Hello, long time listener first time caller...
I had been wanting to get a truck cap since I acquired my truck back in Oct '19. I got quotes from Leer and ARE caps with windoors, fold down front window, roof rack tracks, wiring provisions, anywhere from $3200 to $3500 installed and but I was hesitant in pulling the trigger considering some of the craftsmanship issues I have read/viewed from owners reviews were a little disconcerting. I think in the beginning of the year RSI released some information they were coming to the US with the initial release for the F150. Pricing was not that much more (versus the quotes I was getting for the Leer/ARE) for what appeared to be a better quality product being all steel construction, larger side windows and an attractive contemporary design. So I partook and probably unnecessary, the pre-order when the Ram 1500 SmartCap was announced.
My cap finally arrived in late July at my local authorized dealer and I took delivery. The SmartCap comes in two boxes, one for the roof panel and a refrigerator-sized box for all of the other panels, installation hardware, seals and instructions. When I was prepping for assembly, I laid down the roof box and I noticed the lower corner of the box had torn away from the underside of the box. I did not cut away the plastic straps and open the box and instead looked inside where the box was damaged and I could tell the roof was also damaged and appeared to have been dropped on that corner. All of the other components in the other box were undamaged and so I returned the roof the next day to the dealer. After a hiccup in getting the replacement roof in, I finally got it a week later. I want to add that I had no push-back whatsoever with the dealer and they were very accommodating which was a relief. The installation is pretty straight forward and having another person to assist will be helpful. Putting this on you will need some extra help, 3-4 people. Fine tuning the final location of the cap on the bed is easier if you get inside the bed and push up from the middle of the cap to not disturb the bulb seals on the underside of the cap. I could have positioned the cap tight behind the truck cab but since I will be using the truck on back country trails I moved it back about an inch to 2-inches to prevent any damage to the cab or cap. I'm still waiting for the 3rd brake light wire harness adapter from RSI which was supposed to be included with the rest of the kit and after talking with the rep he confirmed this.
Besides playing the waiting game and then having to get the roof replaced AND still waiting for the harness to complete the install, I'm still happy with the cap and have
no regerts at this time. I definitely would advise RSI to package and protect these caps better especially the roof since there is no extra reinforcement of the box or any padding like foam to protect the corners of the roof.
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