A.R.E topper ISSUES 2018 tundra

mine are 43" apart

 

I had the same thing. Sent an email to the distributor i bought it from and they had me come in. They bought toyota touch up paint and painted it for me then put two layers of the padding under the topper to raise it off the bed. Mine no longer touches. Stuff like this...

$29 ESI Super Cap Seal 20 FT (1 1/2" Width x 1/2" Height x 20' Length) EPDM Rubber for Caps 200 lbs or less

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NCC0SY6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A26GQRWSJVLGWV&psc=1

 

We bought our first Tundra back in 2014 and had an ARE Z-series installed. The first time we removed the topper it had similar damage. After about 8 weeks of the ordeal, A.R.E paid $2762.76 for the body work and paint repair, took back the topper, "remade" a new topper (indeed had a different SN) and sent it to the installer. The installer put the topper on. Before driving the truck away, I had them take it off so I could verify the installation. The "new" Z-Series already began rubbing in two spots.

I returned it, took my money and bought a SnugTop and never had issues again.

Additionally, the ARE Z-series came with a broken window latch/opener. The topper was carpet lined and some of the carpet seams were not glued correctly and were separating from the topper.

A.R.E. claimed they had to redesign the topper after the 2014 model came out. Seeing this thread, it's apparent to me they either didn't redesign anything or they don't know how to take measurements.

 

Is that 43” from the most inside point to inside point or inside track to inside track?

I measured 43” inside and 45” from centre of track to centre of other track.

Thanks for measuring!

 

ugh...so sorry. that was a cell phone typo. It is 45" centre to centre (just noticed you're Canadian from the spelling of centre )

 

To the OP, and others I am sorry about the fitment on those toppers?!! For the price of those things you would think that they would have that form to a science!! This is something out of the blue too as we were at a dealer today for a lunch dealy and on this 89K dollar TSS there was an ARE topper on the bed of the Tundra and I mentioned to the wife that this topper looked very nice and seemed to fit right fine? This topper looked like it was made for the Tundra!! The clamps and everything on there looked heavy duty and it looked like it wouldn’t move? It was sitting on this truck that was made to play off-road so it shouldn’t move. I think on a couple of installs that it might have been people not knowing there job and they didn’t get it right, one might have even been a factory dealy and the rest it looks like it might be a bad design. After looking at what they have done to the paint on some of these Tundras I am staying clear of them. ARE should have a big area of a safety zone to keep that away from causing any paint issues, trucks are not cheap!!!!. Best of luck? And I liked what I saw at the dealer today too??

 

Anyone have experience with the commercial/Al DCU line? Considering a DCU or DCU Max with side tool boxes for a 2019 CM.

Had a Leer 100x on a 2013 DC and was not happy with the rear door latch or geometry of the rear door at all.

 

I wonder if these issues have anything to do with the bed flex on the tundras?

 

i did a negative review on their website several days ago and of course they didn't post it

 

Could be. I can verify we had no issues after we switched to SnugTop.

 

Another unhappy A. R. E. customer. Had cap on for a month when I realized it wasn't lining up with tail gate. Got some pals to come over to help me adjust it. All 4 corners paint worn down to metal. And no way to adjust it to line up with tail gate without it over hanging a quarter inch on passenger side. Let alone adjusting it to not rub paint. Flip down cab window doesn't seat properly enough to secure latches. And the carpet headliner is separating all around flip window. Dealer was no help. Told me to throw some rustoleum on the bare spots. I kid you not. Called A. R. E. They seemed helpful said they would get back to me. Then got call from dealer who had spoken to A. R. E. and he said he could reinstall it with shims. That's it. I've had 3 A. R. E. Caps in the past and they were all fine. Same guy installed them. Anyway, if you are going to get a cap I would suggerest staying away from A. R. E. They ain't what they used to be. Had it been just one thing I might have accepted it, but this thing is out of wack in every way. Junk. And obviously they aren't going to stand behind it. Good luck and stay safe. Bob

 

I think someone mentioned earlier that ARE has been bought and sold numerous times over the years. In my opinion when this happens, it’s not uncommon to see quality and service suffer. New owners have a different mindset than previous and employees stop caring. If PE is involved, it would explain a lot.

 

The roof on my brand new Aluminum A.R.E. DCU leaked on day one, it was due to how the roof panel was installed with a full length seam on top (left of center) instead of on the side. That is a quality control issue...someone should have caught this during assembly, and it should not have left the factory like it did.

Instead of returning the cap as A.R.E. suggested leaving me cap-less for 4 weeks, I convinced the dealer to seal the roof with Line-X under warranty. You can see the seam in this picture.



The problems you see with their fiberglass caps are similar to problems I had with my last LEER fiberglass cap, the thickness of the fiberglass is inconsistent... I had to take a file to my last LEER cap and remove material so the cap fit properly.

 

I have the same problem with a new ARE canopy on my new 2020 tundra. See Photos. The first three are the drivers side and the last two are the passenger side. In addition to the warped sides it rubbed the paint off at all four corners.

 

Unacceptable, hope they ordered a replacement

 

Wow....these pics are horrible! I have a ARE Z series cira 2018 and the fit and figment is spot on. No tight spots, no bowing, just perfect amount of gap all the way around.

 

Mine is also an ARE Z series but with optional slider windows. It took almost four months to receive it. I’ve been going back and forth with ARE and the retail/installer (Canopy West) for the last three months. Six weeks ago Canopy West called and said they were ordering a new one. I just called to check on the status and now they say ARE wants the canopy shipped back for inspection before they decide what to do. Maybe I’ll get a replacement in three or four months!

 

Same problems here. 4 corners rubbed raw. canopy put on at end of 2022. It’s super tight in corners and bows out in middle. Another problem is the flap that covers the tailgate is cut to short they sent a replacement and it was the same size. I was able to fix the flap by adding my own thin rubber flap across the inside with it over hanging on outside. Pics include lumber rack but I drove it for a few months before I had that installed. Even the installer is fed up with ARE. He said they’ve had nothing but problems lately. I managed to seal up the canopy with the lumber rack installed But it took a lot of work and some macgyvering and throwing money at different supplies to try. Also the door handles leak I’m working on a solution to that now. The flap I used on the rear door also worked great to seal the front gap. I live on the Oregon coast so in the winter it’s wet and the summers are dusty. I think I have it 99% sealed right now. I planned on doing a write up about sealing with the lumber rack but in my frustration I forgot to take pics.