Make sure you install the bed rail cap shims when you install a Diamondback Cover

I love my DiamondBack HD, but unfortunately they aren't clear in their installation instructions that you need to install the shims under the bed rail caps. I've had my cover on for about a year and a half, and it's always bugged me that I didn't install the shims when I installed the cover because I can see that it's crushing my caps, and was worried it may be crushing the bed rails themselves - but I just haven't had the time, nor motivation to remove the cover to place them - plus the installation instructions for the shims aren't very clear.

I had to remove the cover this weekend for a trip, which was super easy - took about 15 minutes, and I only needed help when it came to lifting the main panels off. When we got back from the trip I decided to install the shims before putting the cover back on. On every Diamondback installation video I found, no one installs the shims - and I couldn't really find any clear instructions on the correct way to remove the bed rail caps. I ended up removing them by lifting gently starting at the side closest to the cab, and then using a trim tool to push in the clips so they didn't break. The instructions mentioned just using one hand as leverage, but I'm positive that would break clips. Once I got the caps off, cleaned, shims installed, and reinstalled the caps, I reinstalled the cover.

After having the shims installed, I can say without a doubt that they are a must. My caps look much more solid, they are no longer looking crushed, and thankfully I think I avoided any damage to the bed rails themselves.

The problem is that not only are the shims not mentioned anywhere in the instructions, they're mentioned on a separate sheet of paper that comes with everything, and I didn't even notice it until after the installation was complete - but also, there is nothing in the instructions that say how much torque to put on the bolts that secure the cover in place - so it's very easy to over torque and crush not only the bed rail caps, and the bed rail, but also the deck rail system.

I highly recommend taking the time to install these if you haven't - hopefully you hung on to yours like I did.