Snug Top or ARE cap - which to put on 2016 long bed 4 door

Wondering if anyone can provide some information to help me make up my mind. My dealer didnt tell me when he took my order that the Snug Top hi Liner sports are technically not available yet and gave me an unrealistic delivery date. Turns out I am a couple months out in getting this cap. In the mean time I have gotten an ARE quote for a very similar cap, the MX.
All the features are about the same.

The ARE comes in about $150 more than Snugtop and is a 45 minute drive to dealer instead of a 15 minute drive to the Snugtop dealer. I have experience with a 2000 snug top hi liner but have never owned an ARE. I know all these caps hardware and bits and seals can have issues over time.

turns out ARE can deliver about a month earlier than Snug top. But if there are issues it is further away to drive to deal with them. It would be nice to stick with Snugtop who is local.

Does anyone have any information that can help me sway one way or another. I have already ordered the snugtop and have put down a deposit, but since the delivery was so far off I can get my deposit back. The ARE's do look nice, but so do the snug tops.

thanks for the help,

 

Sorry, one more bit. I also did get a quote on a Leer... it was about $50 less than the snug top. the problem is they only make the 180 for the Tacoma I have, which means I have the two latches in the rear door. Kinda something I dont want. I had that a long long time ago and Didnt like it compared to the single handle snug top.
The 180 XR has the single handle but leer does not offer it for the tacoma. Also, the Leer delivery is not very much better than the Snugtop... and longer than the ARE.

ARE has been making the cap for this truck for months and months... Snug top still isnt ready and Leer just started.

 

Quality wise I think they are all pretty much the same. People bitching about the quality of all brands. The skill of the installer makes a difference as to whether it leaks or not. I have been told by two dealers that the 2016s are harder to seal than the 2nd gen which was considered difficult by the installers. There is a thread here that suggest removing the added bed piece and using silicone before reinstalling it.

Being close to the dealer is always a plus. I have had 2 Leer and 2 ARE but no experience with Snug Top. My current ARE came in two weeks. They seem to always hedge on delivery. Cap dealers don't deal too much like truck dealers do but maybe you can get the ARE dealer to come down a little to get a sale from someone who has to travel out of their way. Maybe some accessory.

Leer and ARE always have coupons. Don't know about Snug Top.

 

Right on, good points... I think the problem with the 3rd generation is where the seams are at the top of the bed, forward, between the port and starboard long length bed runs to the run directly under the back window. there is about a 3 inch high crack on both sides. I plan to seal with with a marine grade flexible sealant,

$30 3M 5200 (06504) Permanent Bonding and Sealing for Boats and RVs Above and Below the Waterline Waterproof Repair, Black, 10 fl oz Cartridge

3M 5200 in black. This will absolutely seal this area for the life of the truck. I have heard other folks talk of using silicone here and saw a photo of an installer using Lexel, but the bomber sealant is the 5200. Also, under this forward rail should be sealed as well just like you mention. I plan to do this before the installer does mine.

 

Before you make your decision, you should also consider each company's customer service record. If you have a problem with fit, color, or warranty repairs, any savings in price will be negated, especially if you have to drive an extended distance to get it reworked.

 

yep, with shells, caps and campers this really is the bottom line, you are absolutely right. I decided to go with the closer local guy, which happens to be snugtop. And I am sure I will likely have several issues with the hardware over time. I just hope it does not show up F'ed up from the beginning.
For the money they charge I really expect it to look very clean from the get go. If snug top has crap out of the box this time I am going to raise absolute hell. ARE Is just too far for me to go if there are issues and leer does not make what i want.
thanks for your input

 

If it's crap out of the box you better notice that before you pay...

otherwise you are stuck suing the middleman that you bought it through and that installed it for you. Snugtop will assume no responsibility for their product. This has been my experience as well as others. Their product is good, just make sure that it is exactly as advertised before you drive away. Once you've paid, you're fucked.

 

Good advice.

 

Six years with are and no problems.

 

Great point. I will look over it with a fine tooth comb. The owner already knows i am an engineer and pretty detail oriented. I am also going to nicely tell him ahead of time that I want to catch any flaws prior to the installation. This time I will not ignore some of the BS and decide to fix it myself cause the installer was an idiot and cranky or the manuf. techs that built it were slobs and definitely not craftsman

thanks much for your reminder!

 

I checked the Yelp reviews of the local ARE, SnugTop, Leer dealers. The SnugTop dealer had the best reputation and stellar reviews. I also read many blogs and message boards about quality and related issues. My final decision was to go with a SnugTop Xtra Vision with the Yakima rails and the rack system, plus 2 built-in clothe hanger bars at the rear, and the sliding+drop down front window. It took about 5 weeks to deliver with perfectly matching Inferno paint job. Everything looks very high quality - like a factory OEM piece.

I did not get the 12v light - at the dealer suggestion that it can be left on easily by accident and leaving me stranded somewhere. Instead they installed a battery-operated interior LED that is bright and looks and works pretty much the same as a 12v - and without the wires that run across the interior. A much cleaner look. I will probably add a couple stick-on LED push lights that you find at Big Lots to the front quarters of the bed.

One thing I will need to do is add some weather stripping to seal the tailgate area. There was a thin layer of dust at the bottom where the tailgate hinges after driving 20+ miles on a dirt road. This is not the fault of the camper shell, but the truck bed itself. Since it will be a sleeping camper with clothes and gear, I will want to to keep it as dust free as possible.

