Anyone install a cap?

I made the mistake of going on ARE's website and ordering my cap from the nearest dealer.
This guy is a one man show which I can appreciate. However the dude dragged his feet ordering my cap and now has had it for over a month and has not scheduled me for install.

He told me is wife sets the caps with him. Idk, I wish I had looked into the next closest dealer. So now I am thinking I would much rather tap into the truck myself than have this dude splice into any wires. Can anyone share where the best place is to tap in for the caps break light and for the dome light? Plan is to get the wire all set and go pick up my cap myself.

 

I believe brake light is tapped into wires on the driver side behind tail light. lots of open space behind driver side rear wheel between bed body and bed itself. Had mine professionally installed but can see underneath that this is where they tied into wires.

 

I understand the frustration. Had to wait for my DCU cap for 4 months to arrive and it's painful as for me a truck is more useless than a corolla if I can't have secured storage in the bed.

I wouldn't want to install that cap by myself. First off, you already paid sellers markup and installation fees for him to do the job, and also provide you with warranty in case something is wrong with the cap - it could leak, have defective hardware or paint issues. I believe paint warranty is 5 years. If you were to install it yourself, then your warranty may be gone.

Furthermore, sometimes caps are not exactly perfect. I believe that others mentioned, and same happened with my ARE cap that there was a gap where cap attaches to be bed near the sliding back window side. My installer was able to take care of that gap by adding more seals/padding. Maybe not perfect but is not visible and does seem like it'll hold for a long time. They're also responsible for fixing it if anything were to leak in the future. My installer had to attach the cap with the clamps to the bed (composite bed can't use bolts as steel beds) and they had hose clamps handy. If I were to do this work then it would take me multiple online orders of additional parts and more waiting...

I wouldn't worry too much about the wires splicing. My DCU had lots of led lights in it and 3 electric door locks. I'm not sure but I think they connected power for led lights probably somewhere near the tail lights, and lock wire connected to the tailgate release. I don't think there's a whole lot of wire splicing there and for anyone who does this work regularly this would be easy and without trouble for you.

I would try talking more to the installer, explaining that you going on a trip and really need it, explaining your frustration and promising him to write very good online review when he does the job (which implies that you will write bad review if he keeps treating you same way). Try to work it out and let them do their job that you already paid them for. They got huge markups from these caps.

 

Even if you paid for the install and it is owed to you, you may have better peace of mind to be present and to offer to assist with the install and you be the second hand instead of his wife. You get to observe and to see that it is done like you think it should be. And this may be the encouragement he needs to step up to make the install happen.

 

Thanks guys for all the quick responses. Offering to give him a hand was the first thing I did, that's when he said his wife does it with him. He openly stated that have been learning as they go. Said a Lighting came in for a cap and he was nervous being such an expensive truck. I was thinking "yeah dude, pretty much the same class here"

Was telling me he puts the foam gasket on the bedrails. Had to request he puts them on the cap. I assume I rather not have them stuck to my truck if I even need to remove it in order to pick something up. Rare chance but still.

 

2cents: If he is learning as he goes..... proceed with caution. While the general idea of installation is straight forward..... every cap is different on how they seal and set. every brand has different foam/sealer... some better than others... every cap has its own issue or weak spot in regards to seal and knowing those can help in determining best install practices.
I would personally have it installed by seasoned topper dealer.
My installer installs different makes and pointed out the pros vs cons of each and then installed with several different materials he knew would seal best for the one we went with. None of which came with the topper itself.
My Century(Leer) has been water tight. With a pressure washer blasted directly at seal I can get 2-3 drops on the inside bed wall.
Its my 2cents that its the installation that makes that happen.

 

I agree, I thought of reaching out to the other dealer that isnt too far. Would just be honest that I chose the closer place on that alone. Wonder what they would charge for install. Could just pick mine up on a trailer and bring it to them. $500 for a piece of mind may be worth it

 

I went with an RSI Smartcap. Third brake light wired through plug and play adapter on towing harness. No splicing. Love the cap so far. Pricey but suits my needs.

 

Maybe consult with ARE about your concern and see if they can dispatch customer service to assist their dealer.

 

ARE is pretty shady... They have subpar quality, and the only customer service they offer is to have dealer return camper shell back to factory for any repairs and the they'll ship it back. Process that takes 2-3 months.

 

I went with the RSI Smartcap too. So far so good.

 

Its on and the new design Decked system is in

And now looking at a piece of property so I am probably selling it in the next few weeks....... Life is like a box of chocolates

 

Just had my ARE V series installed a couple of weeks ago. The cap has been great for the little use I've gotten out of it so far. The dealer installs several a day so you know they are busy.
Installing a cap is easy. I did it on my 08 Tundra. Wire harness to drivers tail light. Lift and set in place and clamp down.
Yeah, gasket goes on cap not bed.
On the new one they used a forklift to install, though I have seen a pulley system from a roof beam or gantry.

 

I've been removing and reinstalling the cap by myself a couple of times. The cap is about 200 lbs and I was lifting it one side with my back and pushing 2x4 through. I also fixed a few leaks due to sloppy job the official Leer dealer did.