Product Reviews : A.R.E. Truck Caps and Tonneau Covers

My ARE MX Series Cap was purchased and installed at Northeast Truck & Off Road in Ledyard, CT. After 4 years of use on the 2017 Toyota Tacoma truck it has performed as expected. The structure and paint has held up well. It does a reasonably good job keeping snow and rain out of the truck bed. Moisture and dust will still find a way into the truck bed through the bed side compartments and the bottom and sides of the tailgate. The installation job could be considered acceptable but less than expected for the money. The wiring to connect the third brake light and the interior cap dome light was left exposed and loose, and had weak splices. After a year, the brake light wire splice detached. The cap structure itself was well installed. Fitment on the Tacoma is very good. The high roof MX series cap allows this small truck to transport far more bulk material than otherwise possible. I would not recommend buying this cap for anyone anticipating sleeping inside while camping. There was a significant amount of VOC's being off-gassed by the plastic for the first 3 years of ownership. It has gradually decreased and is noticed still on days over 70 degrees F. I would not recommend this MX Series cap for any type of commercial use. It is well styled and has many cosmetic features that add to its visual attractiveness but detract from utilitarian use when money is on the line. The roof line is curved, creating roof rack fitment issues. Fitting square boxes inside is limited, because of the dome shaped roof. The gas struts are very exposed to damage at any work site. The rear is door is rhombus shaped and not able to accept large, square objects very easily. If broken, all parts are very expensive and you may be out money on a job just to fix your truck cap. For campers and commercial users, an aluminum cap or Commercial "DCU" cap are the right product for the job. The ARE MX Series Cap is for 85% recreational/household use and maybe 15% light commercial. I consider a light duty cap of some kind to be a necessity to prevent theft or rain/snow/sun/falling out of truck losses. In this way, you can justify the 2000 USD price tag.