Tonneau Covers and Car Washes

[FPrice]

Okay, this might seem like a minor, newbie question , but then again I AM a newbie. Here at least. Not in life.

My new (to me) 2017 Ram 1500 came with a tonneau cover. I had put a cap on my 2004 Ram but I can't quite afford a new cap for the 2017 yet. I prefer a cap for several reason, mainly security of things I may place ot keep in the cargo bed.

My question is whether tonneau covers leak very much in car washes. The sides of my cover seem to be fairly flush to the body but the rear seems to have a slight gap.

I do tend to store things in the back of my truck, boxes and some other things things. Some which are impervious to being wet, others not so much.

If it does leak a bit then removing the moisture sensitive items would not be all that much of a problem.

Oh, in case it matters, this is an outdoor truck. I do not have a garage big enough for it.

 

[phantomfixer]

I have a tonneau and I use the car wash often.It does not leak

 

[kurek]

I don't have any good way of knowing how much water gets in, but the soft tri-fold tonneau I have does allow some water to get in when it's sprayed at the truck. A bit leaks in past the tailgate and some gets under the seal of the tonneau. I only know this because I opened the tailgate after going through an automated wash and saw probably 60% of the interior had at least some wetness on it.

I don't think I'd want to store anything back there that couldn't take a bit of splashing.

 

[KnurledNut]

The only real test is to climb inside with a flashlight and let your missus drive thru.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

It all depends on the bed cover. Some seal better than others. If it has drain tubes make sure they are hooked up and routed correctly exiting the bed.

 

[Gero]

My bakflip g2 has a bit of leak. Not exactly sure where but it doesnt bother me too much. I've been told the soft vinyl ones are better at sealing from water intrusion.

 

[loweguy]

I have a Truxedo Truxport and just tried this yesterday. Not a single drop of water came in. However variables are the brand you have, the kind of carwash you go through and even how the cover is installed on the bed. I spent a ton of time aligning mine front to back and side to side for the best seal.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[avantiguy]

A rather inexpensive Tonnopro Hard fold cover here. When I installed it I found a bit of sunlight in the left front corner and added a small piece of foam to fill the void.

I now get no water at the car wash and driving for 45 minutes last week in a hard rain storm I found a couple drops on the liner above the right wheel well.

Very satisfied with the sealing of the cover.

 

[POINTMAN380]

I have one of the cheapest roll up covers that realtruck sells and have zero leaks. Always been a fan of the roll ups over the trifold

 

[phantomfixer]

I have a Truxedo Truxport and just tried this yesterday. Not a single drop of water came in. However variables are the brand you have, the kind of carwash you go through and even how the cover is installed on the bed. I spent a ton of time aligning mine front to back and side to side for the best seal.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I have a Truxedo Tonneau and mine does not leak either

 

[Purplert]

My bakflip leaks a bit up front mainly just when I’m washing it. I would still take caution and remove anything you don’t want and throw it in the backseat prior to running it through the car wash.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[duckman631]

I have a Truxedo Truxport and just tried this yesterday. Not a single drop of water came in. However variables are the brand you have, the kind of carwash you go through and even how the cover is installed on the bed. I spent a ton of time aligning mine front to back and side to side for the best seal.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I have the truxport truxedo on both our rams and no leaking thru car washes

 

[festivus15]

I have one of the cheapest roll up covers that realtruck sells and have zero leaks. Always been a fan of the roll ups over the trifold

I’m similar. Had to use a little silicone to get a perfect seal tho.

 

[Dave Robertson]

I'll 3rd or 4th the Truxcedo brand. I put a tailgate seal off of Amazon and I get zero water and very little dust in the bed.

 

[FPrice]

I have an eMAX by Extang tonneau cover. Does not appear on the original window sticker so I am guessing that the previous owner had it installed. Took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to unlock it.

 

[POINTMAN380]

I’m similar. Had to use a little silicone to get a perfect seal tho.

I had to mount mine on the high side of the adjustment so that the weather seal sat on top of the tailgate when closed. The only down side is that I have to release the tonneau cover, close the tailgate, then close the cover. Not a big deal but with the height of my 2500 I have to step up on the rear bumper to get enough ass on the cover to get it to latch.

 

[Whitd5]

Truxedo all the way... at least for a good seal.

 

[bigred90gt]

I have an Extang Solid Fold 2.0 on mine, and I use a drive through car wash exclusively (I am just not willing to hand wash a vehicle these days). I let’s in a very small amount of water, but not enough for me to concern myself with. I get more water sweating off my soft cooler that I keep back there most days. I keep golf clubs and golf shoes back there and there’s never been enough water to cause mildew problems, so I’m good with it.

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

I have a BAKFlip FiberMax and occasionally have negligible spotting around the tailgate, no pooling whatsoever. I'm not a fan of soft covers for a few reasons which is why I chose the bakflip. Had one on my prior RAM as well. One of the reasons I put a cover on was to be able to temporarily put things in it, if needed, and not worry about rain, snow, etc. (I don't like the bed to be used as permanent storage - I like to keep it available for various uses/hauling). I've put luggage in it for a long weekend trip and drove through rain with no issues.

 

[rwhjr]

I have a hard folding cover, some cheap brand I’d actually have to look at the receipt to remember....and it doesn’t leak. Maybe a drip at the back near tailgate but it’s pretty good.