Roll up tonneau cover Drain Tubes keep falling out

[cjrazus1]

On my previous 22 F350 and now my 24 F150 both with "factory" roll up tonneau covers have had problems with the drain tubes falling out of the tray/box that stores the cover when rolled up. I imagine I am not the only one with this problem, have any of you come up with a fix? I tried the dealership but the tube(s) just fell out shortly after being "fixed". I am sure the tech just rescrewed the tube in (1/2 twist I think). Wondering if a clear silicone or some kind of adhesive might be an option?

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[PowerBoostSoCal]

I gave up on them and threw them out ... I live in a dryer area so less concerned. Trouble I had was once I get them installed and glued in - cargo would shift or I would put something long in the bed and boink they broke off again. Poor design ... but not a Ford product, I would not purchase a roll up cover again - many other issues as well.

 

[HollowMan]

Mine will not stay in more than a few days.

 

[FaaWrenchBndr]

Some adhesive may be a good option. The drains on my BakFlip are secure……..I think

 

[PaulGrun]

I have this problem too. Retrax Pro. When I first installed it, the brass fitting never screwed into the thin sheet metal of the container the way the instructions said they should. So I used some butyl tape, which seemed like a pretty cheesy fix, but it seemed to work until the other day when the tubes once again fell out, flooding the bed with water when I retracted the cover.
@Realtruck , do you have a solution?

 

[Realtruck]

I have this problem too. Retrax Pro. When I first installed it, the brass fitting never screwed into the thin sheet metal of the container the way the instructions said they should. So I used some butyl tape, which seemed like a pretty cheesy fix, but it seemed to work until the other day when the tubes once again fell out, flooding the bed with water when I retracted the cover.
@Realtruck , do you have a solution?

When you insert the grommet into the canister, twist it clockwise and be sure that you hear it click twice. You can also add silicone or Loctite to ensure that it stays in place.

I hope this helps!

 

[PaulGrun]

When you insert the grommet into the canister, twist it clockwise and be sure that you hear it click twice. You can also add silicone or Loctite to ensure that it stays in place.

I hope this helps!

I tried that - many times when I installed the cover. No such click ever occurred, nor did it have the feeling of screwing in in any way. I even tried it without the rubber grommet, but no dice.

 

[Realtruck]

I tried that - many times when I installed the cover. No such click ever occurred, nor did it have the feeling of screwing in in any way. I even tried it without the rubber grommet, but no dice.

You may need new drain tubes. The Retrax PRO includes a lifetime warranty- it's worth submitting a warranty claim. Feel free to PM me if you'd like help getting that started.

 

[cjrazus1]

Thanks for the replies. I do try to be conscientious of where I load cargo around the drain tubes. I will try to get the two.clicks and use some silicone. I live in AZ but if I go camping or skiing I don’t want my gear getting soaked.

 

[PaulGrun]

You may need new drain tubes. The Retrax PRO includes a lifetime warranty- it's worth submitting a warranty claim. Feel free to PM me if you'd like help getting that started.

I believe in calling out poor vendor behavior when I see it.

BUT, I believe even more vigorously in calling out EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Such was the case with my complaint above, about drain tubes thwouldn’t stay in place.

Within a few short days of @Realtruck’s invitation to contact them directly for a warranty claim, I had new drain tubes in my hands, no muss, no fuss, just clean customer service.

problem solved.

Thank you @Realtruck. Well done.

 

[FaaWrenchBndr]

I believe in calling out poor vendor behavior when I see it.

BUT, I believe even more vigorously in calling out EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Such was the case with my complaint above, about drain tubes thwouldn’t stay in place.

Within a few short days of @Realtruck’s invitation to contact them directly for a warranty claim, I had new drain tubes in my hands, no muss, no fuss, just clean customer service.

problem solved.

Thank you @Realtruck. Well done.

yes, they’re pretty solid.
I contacted them to see about buying a couple extra clamps that secure the railing to the bedside for a cargo net project. Long story short they wouldn’t let me buy a hardware kit, they sent me an entire kit for free. They didn’t even want shipping costs.

 

[Kidder]

I also have this issue of the tubes falling out with my Ford branded cover. I was going to put some flex tape to keep them from falling out. I will try @Realtruck suggestion otherwise I may work with @Realtruck to do a warranty replacement on the tubes.

 

[Realtruck]

I believe in calling out poor vendor behavior when I see it.

BUT, I believe even more vigorously in calling out EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Such was the case with my complaint above, about drain tubes thwouldn’t stay in place.

Within a few short days of @Realtruck’s invitation to contact them directly for a warranty claim, I had new drain tubes in my hands, no muss, no fuss, just clean customer service.

problem solved.

Thank you @Realtruck. Well done.

I'm so glad to hear that you had such a great experience with our customer service! If there is anything else that I can assist you with, reach out any time!

 

[Realtruck]

I also have this issue of the tubes falling out with my Ford branded cover. I was going to put some flex tape to keep them from falling out. I will try @Realtruck suggestion otherwise I may work with @Realtruck to do a warranty replacement on the tubes.

Feel free to PM me or email me! I'd be happy to help get this sorted out for you.

 

[SilverPigeon]

Fixed mine today: the tabs on the connectors needed to be bent out a good deal more than they were originally (the installer never made them "click"). When you do this, you will find that with the rubber washer there (and it needs to stay there) it is still difficult to get the connectors to click in, because you're compressing the rubber washer to do so; persevere though, it can be done.

I advise at the same time to carefully ease out the drain tube from the bed plug to see if the installer left it too long; if they did, it most likely hit the cab and kinked to the point of not allowing water or debris through. If this happens, you can trim the tube just enough to remove the kink and the problem won't recur.

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