Bak Industries - My story (read before you buy)

I am new to this forum however I have been around on other forums for years.

This is not to intended to bash the company, it is to inform potential buyers and current owners.

Bak industries has been very supportive and honestly went above and beyond to cover the issues I experienced even after the warranty period, I am very thankful for their service to date!

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My story

I have had a Bak flip tonno of some sort for the past 5+ years and love the cover/idea and for the most part function.

I started with the older G2 that I got used and loved it, my friend loved it more so he bought it after I had it a year and I upgraded to a new Fiber max. in 2012.

After 2 years of flawless use the cover had faded and the white fibers were showing even though I used the recommended 3M 303 uv protection.

In 2014 they warrantied the cover and this is where thing start to go downhill, I am currently on my 4th (5th?) replacement cover.

My first replacement cover lasted a few months before the first hing seal failure. The seal shrank and pulled away from the side leaving a hole for water to find.

From 2014 to this past month I have been through a replacement Fibermax, HD, F1 and currently on a MX4. All these covers lasted a while and then the seal pulled away leaving a gap.

We have reached the end of the road and Bak is no longer able to replace the cover. I understand as I am way out of the original warranty period and again they have gone above and beyond to date.

That being said I am mostly disappointed that they have not resolved the hinge seal issue in the past 2-3 years. To me this is an easy MFG fix, look at the properties of the seal (expansion/contraction) and adjust the spec length for the seal accordingly.

It is time for me to try a different brand/MFG. as I can't see spending $$ on a new cover if there is a possibility that I will keep chasing failing hinge seals. They have a great cover that is ideal for my needs, they just need to tweak the design a little and it will be solid again.

Current owners -- keep an eye on your hinge seals.

Potential owners -- it really is a great cover and I had a run of bad luck with a repeating failure. Their customer service is excellent and they will do everything they can to take care of you if something does go wrong with the cover. For those interested the MX4 has been my favorite and I like the updates on the cover the most, I recommend the MX4 over the others at this time.

Hope this info help to make current owners aware of an issue that may appear and helps potential owners make an informed decision.

Thx for the heads up!

The BakFlip VP I have has all hinges covered in vinyl so I have no experience with the type of failure you had. You might want to have a look at the VP, I have had it for 2 years now and no issues.

I bought a BakFlip F1 in 2013. Within the warranty period, it leaked badly and was replaced under warranty. The original cover was also oxidizing and fading due to UV. The replacement cover also faded over time with the exposed strands and had a flat matte finish over time. BAK blamed this on me.

I blasted them for selling a product like the F1 that could not withstand the environment.

I believe it is cheaper for them to simply ship you a new cover than it is to spend the money in R&D to design a material that won't fade and oxidize due to UV exposure. I don't know if they have the F1 panels made in China and simply assemble the panels and frames in CA. They don't ask you for your old cover back because it can't be repaired.

Having said all that, the BAKflip is a very functional cover. It's more low profile, easy to use, and is a simple design. I like the covers. I'd like to see them really put some effort in designing a product that doesn't leak at the panel seams.

I have a G2 on my current truck. I knew it would leak at the panel seams when I ordered it and it does leak. The G2 is painted aluminum and I didn't pay F1 pricing and got the same cover.

Had same problem as OP with 2 g2 covers. Inner seals pulling from the edges. That is why when I traded my '15 in I told the dealership they can have the cover. They seemed surprised but I knew better. ****** made cover for sure.

When I was searching for a new cover, I was talking to a chat service through tonno world. The rep handled chat sessions for 5 different websites. He told me all g2 covers are pure garbage, all leak and the Mx line was a way better option. He also told me that bak is having issuing with leaks on all their covers. End result...I bought a GatorTrax.

I have a undercover tri fold.. I think.. It's Been on the truck since 2014 when I bought my truck new.. I get summer temps of 115* and winter temps of -5*. Had a couple dogs up on it while folded up, kids on top of it, even driver for 100miles on rough interstate with the last section folded up and not secured. Think works AWSOME- only had to relighting the secure bolts " where it clamps to the inner bed rail" once. Only once has water really got in the bed and that's because the damn thing had 1 foot of snow on it .. Then it rained and melted 6" of the snow then it froze for two days then snowed again.. Water got in the drain runs and froze so the water had to go some where- not a big deal.

ExpressRules said:

The BakFlip VP I have has all hinges covered in vinyl so I have no experience with the type of failure you had. You might want to have a look at the VP, I have had it for 2 years now and no issues.

Click to expand...

I looked at that version, however talking with Bak they did not recommend it and said the vinyl would not hold up. They also did not recommend the Roll X (Revolver) or the Rollback.

Great product in concept, needs some tweaks and it would be one of hte best again.

I am going a different route, doing research and gonna try a retractable one next I think.

**Update** another seal has shrunk leaving a gap.....that make (2) on this cover in less than a year.

I really wish they would have resolved this issue, i really like the cover and concept.

Any pictures? My G2 I noticed is leaking now and not sure where it is coming from, as I put foam in any potential areas I found.

Knock on wood...

My original Bak Roll-X is still going strong at the 3 year mark.

M² Mods - From my non Flammable S7!

**pics**

To revive an old topic! My cover just did this is there a way to replace the hinge seals? Don't want to buy a whole new cover obviously.


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Steveo8x8 said:

To revive an old topic! My cover just did this is there a way to replace the hinge seals? Don't want to buy a whole new cover obviously.


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Click to expand...

There is no repair. I called Bak on this and they said unless it's under warranty for replacement, they offer no fix. Why I hate their ****. Garbage. Went through this twice, each one did this. Never again.

Any sort of diy fix? For the time being I put a small piece of electrical tape over the gap.


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I used black rtv.

I have noticed that mine have shrunk some but not enough to make a gap.

mhb1638 said:

I used black rtv.

Click to expand...

And how's it holding up? Did u put something over it to hold it down to make it smooth?


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I had a g2 on my previous truck and all of the seals shrunk. Unfortunately for me, I bought it from the dealership rather than Bak and the dealer wouldn't warranty it. The truck is gone, I purchased from another dealership, and I won't buy another Bak cover.

Pic

brianw0048 said:

Pic

Click to expand...

Yep that's exactly what happened to one of my seals


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