Tonneau frustration

SamDSJR · December 1, 2019

Yep. I'm on my third tonneau cover and all mine have leaked in the bulkhead corners as well. If you look the bulkhead has an angle cut preventing most of the seals that come with these covers from fitting flush. You are also correct about the water following it like rain gutter down the length of the bed.

However, just an FYI - water also comes in the bed via the bed power outlet. The passenger side stake pocket is directly above the bed power outlet. If you have a roll up tonneau cover it most likely doesn't cover that and the water falls down onto the power outlet casing then drips out of the bottom of the outlet into the bed. If your truck is facing nose down (like mine does when I park) you will think more water has seeped in via the bulkhead leaks than it really has.

Viper1973 · December 2, 2019

6 hours ago, SamDSJR said:

Yep. I'm on my third tonneau cover and all mine have leaked in the bulkhead corners as well. If you look the bulkhead has an angle cut preventing most of the seals that come with these covers from fitting flush. You are also correct about the water following it like rain gutter down the length of the bed.

However, just an FYI - water also comes in the bed via the bed power outlet. The passenger side stake pocket is directly above the bed power outlet. If you have a roll up tonneau cover it most likely doesn't cover that and the water falls down onto the power outlet casing then drips out of the bottom of the outlet into the bed. If your truck is facing nose down (like mine does when I park) you will think more water has seeped in via the bulkhead leaks than it really has.

Discovered the rear leaks from the stake pockets and AC housing. A local company makes High quality stake pocket covers that perfectly blend and plug those. In installed them couple weeks ago and eliminated those leaks completely.

Hopefully swapping out the BAK for the Sentry will get rid of the massive leaks and get things down to something normal and manageable.

SamDSJR · December 2, 2019

2 hours ago, Viper1973 said:

Discovered the rear leaks from the stake pockets and AC housing. A local company makes High quality stake pocket covers that perfectly blend and plug those. In installed them couple weeks ago and eliminated those leaks completely.

Hopefully swapping out the BAK for the Sentry will get rid of the massive leaks and get things down to something normal and manageable.

Roger that. Thanks for the input. I had seen those but hadn't ordered them yet.

I'm on a Gator Soft Roll-Up model. It combined with weather stripping at the front bulkhead to cover those angled cuts this one has been doing ok.

Imcrazy · December 2, 2019

Have the Low Pro om my 2016, it leaks a bit by the tailgate... Last cover was an on top of the rails tri fold, it was a bit more water resistant but, the beds on these newer trucks just seem to leak... Had a Undercover Flex 5 or 6 years ago and that thing leaked like crazy...BAK products suck... Whatever you buy, try to get it from a local truck accessories shop as they will support you better than some website..

Smoothbassman · December 2, 2019

On 11/30/2019 at 10:27 AM, Viper1973 said:

Well... I should have a new tonneau, a Truxedo Sentry, on Tuesday.

BAK was of zero help when I called them back regarding the leaking. They didn’t even call me back until Amex reversed the entire charge under their purchase protection benefit.

Did figure out finally how it was leaking. Water is getting under the covered “tracks” the cover rides in and following it like a gutter and dumping straight into the bed up by the bulkhead. From the best I can tell, there isn’t any way to fix or prevent this from leaking... just a bad design all together

Agreed that it's a poor design. It appears its so bad that GM is moving away from the BAK rebranded models in 2020. They are not in the new accessories catalog as options anymore.

There is a way to fix it. I took the rails off disassembled them I sealed up the bulkhead rail caps with some clear silicone. When I put it back together, I filled the gap between the rail and the bulkhead with a foam block and topped it with silicone. Now all of the water goes into the drain and out of the bed the way it should.

I also added a bead of silicone under the foam bulkhead seal as well. That stopped water from wicking thru the foam across the front of the cover

I finally got to really test her out this weekend. Drove 400 miles in the pouring rain from NC to PA. Got home, perfectly dry in the bed.