 

thanks for that. WHAT, snugtop runs wires across the interior if you get the 12 volt light. OMG. They could not even be bothered to hide it under the carpet. Seriously. If mine shows up with wires across the cap top that will be sad. I have a hard time believing that for $3k, they run wires across the ceiling. Then again these are truck caps... the hightest mark up in the business. Turned out the snug top I had last had such a joke of a light that it worked about 40% of the time and you had to cycle it back and forth to get it to light. that sometimes still didnt make it turn on. Then you would get busy and end up leaving it on, inadvertently although the light would not light. Then a few hours later you would look at the truck and see that it finally came on... only causing the battery to drain. Not a bad call to go with the battery light given the last experience I had with snug top. I swear to god you could find a far better light in the check out stand at ACE or even Walmart. This thing was the cheapest light made on the entire planet. that was a 2000 snug top.

 

Actually I do not know if they run the wires under carpet or over carpet with flex tube. I guess such thin wires would be unnoticeable under carpet, but at some point it will have to stick out and be wrapped in the tube going into your power source. I had a used cap (don't even know the manufacturer) on my 93 SR-5 back in the day that had flex-tube 12v wiring on the ceiling light so I assumed it may still be done this way.

I'm glad the dealer steered me away from a 12v light. I go on multi-day backpacking trips often and I KNOW FOR SURE I would leave it on and be stuck at some remote trail head when I return.

 

Wires under headliner on every Snug or ARE I've had.

 

The cap makers have to step up their game with lighting, for sure.

 

I was considering a vertical door version but decided that I wanted to keep the tailgate for the convenience of a table for cooking and preparing my backpacking gear.

I like that vertical door on your cap. How good is the seal of the rear wall in place of the tailgate? The tailgate does allow some dust to come through. I need to take a closer look and get some rubber seal.

 

It's clean and tight back there.

 

To the OP: Are you by any chance near Leisure West? I looked around there thinking to replace the ARE cab high that came on my used '16 with something a bit taller. Mike the owner (?) seemed pretty down on ARE and based on a few things I compared between ARE and Snugtop, I would tend to agree. They also sell Leer but Mike seemed to strongly recommend Snugtop. He also seemed to know what to do to prevent leaks, though he said he used urethane (I don't think 5200 is urethane, is it? In my limited experience with 5200 I found it very hard to apply neatly). Maybe SungTop is more profitable or less warranty hassles. I was looking for something a bit taller than cab-high to fit my bikes in more easily, and at least for my ARE Z Series, the already minimal rear window opening aperture is much more intruded upon by hinges, struts etc than on the equivalent Leer and Snugtop. Plus, I can easily lower the tailgate even when the upper window is locked - its only secure if I lock the tailgate which fortunately can be done on the 2016. But you should check this carefully as the 2016 tailgate shape is new and some manufacturers seem to have done a better job adapting to it.

 

I want a topper eventually too. From the review videos, comparisons, etc I'm leaning toward Snugtop. I think they look cleaner on the outside and some comparison videos make it appear they are of higher quality build.

That being said I swear every Tacoma I see in town with a topper has an ARE. But when I priced them last year Snugtop was more money.

 

Thanks for your post. yes, dealing with Leisure West now... Mike has been great, the problem is with snug top. AGAIN, yesterday they delayed delivery for another month on the hi liner. I need the extra head room and clearance and the ONLY option is the Snug top hi liner or the ARE MX (I think that is the model) The ARE in the exact same type config as the snug top was actually about $200 more, but ARE actually has the mold and can deliver in about 3 weeks. If I had ordered the last time Snug top promised delivery I would have the ARE by now. Now I have until monday to cancel the snug top order and order with ARE. The wife is quite pissed cause we are doing three trips without the cap to the snow and having to take the subaru and a roof box that we end up borrowing. It is a huge pain.

I mentioned 5200 as I work with marine offshore equipment and it is what i know... here is some info on 5200...
3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200 is extremely strong and retains its strength above or below water line. Stays flexible too - allows for structural movement. Has excellent resistance to weathering and salt water.

Stress caused by shock, vibration, swelling or shrinking is effectively absorbed. Check the bonding and sealing jobs this product can handle for you: fiberglass deck to fiberglass hull, wood to fiberglass, portholes and deck fittings, motors on fiberglass transoms, under mouldings, hull seams above and below water line. Center board trunk joints. Between struts and planking. Stern joints. Deck housing, etc. Easy to apply with manual caulking gun. Won't sag or flow in vertical or horizontal seams.

I will talk to Mike about the 5200 but I will likely prep the top forward bed rail with 5200 below the top piece and between the sides of the top piece where the gaps are.
It does not go on that bad and honestly, you will never see where this stuff is. you could use a silicone as well but my experience is that silicone will eventually need to be replaced... 5200 is bomber.... will last the life of the truck. Just dont expect to take this piece off ever really.

yes, I highly recommend a hi liner for getting high end bikes inside the truck. I have done that for years with my 2000 and it works great. No way would i go with a level height cap. I like the look of level but forget it, this truck is about action and function. I;d recommend the windoors as well.

we should chat offline about the options between snug top and ARE.. I have a quote from both and have talked to both dealers extensivel
i would love a reason to go with one or the other... at this point I can pull my snugtop deposit and go with ARE... I am very very tempted as snug top has essentially lied to me for the last time. Also my last snug top quality in some areas was pretty pathetic... like wall mart trailer court quality.... like the indoor light, the screens the sliders. aluminum extrusion that was sharp as a razor... poorly extruded sections bent unflat and then expected to serve as window frames. The structure was nice and the carpet good, but the lock also sucked and the rear fit in the end was terrible and let in more water than I liked. I kinda owe it to myself to go with ARE... but snug top is the devil I know and ARE is a new devil. Also, I trust Mike and he is local... that is likey what sent me back to him. ARE is in salinas for service and san jose for purchase. Mike is down the road a few miles. But now I am pissed at snug top.

what to do... help or input welcome.