My new ARE topper installed today.. is this right?

[SafetyDan]

BTW - Thanks for all you sacrifice as a Healthcare worker during this. My wife is a RN and it is a tough job, made even tougher by world events! Not easy on the family either.

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[charwest]

BTW - Thanks for all you sacrifice as a Healthcare worker during this. My wife is a RN and it is a tough job, made even tougher by world events! Not easy on the family either.

More power to her. RNs are the front line. My wife and I are both healthcare providers but probably don’t have the same exposure and workplace stress that she does.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Looks like it really was "put together by a teenager that didn't care about his work," which is a problem of management! A responsible manager would want to know that his/her employees were doing such a terrible job that the company's reputation is being flushed down the toilet. But if the management gives you any trouble about it, threaten to get a refund through your credit card company, report to Better Business Bureau, etc. That usually brings them around....

 

[Deleted member 1634]

That is disappointing. I would've expected more as well. But it is still in better shape than my Leer (unfortunate for me). So in a way, it is better quality (*laughs sadly on the inside*), it's just still pretty crappy. I'm very disappointed in the worksmanship of these expensive items as well.

I think the problem with wanting someone to repair it is I would expect the same sort of worksmanship, if not worse, from a repair job. A handful of the quality issues on mine occurred during install, which would be the same guys doing the repairs, so I have very little faith in them doing a good job.

I had such a horrible time with my dealer, and Leer as a company, that I just wanted them to basically give it to me and leave me alone so I could do it correctly and the way I wanted. I'd rather fix it myself my way and never have to talk to Leer again then to try and force them to do a good job they're clearly not capably of doing. They were never responsive in the first place.

But I'm over it now. It does the job and I've spent time cleaning it up and making it my own.

As reference, here's how mine looks position wise:

 

[Noseoil]

I would say to write ARE & send some pictures of their build quality & the location on the bed as it was installed. They should make it right, send a new camper or refund your money. It's a lousy installation & as you said, poor quality workmanship.

Give them a chance to respond to the issues & see what they say.

 

[jeffe]

You watched the entire installation and then at the end told them it was off? ?

Ha! I was outside/behind the installation bay. Once they rolled the truck out and I got up close and personal the misalignment of the cap became apparent.

 

[HenryMac]

when i checked out the topper in the evening i was disappointed and started this thread.

Agreed that it sucks the dealer didn't install it correctly. I understand not being in close proximity to quality services.

We've learned to do most things ourselves since we moved up into the Rocky Mountains... if you want it done right... do it yourself.

If it were mine I'd loosen the clamps and move it forward. Is there some reason you can't just do that yourself?

 

[allcos]

I recently had a 'V" series ARE topper installed on my truck. It had similar quality/alignment issues. The Cap rear should align with the rear of the truck and the front lands up where the front lands up. Mine is about <~3/8" from the front. The passenger side window's lock bar pop rivet was not properly installed so I got a replacement window free of charge from a local rep. Some of the window gaskets were improperly installed, so that had to be corrected. After waiting 60 days for the paint finish to age (ARE’s recommendation) I washed and waxed the cap. There were paint runs, flecks of contaminants under the paint and orange peel. Finally, I agree the assemblers and installers are an embarrassment-I expected a much better product/installation. Sad, so sad.

 

[charwest]

If it were mine I'd loosen the clamps and move it forward. Is there some reason you can't just do that yourself?

the alignment alone should be doable. im not sure my petite wife and i are going to be able to manage it but with a couple friends or if someone would lend me a pallet lift... but its annoying to deal with this, and it looks like there is a double-sided adhesive gasket on the bedrail that im assuming will be torn up when i lift it, and will have to find an adequate replacement.

if the inner workmanship is not standard, and theres a chance dealer is going to make everything 'right' id rather not go throguh the re-alignment myself as its extra work, they will protest 'it looks fine to us now' and 'maybe you messed up the windows when you tried to realign it' etc.

i dont love the idea of the dealer replacing windows. doesnt that mean another 40 holes in the fiberglass when they drive fresh screws in?

