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Truxedo Truxport Tonneau Cover
WHY? I never thought I'd want a tonneau cover for my Frontier; it's a working truck, and I'm constantly using the bed to haul junk around the ranch (even a dead deer or hog on occasion). After seeing a Truxport cover on a friend's F150, however, I began to see the possibilities. It allows me to secure items in the bed, keeps cargo out of the elements, and can offer a slight improvement in highway fuel economy. After deciding to buy, I set out to find the best tonneau for my need. I soon learned that the selection of manufacturers and models is mind-boggling; I researched dozens of choices and could have looked for weeks. The field narrowed quickly, as I wanted a soft cover that could be rolled up easily and would work with the utili-track system and still allow me to use my sliding bed extender. I finally settled on the Truxport cover by Truxedo; it meets all of the requirements above and the I like the fact that it can be secured by locking my tailgate. After shopping around I located the cover at Autoanything.com; their price was $259.20 but I was able to use a 15%-off coupon, which netted the price down to $244.20. Shipping was free. I placed the order online via their website which was well-organized and easy to navigate. SERVICE. Outstanding. Immediately after ordering I received a confirmation email. The tonneau was drop-shipped directly from the manufacturer, and I received a notification and tracking number. I would have received the cover in about a week, but it was damaged in shipment and had to go back to the factory. I contacted the customer service folks at Autoanything.com, and they were fantastic; they contacted the factory and made a replacement order immediately. It's easy to get a real, live competent person on the telephone and that's rare in the internet sales business. I received the second shipment in another week--it arrived in the original factory box, with all instructions included. All parts were included in the box, but I was a bit disappointed with the factory's packing job; a couple of the metal brackets had banged around in the box and scratched one of the side rails. The scuff marks were on a spot that's not visible when the tonneau is installed, so I wasn't too upset, but they should be more careful in shipping. INSTALLATION. This tonneau can be easily installed by the average home mechanic with common hand tools. The Truxedo website boasts that the cover is easily installed in about 20 minutes; don't count on it. The instructions were well-written and nicely illustrated, and the only tool needed for the installation was a 1/2" wrench or socket. Working very carefully I had the cover installed and adjusted in about 35 minutes, and I am an experienced mechanic. Now that I'm familiar with the installation I could probably do the job in 20 minutes, but if much adjustment was necessary it could take longer. The side rails are held in place by six clamps (three per side), and the velcro closures make opening and closing the top a simple process. Mechanical adjusters at the end of each rail enable you to keep the top tight in varying weather conditions. I thought about taking pics of the installation process, but it was so simple that I decided against it.
RESULTS. My first impression is very positive. The cover fits very well and looks great. It is very easy to roll the cover back, as the supports and bows roll up into the cover itself; the covered bed can be completely opened in 30 seconds or so, and the sliding bed extender is still fully functional. Since installing the Truxport, I have carefully monitored my fuel economy and it appears that the new cover has improved highway mileage by about 0.8 MPG--not a huge improvement, but enough to pay for itself over a few years of use. WORTH THE MONEY? $244 isn't cheap, but it's not a bad price to pay if this tonneau holds up well.
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