conditions.
Although it is not 100% waterproof, whenever water gets in, it has a system of tubes via which the water is drained out. The truck should however be parked preferably during heavy rainfalls in the garage to avoid getting the bed wet.
Wholesome of the problems with the retrax tonneau cover is covered by the company’s warranty policy, others are not.
Problems such as discoloration as a result of continuous exposure to the harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun, damages from events such as earthquakes and storms which are natural disasters out of anyone’s control are not covered by their warranty policy and such user may not get a replacement.
Similarly, purchases made from unauthorized dealers such as buying from online stores like amazon many deny the use of claims of warranty.
Is the retrax tonneau cover worth buying?
This is still a great product despite its shortcomings. It will surely provide its money’s worth of performance for a couple of years. With proper maintenance practice, this could be prolonged.
Final Thoughts
Some of the common problems experienced by those who make use of retrax tonneau cover in their truck include problems with durability, the lock system, and the construction material amongst others.
None of these is however significant enough to deprive the user of some benefits of using the cover at least for the first couple of years.
