Snugtop vs Leer, ARE, etc

oh shit i just bought a snug top for 3000 g,s was told there the best extra vision,loaded have had leer ,are problems with them all . just got 2015 taco acess 4cyl 5spd base use it for camping alot hope i dont regret it. the cap that is ,not the bullat proof taco

 

I got a Century (they are made by Leer).
Thule racks on the roof (just in case needed)
2 led lights inside.
headliner for sure for condensation.
so far.. I like it. Order to delivery color matched was 12 days.

 

now I don't know what to buy. I was hoping to get more informed about the brands, but seems the only one that gets consistent good comments is Leer.

 

well i finaly got my snug top installed. 3 hour drive one way. it is nice but i don't know if i'd do it again.quality is right up there, but it is not without flaws. the dealer did a great job on installe. know i worry about warranty stuff. i have had leer and a a.r.e before, the snug seens to be better built, time will tell.

 

I just got a Snugtop Rebel installed and thought I'd share my results also. Good and bad. Unfortunately I'm not really happy and definitely going to need warranty work immediately.

The shell leaks horribly.

The installer was cool but he missed one important step I think which may contribute to the front corners leaking. The lower front flange is pinched between the shell and the bed.

The real issue is the front folding and side slider windows suck. They are crap.
Both the front and one of the side windows leak steadily. I made sure they were secure and the water seems to collect in the lower frame channel then seap it's way in. Storm last night and the fiberglass rail was soaked from bow to stern with water pools in the bed.

The front window has a clear manufacturing defect. See the photo with three rivets or nails shot right on top of each other. The rubber weather seal has a seam at the bottom of the window!!! Duh. Why not put a seam on the top??? Water and gravity do like to cooperate. I'm sure that lower seam leaks too.

Good parts are that the fiberglass work is awesome. The rear window and FOB locking system is really nice.

It leaks around the sides of the tailgate a tiny bit, but I expected that.

Gonna have to ask the dealer to lift it and try to unpinch the front rubber flange this week. As for the leaky windows I'm gonna call Snugtop and have a fair discussion. Let you all know what happens.

Photos show the stacked rivets, water and side window with a drop where it was coming through.

 

I have had a Snugtop Supersport on my Super White 2006 DCSB since day 1. Great quality and very durable. I have been very happy with this cap. Yesterday I ordered a Snugtop Rebel for my new 2016 Quicksand DCSB.

 

I have a Vista made in San Bernadino, Seems well made and durable. Dryer than a popcorn fart inside. My next challenge is to mount a baja rack on top of the cap.

 

The dealer did the leak test for my new Rebel and then he quickly ordered two replacement windows. It's been three weeks and nothing has shown up yet. I'm pretty upset with SnugTop and going to call them tomorrow. It's been 2 months since I placed the order, paid the bill and I still have not received a finished product.

 

Thanks for the input guys. It does seem like Leer has less complaints than Snug Top. Leer is what I'm leaning towards.

 

1. Snug Top
2. Leer/Century
3. ARE
4. Everyone else

Go to a dealer for each and you can see the difference in quality, which is typically reflected in the price. Many of the sob stories above are due to shoddy install jobs, make sure you go to a reputable dealer. Also, be sure you are comparing apples to apples, all manufacturers have grades or levels of their product and when comparing manufactures, be sure you are comparing similar grades/levels.

 

5 years with are and no problems.

 

I had a Snugtop on my F150 for 3 years. It was a few hundred bucks more than a similar Leer, but my F-in-law swore by them at the time. The first unit arrived with damage and was returned for repair. It came back a few weeks later, again with shipping damage. They wanted to just repair it again. I had to threaten to cancel my order unless they gave me an all new one. It leaked in the front between the bed and the canopy and along the back window from day one. The best was trying to get the back window open when it was frozen closed.

Traded the truck in for a Sierra and installed a Leer canopy. It leaked along the sides. I spent lots of time trying to seal it up, but never got a good dry bed. Having learned from my Snugtop, I chose a more robust looking back window, so it didn't leak. But I had to replace the shocks within a year and seal around the the rear brake light within two years and I had to deal with that.

If I remember correctly, the Snugtop felt like it had better hardware. But both were about the same in performance. When I get a new Taco, a canopy is a must but I'm not set on any particular brand. The local Snugtop dealer when out of business, so it might be a Leer by default.

 

i have a snugtop on my 15. it is better than my other caps i've had in the past,ie: a.r.e.,leer. i drives me nuts that you spend big money on a cap and the build quailty is not the same as the truck it goes on. my snugtop is the best i've had out of the other two, but it has issues. i paid almost 3gs for it, and i assumed it would be better.

 

I ordered a Snugtop Rebel in August. It's December and I still have not received a finished product. Once they replace the third leaking window maybe it will finally be over....
I thought I was getting a premium product paying hundreds more than the others...

Go with ARE or Leer, I wish I had.

 

Dealer can't seem to fix the leak in the front corner of my Leer.

 

My Snugtop front corner leak was solved by adding and extra layer of tape along the front, some silicon on the corner caps and moving the shell forward 3/4 inch.

The windows however are complete crap. Inspecting their design tells me they are made with minimum care to quality.

 

They have silicone on there and extra tape and putty. Replaced the factory rubber seal on the cap. They do a lot of Tacoma's. Mine is the one that leaks. I'll suggest moving it forward. Thanks.

 

Always the same corner? Regardless of tilt when parked? Maybe a window leak with water running along the rail?

 

Parked level. Not the window. Put a paper towel on the rail and it was dry.

 

I had a very similar experience. All kinds of problems with my brand new Snugtop. Metal shavings, sharp edges, bent window frames, mismatched rivets and screws (some were chrome, some were black), extremely sloppy and loose screens, worst possible liner install (huge blisters/pockets everywhere where the carpet wasn't even glued to the shell) the dome light was about 5" off center and very crooked,etc, etc. Frankly, it was crap. To top it off, the dealer chipped the fiberglass with their forklift when installing it and scratched the sh!t out of my brand new truck when they slid the shell all over the place.

The only thing worse than Snugtop's quality control was Snugtop's customer service-- they couldn't give two sh!ts. They were absolute, total a-holes. The shell went back to the dealer the next day and I got a complete refund. Ended up going through my insurance co. to get a very significant amount of $$ to fix the damage to my paint.

After considering all the other options, I decided to give Snugtop another try a few years later. Went to a different dealer and they did a great job on the install. So far so good. This shell is light years apart (in terms of build quality) from the first one.

All things considered, if you aren't stuck on Snugtop's features and look (like I am) I would strongly consider a different manufacturer. Snugtop had some of the worst, if not the worst, customer service I've ever experienced from any company in my entire life.