OEM Tri-Fold Cover

The dealer I bought my truck from gave me a bottle of wolfsteins tonneau cover protectant. I've since bought more of it treating the cover 3-4 times a year. After 3 years the cover looks the same as the day I got the truck. Without it, you'll get everything from mold to ultra violet ray destruction to the vinyl surface from the sun.

 

You can put items with some weight on top of the oem cover and not worry.

 

This is UV fading...and pretty much any black plastic is going to "gray" like this given enough sunlight and/or enough time. Apply some 303 Aerospace Protectant a few times a year and you'll be fine.

 

It was! There was a frame that got clamped to bed, and then the cover snapped into that frame. You had to pull the three support bars, and unsnap the whole damn cover to remove it. It was a bear to get the last few snaps in during freezing weather.

 

Never have I owned a vehicle three years and had so much trouble with plastic trim fading. Toyota is using crappy vendors, there’s no reason to need to apply plastic restoration products after three years. Look at that piece of shit, it’s green!
Headlights are peeling, black trim on B pillars delaminated, terrible quality parts Toyota buys lately.

 

Try taking better care of it! A little 303 can help. Mine is 4 years old and is still like new.

 

These are not plastic restoration products. They're u/v protectants. Your dealer should have informed you how to take better care of that stuff. I've got 3 years exactly on my truck...all the plastic trim, and tonneau cover still look perfect. My truck is out in the elements 24/7.

 

Second the 303 protectant. I wash my aftermarket cover and then apply the 303 every 3-4 months. Good idea to use it on the B-pillar.

 

I had an OEM cover on my ‘16, and generally liked it- mostly weather proof, occasional drops. Complete removal when needed was a cinch. They will fade if parked outside frequently, but I missed having it on my next truck.

Not having a cover already installed by Toyota, I’d probably go BAKFlip b/c it fits flush with the top of the bed.

 

All these vinyl type covers will fade when left out 24/7, if you don't protect them. My neighbor that has a chevy colorado 2 years older than mine has a tonneau cover that appears cheaper made than the Toyota one. It's looks like it could use some serious tLc, as all he's done is wash the truck. Idk if a cover can be brought back after its faded like his is.

 

I have a noobie request. I just bought my second Taco (RIP first Taco) and it does not have the OEM tonneau cover that my first one had. After too many hours of comparison shopping and research, I'm still a fan of the OEM vs other options, and I scored a lightly used on on Craigslist for cheap. My question/request is --- I'm getting ready to cut the pockets in the OEM bedrail cover on my 23 TRD Pro, and want to get it right. If someone that has a factory tonneau could take a photo of the cuts I need to make, I would really appreciate it. Extra thank if you include a tape measure in the photo so I can get width/depth of the cut I'm making. I obviously don't want to get it wrong. Photo for attention. Thanks all!

 

Offer to trade bedrails with the Cragslist seller? If they are in a good shape.

 

They didn't have the truck any longer. That definitely would have saved me some money on the attachment hardware I wound up buying from Toyota.

 

I would look on you tube. I remember seeing something on installing the cover. I would do some investigation before cutting anything. The Toyota OEM is by far the easiest one that I have used. Its very heavy but works well & is very secure.. Good luck.

I see that you bought mounting hardware from Toyota. Look around for the rails with the cutouts. Might find a nice used pair. I'm sure that you would have no trouble selling your OEM rails to defray the cost.

 

Bummer. I need to watch for a used one.

 

@old.shopteacher I will check that out. Thank you.

 

I ordered some of this per your recommendation. I tried 303, but once it rained it ran like crazy leaving a white residue and lines going down the sides of the truck. Hopefully, this will work much better.

 

I consider it basic exterior maintenance...like washing, waxing, etc. A few minutes of work every few months will save unsightly, and expensive to replace UV damage, down the line. Apply to the tonneau cover, wheel well trim, B-pillar vinyl, grille, front bumper, rear bumper...literally any piece of plastic.

 

Haven't ever used 303, but I'd recommend it like any good protectant for uv. Been using wolfsteins protectant on my cover. Never had any issue with a white residue, even the next day when it rained, but then again my truck has a ceramic glass protection plan on its paint over 3 years ago. Idk if that's the reason, but its still holding up great.