All about tonneau-covers. Tonneau covers What you should know before you purchase your tonneau-cover or bed-lid. Below are some of the questions you should ask... Bel-Air Shells   9871 Garden Grove Blvd.  Garden Grove. CA 92844     (714) 534-1373 I will list my thoughts in order of importance. Before you decide to purchase a specific cover these are a few points we feel you should concider. 1. This is a big one. How easy is it on open & close the cover? (some are quite heavy) 2. Will this cover tend to leave scratch marks on my truck? (some covers fit too close & they will) 3. The finish on the cover. Is it durable or is it fragile? 4. When your going in & out everyday. What type of locking system is actually the easist to use? 5. How long can i expect my cover to last? 6. How easy is the cover to remove? (where will you put it if you remove it?) 7. What exactly does that lifetime warranty cover? My opinion or answers to the above questions.1.           To answer the question about opening. Is it easy or would your wife look at you and roll her eyes? (I only say that because my wife actually did that with my first cover) Some covers are quite hard to open and close. I suggest you visit here or another lot and actually try the covers in our showroom. We have 12 on display which you can open and close for yourself. Don't buy the cover first then find out its very difficult to operate. Try it first. 2.           Most all covers will leave there tell tale marks. Some of the newest improvements are to the installation hardware. (they clamp-on) No drilling. This is very user friendly and truck friendly. What you need to know about this is. You can get a clamp-on unit without spending a lot of money. Just do your shopping. 3.           Your choices of finishes are: Smooth or textured. We have found that a smooth painted finish looks best when it is new. However whats new on the market is the ABS-cover (it is a material similar to what is currently being used on other surfaces of your truck. the bumper-cap or the bed-caps.) It is quite durable, very easy to take care of & lightweight. These ABS-covers use the new clamp-on technolgy. They are easy to open & close. If you should need to remove your cover you will like how easy this is to do. This is because they weigh only 1/2 as much as a fiberglass cover. You can also store your cover without damaging the finish or structure. This is because ABS-covers are more durable than fiberglass. Last but not least: They have a quite attractive price. 4.          There is more to a lock than seems. You can get two locks (one in each corner) they take a key each time you open and close the cover. You can get a center lock called a slam-latch. It automatically locks each time you close the cover. This is convient except we have noticed that this type of rotary latch wears out in not much more than one year. It is not covered under warranty and expensive to replace. Some of the easist locks to use are the dual thumb-locks which are on the ABS-cover we carry. There easy to use just twist open or twist close. Again if you come into our showroom you can use many different types to see which fit your needs. 5.           In my opinion most all covers will last about the same 5-10 years. I have noticed that the fanicier ones break down faster. Most of the new electric covers only carry a 90-day warranty on the electronics. (ask your salesperson about this) 6.          Most all covers can be removed in less than 5-minutes. Where do you set it is another issus. Fiberglass covers weigh 100 or more pounds and are easily scratched. The new generation of covers are made out of a material similar to the bed-caps on your truck or the top surface of you truck bumper. It is quite durable yet it weighs 1/2 of what fiberglass does. Also this material resists scratches and chips better that fiberglass. 7.          A standard lifetime warranty on a fiberglass cover is. Lifetime on defects of the painted finish. (not scratches or bruises). Lifetime on the structure for defects. (not 4-wheel drive or excess wear and tear) In my opinion. Do not pay more just because the warranty sounds awsome. You will buy a product and it will most likely be a good one. Just because it has a good sounding warranty does'nt make it worth more money. If you shop wisely and ask lots of questions to a salesperson that you feel you trust. You will end up with a cover you like as well as at a fair price. Created on 3-1-2008 by Ron Burdett