Adding a tonneau cover to your truck will definitely improve your gas mileage—studies show between 5% and 10% commonly. Imagine shaving at least 10% off your gas bill with a new tonneau cover. Tonneau covers truly pay for themselves and are a great way to stick it to high gas prices!
Each tonneau cover we sell at AutoAnything is designed to be installed at home without a lot of effort. Most of our tonneau covers use heavy-duty clamps for simple, no-drill mounting to your truck bed in as little as 10 minutes and no more than 2 hours.
Many of our tonneaus require no tools to install. The larger and more intricate the tonneau cover, however, the greater the likelihood that installation will require a couple of screwdrivers and more than an hour. In fact, some hard and retractable tonneau covers may require minor drilling for complete installation.
All in all, it's a small investment in time for stellar looks, increased security and better gas mileage. You'll be cruisin' with your new tonneau cover in no time!
Wash your hard-top tonneau as you would wash your car. Since hard-top tonneaus have a variety of surfaces and materials, study the manufacturer instructions for care. They shouldn't be much different than the directions for washing and caring for your truck's paint.
The life of your tonneau cover tarp depends on how well it's cared for. Your tonneau tarp bears the brunt of hard rain, driving snow and beating sun. Follow the enclosed manufacturer instructions for tarp care to get long life and great looks out of your new tonneau cover.
Soft vinyl tonneau covers are best cleaned with mild car washing soap and a medium brush. Most tonneau owners clean their cover and their car at the same time. You can take your tonneau cover through automatic car washes as well. Some manufacturers advise not using automatic washes with wax treatments, as this can harm your cover.
When you get your new tonneau cover, pay close attention to the manufacturer instructions for cleaning and care. While most tonneaus will have the same basic care instructions, some may have slight variations.
Though they may look like similar surfaces, resist the temptation to use the same protection products you use on your tires, trim and dash on your tonneau cover. Most auto care stores now have tonneau-specific cleaning and shining products. Your manufacturer instructions will list the best ways to get a sleek shine from your tarp, and which products to avoid.
The best way to avoid scratching or otherwise damaging your paint when installing or using your tonneau cover is to carefully follow the manufacturer's installation, use and care instructions. With normal installation and use, your new tonneau will not scratch or otherwise damage your paint.
Most clamp-on tonneau covers employ padded parts for attaching to your bed rails, taking special care to protect your sensitive payload paint.
For most applications, the tonneau covers we offer accommodate bed liners—they're a natural companion to the tonneau. Some over the rail bed liners may require slight modification or notching for a perfect fit with your new tonneau cover. Under the rail liners may need small shims for a flush fit.
If your bed liner requires slight modification, it will be easy to do at home without damaging your tonneau or bed liner. See the individual product notes for the tonneau cover you want, or the manufacturer's enclosed instructions for more details of fitting your bed liner.
All of the soft tonneau covers we carry allow full, unobstructed use of your tailgate without having to open the cover. It's a convenient feature for when you need to load-up or get something out of the bed fast.
For security and weather protection, hard tonneau covers overlap the top of your tailgate. To drop the gate, you have to unlock the cover and lift up slightly. Retractable tonneau covers vary, but most lock to the side rails and will allow opening of the tailgate without unlatching the cover.
Every tonneau cover increases the security of your truck bed to a degree. Simple, non-locking soft-top tonneau covers provide the basic security of concealing your bed contents. It may not sound like much, but it's enough to keep honest people honest.
If more advanced security for your truck bed is a concern, we recommend purchasing a locking hard-top tonneau cover. These tonneaus latch to your tailgate, securing your truck bed contents under lock and key.
Our soft-top tonneaus are designed to channel water away from your truck bed, keeping your stored gear dry. And, some of our tonneau covers come with a sealing strip by your tailgate for keeping moisture out and loose loads, like sand and gravel, in your truck bed.
Hard-top tonneaus are usually equipped with weather-sealing layers underneath for a tight fit that stands-up to any deluge. If ultimate weather protection is important to you, it's worth the extra cost for a weather-sealed hard-top tonneau cover.
Having your tonneau tight on the back of your truck is important for a few reasons. Most importantly, your gas mileage improvement is hinged on the tonneau remaining tight and aerodynamic. If the tarp is too loose, the cover will dip at high speeds and create drag.
Having your tonneau tight on the back of your truck is important for a few reasons. Most importantly, your gas mileage improvement is hinged on the tonneau remaining tight and aerodynamic. If the tarp is too loose, the cover will dip at high speeds and create drag.
A tighter tonneau tarp also improves the looks of your truck. The tighter you can stretch your tarp, the sleeker your tonneau will appear over your truck bed.
Having a tonneau that adjusts is extremely important for adapting to weather conditions. Vinyl tarps may contract in the cold, making them much more difficult to stretch over your snaps or peel & seal closure. In hot weather, the tarp can expand and become loose, hurting looks and gas mileage. Loosening or tightening your tarp for varying weather can be important to the effectiveness of your tonneau.
It is possible to further outfit your tonneau cover, though it will more than likely void your warranty. Adding accessories like a spoiler are more typically done with hard-top tonneau covers, and usually requires drilling through or cutting your tonneau cover—which we do not recommend in any situation and is done at your own risk.
Our tonneau covers all accommodate the need to haul a large load. Soft-top tonneaus have removable, roll-up covers and quick release support bars to move out of your way in minutes. Retractable tonneaus get out of the way in seconds, giving you a completely empty truck bed.
Hard top tonneaus may have to be removed for full use of your bed. As is the case with all of our tonneaus, they can be removed completely in less time than it took for installation.
Each of the tonneau covers we offer is custom made to fit your truck. Double check the installation instructions to make sure your tonneau is on correctly. You'd be surprised how many times this solves the problem.
Next, make sure you ordered and received the correct tonneau cover for your specific year, make, model and sub-model truck. If you're having troubleidentifying your truck, refer to the owner's manual.
If you don't have the correct tonneau cover for your truck, or you can't determine which year, make, model or sub-model you own, call our Auto Accessory Specialists at 1-800-874-8888. They'll help rectify whatever problem you're experiencing with your new tonneau cover.
Our tonneau covers are returnable. If there has been an error on the part of AutoAnything or the product does not fit, we will either resolve the problem free of charge or give you a full refund. AutoAnything can only accept returns of tonneau covers in new, unused, and ready-to-sell condition. Please see our full return policy for more details.
We understand that there is a lot of information to absorb! Please give us a call at 1-800-874-8888. One of our friendly, knowledgeable Auto Accessory Specialists will be happy to answer any questions you may have and will help you select the right tonneau cover for your truck.