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By asilverblazer · Posted
Compression test? Weird noises? Fuel trims? -
By asilverblazer · Posted
I suspect at some point in the near future, the hardware will be free and you pay a subscription to access the vehicle - alldata style. -
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I've been eyeing an upgrade to my tonneau cover for a bit now. Intrigued by the BAK MX4 EZ-Lift with the torsion spring and went for the upgrade. Thoughts and musings during unpacking, install and a few days of usage. Once my order went into Realtruck, it took about 4 days to ship. Unfortunately, FedEx Ground destroyed the box and contents and it was unusable upon receipt. To Realtruck's credit, one email with pictures and an RMA was sent to me to send the first one back, and another unit was shipped out. It arrived 3 days later, unscathed. I opened the box and it looked like every other BAK MX4. Biggest differences are the rails and retaining clamps, and of course the spring attached to the cover itself. NOTE - if you are upgrading from a MX4 to the EZ-Lift, you will have to replace the rails. The EZ-Lift rails have a notch cut in them to allow the new style retaining clamps to fit properly. The new retaining clamps also have 2 knobs/carriage bolts and there are two tracks underneath the front panel. The strap clips are mildly different (more like the Undercover Flex clamps) in that the screws go in from the underside. Personally I prefer these over the BAK clamps that use the nutserts that are a nuisance to install. The remainder of the parts in the box (drain tubes, rail clamps, and bumper pads) are standard issue BAK. I did not replace my front bed seal at the time because it seemed to be in decent shape. BAK recommends shims on the GM trucks unless you place the clamps on the flanges about 1/3 of the way in from both the front and rear of the bed. I shimmed the front and the middle, and initially placed the clamps equidistant. This also turned out to be a mistake, because when I set the cover in place, the new style retaining clamps wouldn't clear the front clamp. New style clamp inserted in the track: And the issue which occurred because the front rail clamp was too far forward: Once I removed the shim from the front of the bed, and slid the clamp back to the front flange, everything cleared fine. The cover set on the rails without issue and I installed the strap clamps. After I completed my adjustments, I pulled the pin to activate the torsion spring. Mistake #3 on my part. PULL THE PIN AS THE VERY VERY VERY LAST STEP! The reason is, once you pull the pin, the torsion spring is activated. If you have to loosen the front clamps and adjust the cover, the front panel will - by virtue of the spring, refuse to lay down. The only way to get it to lay down so you can reinstall and tighten the clamps is to fully open the panel against the back of the cab, which will then allow the front panel of the cover to lay down and be tightened. Not a big deal unless you haven't installed the foam pads yet (typically the last step) because minus the foam pads, you will need to place something between the frame of the cover and the back window so it doesn't get scratched. The next time I install one I will install the foam pads before I pull the pin and activate the spring. After using it for a few days: The spring assist is great. You literally can open it with one hand. My shoulders aren't getting any younger and this was part of my motivation to swap out. The second panel latches and unlatches itself as you open and close the cover. Neat in concept, however it took me a minute to get used to closing the cover and not hearing the "latching" sound that would tell me it was locked in place. The paddle handles are a huge upgrade and I wouldn't be surprised to see them become the standard across the Realtruck line. They effectively eliminate the concern that a thief could coat hanger the cover open and get to the contents in the bed. I'm not sure why the very front panel on my cover has a different finish from the other 3 panels. I have a request into Realtruck to find out if mine was not manufactured properly or if it was by design. All in all I'm pleased. Same level of protection, looks good, keeps stuff mostly dry (they all leak around the tailgate) and easy to install. -
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