ARE CX Shell Leaking Terribly/Quality Control Issues??

Hey Everyone. Just got 2018 TRD-Off-road Double cab. I put a ARE CX shell on it today. Went to wash it down and puddles everywhere in the bed. Is this common??? Then when looking for leaks got a closer look at some details. I’ll post some pics. I would love to heAr your opinions on weatherproofness and your tolerance for quality control issues like these. Thanks. Like reading through all your posts.

 

Damn that looks like pretty bad, have you contacted ARE?

 

Literally been home 45 minutes. Contacted shop. Waiting for reply. Got a lot of that’s the way it is kind of talk.

 

screw that talk, sounds like an excuse for poor at best build quality.

 

Wow, that looks like a Harbor Freight special.

 

I have the Z series. I agree, those pics look bad. I dont have anything like that on mine. Mine did leak in the front corners, but some extra well placed silicone cured that. The corner leaks are due to the Toyota bed design and not the ARE topper.

 

That's bad, I have an ARE MX and nothing like that. The molding and flashing looks pieced together. I did have 1 small leak around a windoor but I took it back by the shop and was fixed in no time and since then not a drop of water in there and it rains allot here on the Gulf Coast. If the shop does not help call ARE direct.

 

I got my Leer about a month ago and I had some issues with some of the seals leaking around the bed connection and at the passenger side window. I contacted the leer dealer I got it from and they fixed it right up. If ARE or your ARE shop says "that's the way it is" that is a load of garbage. Demand your money back if they will not fix it and go get your self a Leer. If they don't give you your money back, paint it yellow and put the words on it "ARE Sells Lemons!" Then park your truck right next to their shop and post on social media tagging them. That will get their attention.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was aware that the gaps in the bed could have some dribbling issues. I literally sprayed my truck down for 1 Minute in drive way.... turned off hose... walked to the back of my truck and proceeded to watch a puddle form on the wheel well that ended up going all the way to the tailgate. I was like “ that’s gonna make sleeping back here tough.”

 

My v series looks nothing like this. Even the track feet on the roof sit flush on mine.

 

I would take it back and ask for another or your money back. That's very poor quality. I would think their quality control would catch those issues. If who you bought it from says it is what it is, then cancel it on your card and drop it off..

 

The crew who built it and the crew who installed that shell had to have seen those defects. I’ve had several good quality shells from ARE.... go figure
Definitely return it!

 

Complete disregard to quality. I just did a swap out on my side windows and did a better job having no directions and figuring it out on my own. They should stand by this, not easy to deal with but with some perseverance you should prevail.

 

...upon further inspection and scouting through previous threads on problems people have with some shells I found the following
Drivers side☝️

Passenger side rear of shell ☝️

Passenger side tailgate/ Shell/window. Tailgate already rubbing on shell. ☝️Driver side has plenty of clearance.

Question??? Is that manufacturer prob or install problem.

1 minute of randomly spraying hose on car.

 

Do you think my issues are solely on the manufacturer ARE or the installer dealer?

 

I was really excited about trying out ARE. LOOKED burliest every time I saw one out in the Mtns. I had A leer that served me well for 300k Miles. But the hydraulics on the window gave me fits always popping off.

Did you have any of the same issues I posted? Am I being to picky about quality?

 

Holy cow man! That seems a bit of both manufacture and install. There is no way they should have your canopy aligned like that. That is a shameful install. You should also not have so many issues with defaults on your canopy. Judging by the water coming in they also did not properly install butyl on the front ends of the bed to prevent the water coming in. Have a buddy come over and spray the truck with water while you sit in the canopy and watch where it is coming in at. I will try and remember to take photos on mine tomorrow morning for you of the front end butyl seal.

 

The parts of that shell’s window frames look terrible, but the misaligned back door of where the shell and tailgate meet in the photo below may not be ARE’s fault - the installer may have tried to align the shell to your cab, but the bed was misaligned and screwed that up too. My installer had the same issue, and my MX stuck out on one side and was skewed compared to the cab, but was square on the bed.
Toyota had to realign the cab and bed to fix that issue, and my shell fits as intended now.

 

Ditto. I have an ARE V series. Mine is leaking in the front corners too when I wash the truck with a pressure washer in a carwash bay. I haven't seen it leak during a rainstorm yet. The company who installed mine said the Tacoma beds are horrible for leaking with a topper. Told me to come back if I have issues. If I ever see it leaking during rain, I will go back. Leaking during a carwash doesnt bother me so much.

 

Try the installer first.