(sigh)

 

[SafetyDan]

the alignment alone should be doable. im not sure my petite wife and i are going to be able to manage it but with a couple friends or if someone would lend me a pallet lift... but its annoying to deal with this, and it looks like there is a double-sided adhesive gasket on the bedrail that im assuming will be torn up when i lift it, and will have to find an adequate replacement.

if the inner workmanship is not standard, and theres a chance dealer is going to make everything 'right' id rather not go throguh the re-alignment myself as its extra work, they will protest 'it looks fine to us now' and 'maybe you messed up the windows when you tried to realign it' etc.

i dont love the idea of the dealer replacing windows. doesnt that mean another 40 holes in the fiberglass when they drive fresh screws in?

(sigh)

The window screws should only be clamping the metal or be a direct replacement using the same holes. If not then request a do over. You purchased a new topper for one of the industry leaders. I would call the dealership, and if they throw you a line of BS. Call A.R.E. they are a good company.

 

[HenryMac]

the alignment alone should be doable. im not sure my petite wife and i are going to be able to manage it but with a couple friends or if someone would lend me a pallet lift... but its annoying to deal with this, and it looks like there is a double-sided adhesive gasket on the bedrail that im assuming will be torn up when i lift it, and will have to find an adequate replacement.

if the inner workmanship is not standard, and theres a chance dealer is going to make everything 'right' id rather not go throguh the re-alignment myself as its extra work, they will protest 'it looks fine to us now' and 'maybe you messed up the windows when you tried to realign it' etc.

i dont love the idea of the dealer replacing windows. doesnt that mean another 40 holes in the fiberglass when they drive fresh screws in?

(sigh)

Sure I totally get the frustration.

I'm betting the gasket adhesive is just one sided. The cap is designed to be removed.

https://4are.com/product/pdfs/ARE_Install_V1.pdf

 

[rooster]

This is beyond terrible ... that’s all you should need to send to ARE customer support to get the fix in motion. (I would hope)

 

[Sandman Ranger]

Call the Man!
ARE

 

[P. A. Schilke]

This is beyond terrible ... that’s all you should need to send to ARE customer support to get the fix in motion. (I would hope)

The use of air tools that are operator dependent are the bane of the automotive industry, both the aftermarket and the OEM. OEM are moving to electric torque controlled installation tools to preclude operator judgement. The aftermarket cannot afford these tools and result in situations like this Clearly over torques and likely the fastener was inserted into an air tool and shot into the aluminum frame and the operator failed to stop before the fastener was over torqued. Sad this had to happen to a customer. Hope the company remedies the problem. Ford has always since I was with the company tried to get away from operator dependent installs. Install. Tighten... Good to go. Not install, tighten..OOPS! I will try better on the next one. I have always said, unfortunately, the aftermarket follows the OEM by about 30 years. Not all aftermarket but many. Saw a aftermarket bumper manufacturing video on these forums. Laser cut blanks and then to an operator to use a press brake to form the bumper...operator dependent.... Guy in the video was good, but what if he is a no show after a night at the bar? Same bends on the press brake?

This is a contentious arena and folks stand solidly behind aftermarket parts and in many case the manufacturers produce quality parts for the most part, but the non quality parts slip through the mfg process might be too high. My Class A motor home is a classic example. First trip out my wife opens up a cabinet door over the sink, the door came off in her hand. The operator missed the wood cabinet when he/she shot the screws into the side styles. We chased this malady for several years before we got a handle on simple cabinet install errors.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[NickTheEnforcer]

Some of your issues from the install are off-putting, some may be sloppy from the manufacturer. In a previous thread I discussed the cap on my 2009 Ram. At the time I looked at all the major brands/styles. I am lucky to have a good dealer/installer 15 min away. He gave me the pros/cons of each and I ended up with a LEER cap. If its a fiberglass cap there will be some dimensional variance b/c of how they are made. At this point you have to either raise a stink or live with it, if you make an issue of it in 6 months you will be out of luck for sure...JMO.

Either way run it thru a car wash for major leaks/defects. guaranteed you will have some minor water; they are never 100% sealed.

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