ADVICE NEEDED! Leer 100XR canopy leaking

Numerous window bolts were loose. I tightened those up and water squeezed out. 3rd brake light is good. The right side latch wasn’t as tight as left side so I got those nice and even and the seal sits right against the tailgate. The shop cut the carpet back and got silicone fully set so water wicking back shouldn’t occur much anymore. I think larger issue was that window not being tight. Going to give the hose truck a try shortly and see how she’s holding water. Thanks for all the tips y’all!

 

Goodluck op! Cause if you cant fix it I dont want to install the cap i ordered lol.

 

If I can’t fix it my wife might make me trade in for a 4runner so we have a place for baby gear! I told her if I got a canopy we had a place for the stroller, dog, and family hahaha! Right now, I just have a wet truck bed and a pissed off wife LOL!

 

Water test proved to be a fail. This is some incredibly shit craftsmanship by leer and also shit service by the shop not catching this prior to install. 3rd brake light is absolutely an issue and as you can see... nothing was done to seal the light itself. I ran the hose over the topper and voila it leaks in a place I didn’t see before because I was so focused on the sides not sealing. There’s a gap big enough for an RV to park in the fiberglass that’s allowing water to pour in. I want to fix it but I also just want a refund or a new canopy at this point. People shouldn’t be paying $2k + for this BS to then turn around and DIY fix it for weeks on end

 

Sell it and get a soft topper.

That's what I had to do. =\

Wish I had gone this route from the start.

 

You’re not alone with the brake light leak, mine is the same. Windows seem ok, but I think I’m going to have to seal under the bed rail caps. Weird, no issues on the 17, the 20 is full of leaks.

Mike

 

At what point does leer do better work? We’re all paying a lot of money for these canopies and shouldn’t have to DIY repair their shitty craftsmanship. Honest question!

Sure, I could slather silicone around the light and hope it seals, but that’s not what I paid for and certainly not what I expected to have to do when getting my truck back from install.

Sorry, don’t mean to be on such a tall soap box, but I’ve got an 8 week daughter at home; sleep isn’t plentiful these days, and the fact that I have to keep Fucking with a canopy day in day out is wearing on the ole patience haha

 

Butyl tape is your friend. I made a skirt and used weather seal around the rear hatch door. Check out my post in the canopy section in the chat

 

It is a fiberglass shop. Who TF wants to work in a fiberglass shop? It's miserable working with fiberglass. Most would rather go back to gen pop than continue to work there. Your cap is the result of them taking it out on their employer and the product. Obviously, they don't fuckin' care. At worse, there is suppressed anger in that poorly routered-out hole. A prickly fiberglass shop is where you have to work after you get fired for messing up some Tacoma owner's new set of wheels at Discount Tire. Bed cap installation is where you work when you get fired from a dealership's make ready department. This is where you go for a job when you get fired from a chicken processing plant. This is where you land when you get fired from being the pit guy at an oil change shop. This is where...

I can tell you this much: I took my leaking bed cap back for leak diagnosis and remediation only once. There was no enforced rule keeping me out of the work area. I talked to the two guys that install the caps and "fix" the leaks. Very early on it was clear that both of them were obviously mad at the world, permanently, hated being there, hated their jobs, hated the customers. It seemed as if they HAD to be there, and they hated it. It was quickly apparent that they were just going through the motions and if it was going to get fixed that I was going to have to be the one who fixed it. Still, what an absolute miserable customer experience the whole industry conspired to make it to be. It was obvious to me in talking to everyone from the manufacturer and more than several dealers during the purchase process and later on in the "why is this SOB leaking discovery process" that the apathy is vertically integrated from the top to the bottom. Thank God the guy that shot the gelcoat into the mold was having a good day. That day. What a totally pathetic industry. Saddest for them, what a seemingly terminally miserable bunch of people without hope.

YOU can do better work than this bunch. You know you can. You care. They don't. Fix it yourself and move on, happy at your success!

 

Seems like your whole experience has been a major bummer, and I can see why it would leave a bad taste in your mouth. Doesn't sound like the local shop is much help, but to be fair I wouldn't say they were exactly setup for success - those pictures of the 3rd brake light cutout are horrid.

