ARE MX Cap

[Gondul]

Ordered back in May and showed up on the delivery truck yesterday... it was supposed to be here the week before but apparently they took a 4 day weekend so the local place was able to squeeze me in today.

Overall fit/finish is good, there are couple of spots where the paint could have been better. From the back you can see the cap doesn't quite follow the lines on the bed and sticks out just a little bit, I don't mind it so much and hope it will help keep water out of the bed (never had any leaking issues with the Z Series cap on my Dakota).

I'd apologize for all the pictures, but I won't... I know how you guys are...

@mlax the last picture shows no issues with clearance on the LED/Camera on the CHMSL, there is just shy of a 1" gap between the housing and the cap.

 

[Heckyl]

I like that cap. How much weight can u put on top? If you don’t mind, will you post a pic of the back looking in with the tailgate and back window open. Thanks A lot.

 

[mlax]

Looks good! The MX was the style I want. Well I’ll be ordering mine this weekend!

Thanks for all the pics

 

[Gondul]

I like that cap. How much weight can u put on top? If you don’t mind, will you post a pic of the back looking in with the tailgate and back window open. Thanks A lot.

The Yakima racks are good for a static load of 600#... however the most I put on my old Z Series cap was about 200#. I've looked in the past for how much weight you can put on top, but I haven't found any real numbers from ARE. The HD caps have an internal aluminum skeleton and according to ARE can hold 3x the weight of a regular cap, I had found an article that says it will hold up to 600# (no idea where to find it now, sorry) so the math seems about right. The only issue is that with the internal skeleton, you lose a bit of interior cargo space.

From the bottom of the opening to the bed is 41".
Where the gas shocks attach is 51" across.

 

[Heckyl]

That is the perfect height. I love that you can put stuff on top also. You have lots of room! Thanks so much for the info and the pic! Very nice!

 

[Gondul]

That is the perfect height. I love that you can put stuff on top also. You have lots of room! Thanks so much for the info and the pic! Very nice!

You are very welcome... getting to the rack is gonna be fun... need to get one of them wheel steps steps to be able to reach it!

 

[Ogamiitto]

wow, that's a great looking cap....how much does that weigh?

 

[Gondul]

wow, that's a great looking cap....how much does that weigh?

Seems to be about 200#

 

[Gondul]

So, while going over the cap a bit more closely while sitting in my driveway and contemplating putting in the tailgate seal I see the following looking in through the side windoors... being outside in the bright sunlight made these gaps *very* obvious.

The pics show that there is a substantial gap on both sides on the bottom corners of the back door. The gap is 3/4" tall and about 1/2" wide.

I've emailed the place that installed the cap (I have no issue with them) and they stated it has "been a problem since all the manufacturers are going to a stupidly large tailgate" they've offered to put in a bulb seal to "slow the majority of the water flow down".

I think I will thank them for their offer and contact A.R.E directly.... seems this is a known problem they have failed to address.
These damned things aren't cheap and this should not be an issue.

 

[Gondul]

The installer, obviously, can't do much about this painfully obvious design fail... he added some weather stripping to close the gap.

The other issue is the plastic cap that is attached to the door and goes over the tailgate. There is no seal or gasket between this piece and the door...so when it rains, the water puddles along the inner edge due to the rake in truck it get high enough that is leaks over the cutouts on the inside. I'll be getting some black RTV or some such to fill that gap.

 

[mlax]

Has ARE said anything about it? I so want to get one but am concerned if they have a leak issue.

 

[JasonLVNV]

Hey Gondut,

Thanks for this info. As I mentioned in the other thread I'm in the same boat, only I have a Z series shell. Right now, it's on my 2018 2500 that I traded in. I have a swap scheduled to put it on my new 2019 3500. I made sure I kept the cap since I recently bought it and my trucks are the same color. I believe the form factor for both your cap and mine are basically the same except for the top of your cap and the windows, so I think it may work out. I'll be honest with you and say that I wasn't happy with my fit either on my ARE at first, but I took it back to the installer and we adjusted it and pushed in the sides to close up some of the gaps and shifted it forward a bit more. I agree that such an expensive thing should fit better. It's not rocket science.

My 2018



My 2019



My 2019 with the cap photoshopped on. LOL



Jason

 

[Gondul]

@mlax I just took it to the installer on Friday, I have no issue with them and they have been nothing but helpful. Email was sent to ARE on Friday night so likely won't get a reply until Monday or Tuesday.

@JasonLVNV, aside from the construction/engineering problems, the dealer did a great job installing the cap. I just don't understand how they though it would be a good idea to round off the ends cover when it leaves such an obvious gap, that and no one thought of a gasket to spot water from leaking back into the bed?

In the grand scheme of things, small issues, but at that price point, I expect better QC.

 

[Gondul]

So ARE tells me the Dealer should have ordered MUDFLAPS and cut them down to fit over the holes....

I told them that answer was insulting and unacceptable.

 

[hutchman]

Looks like even with the "issues," ARE is the one to buy. I'm looking again.....

 

[JasonLVNV]

Looks like even with the "issues," ARE is the one to buy. I'm looking again.....

Just got mine installed. Fits fine.


Jason

 

[Gondul]

So ARE writes back as says these 'mudflaps' are already installed.

Not the round one, but the flat one next to it is what they are referring to... however, as can been seen, it is set back an inch from the outside of the door.
Water simply wicks along under the door, onto the tailgate and into the bed. These 'mudflaps' do nothing to prevent water intrusion.

The plastic cap they use is a 'one size fits none' problem... they still haven't said anything about the water running between the plastic cap and door.

Considering how great my old Z Series cap was, I'm rather disappointed.

 

[JasonLVNV]

I'll take a pic of my fitment when I get my truck back tomorrow. Mine doesn't fit this sloppy. Sorry you are having this issue bud.

Jason

 

[Gondul]

I'll take a pic of my fitment when I get my truck back tomorrow. Mine doesn't fit this sloppy. Sorry you are having this issue bud.

Jason

I has a Z series for over 15yrs with no issues or leaks... it was a great cap which is why I went with ARE again. This time I went with the MX for the extra space, but the way they designed the door is rather piss poor.

It is what it is... they keep trying to blame the dealer when it is obviously a vendor issue. A properly shaped cap (with that mudflap) would keep out of those corners...putting a gasket between the tailgate cap and the door would stop the water from coming in from that direction.

I'll probably end up fabricating something myself for the corners and using some kind of RTV gasket to seal the gap across the top... but I shouldn't have to...

 

[JasonLVNV]

I has a Z series for over 15yrs with no issues or leaks... it was a great cap which is why I went with ARE again. This time I went with the MX for the extra space, but the way they designed the door is rather piss poor.

It is what it is... they keep trying to blame the dealer when it is obviously a vendor issue. A properly shaped cap (with that mudflap) would keep out of those corners...putting a gasket between the tailgate cap and the door would stop the water from coming in from that direction.

I'll probably end up fabricating something myself for the corners and using some kind of RTV gasket to seal the gap across the top... but I shouldn't have to...

I agree you shouldn't have to. Total bummer. My rear window is different than yours though. so I'll compare. Maybe it will help others.

Jason