If nothing else, I'd send some pictures and feedback to Leer, with the genuine question of at what point are there enough defects to warrant replacement (I'd be keeping my expectations low).

I agree with you 100%: sure you can fix it yourself, but that's not the point.

 

after discovering the brake light issue, I took photos/video and went back to local shop to show them. They couldn't believe how bad that hole was cut and took their own photo's and will be reaching out to LEER. on this issue and the others we've discovered along the way. I also reached out to LEER yesterday and we'll see what they come back with. The shop said they've seen warranty replacement/fixes for less and said LEER does stand by their craftsmanship warranty and will eventually make it right.

it's hard because the local shop has been responsive, they've tried to fix things, and they continue to bring my truck into their shop for free and try to make it right. unfortunately, LEER made an insanely shitty canopy and the shop has been set up to fail. Another unfortunate part is in LEERs fine print on their warranty, any fix I try to do myself will forfeit that specific "repair" as ineligible to be warrantied. I'm fairly handy, but I'm not fix a gap in fiberglass handy... and if I fail, my warranty is void.

 

Wow that hole is worse than mine! You'd think they would do it a little cleaner right?

I know leer has a lifetime warrantee if you purchased it new, at least here in Canada. I would be taking it up with them if you can't get it to seal. I bought mine used so I was forced to DIY it.

My 3rd brake light cutout wasn't that bad. But I "THINK" after many many FSR trips it may have rattled down a little lower to open that gap.

 

They should make it right for you. A buddy had a rear window seal pop out on his lower model LEER and they fixed it. Took a bit but it was sorted.

 

this canopy is brand new and was installed on 11/4 so I'm hopeful. if you don't mind me asking, what did you do for a DIY fix?

it sounds like LEERs customer service is decent and they will indeed make things right for folks, it just takes some time. the shop said once they hear back from LEER the canopy will have to come off the truck, sent to CA, LEER will check it out and either fix the issue, or build me a new one. I'll probably have a water tight canopy in time for summer hahahaha

 

I feel your pain Bother. I have a Leer 180 on which every window on the thing leaks. They have since new. The dealer I bought from is 3-4 hours away, so they aren't an option for repair. On three of the windows the leaks occur where the glass is encapsulated by the window frame. If it ever starts raining here in the desert, I will lay a tiny bead of silicone around this interface.
It hasn't rained here in 220+ days, so I don't get too excited about sealing it up.

 

Ouch. Thats too soon for any issue if you ask me.

It was a bit of a pain in the ass since I was by myself when I did it. Would help with a second hand as you probably already know getting that brake light back on is a little annoying. I just put some silicone on the seal, found a happy medium for the seal to sit covering the gap and cranked it down. Then ran a damp paper towel on the end of a small screwdriver along the outside of the seal where the silicone squished out. (too small of a gap for a finger)

This should work for you if you can find that happy medium where the seal actually covers the hole.

I wouldn't allow them to send it back myself. Unless they can guarantee a short turnaround.

 

yikes! luckily the dealer I bought from is 1.5 miles away and I'm sure they're getting sick of me showing up. Squeaky wheel gets the grease right? I'm in Portland, OR area and it rains 165 days a year

Thanks! seems simple enough to execute a DIY fix.

couldn't agree more on too soon. canopy is shit from the manufacturer and never stood a chance to be successful in any capacity without repairs. Sounds like this is far too common for so many folks.

once we hear back from LEER I'll see if I can keep this on my truck and have them send up a warranty replacement from manufacturer. with Covid, lead times to get the canopy was 10 weeks, so I can't imagine this will get rectified anytime soon.

 

Yep, My buddy waited about the same for his canopy. If you do silicone it and they have something to say, tell them them to kick rocks considering the shotty workmanship and the hefty price tag on a new canopy. I know my XR woulda been 4K here. Luckily I got it for less than half that.

And were in the same boat rain wise. Vancouver BC here haha

 

Well, just received this email from my dealer. I’ll DIY fix the brake light today as practice haha!

 

BONUS! Now slap some silicone in there and be done with it for now!