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Review on Black Truck Car Cover for Ford F150 Crew Cab 5.5ft Short Bed Box - Xtrashield Custom Fit (2001-2019) by Travis Filippi

Revainrating 2 out of 5

Works but not as expected for 6 months. (died aged 17 months)

Update 2 years after purchase: Lid in tatters, apparently from too much sun. I stopped fixing it about 7 months ago but only now got around to replacing it. The tape is completely gone (it fell off), but the repaired tape is still hanging there (I used Gorilla Glue. That's right). The right outside mirror cover fell off, a huge hole in the hood area, a big hole around the antenna (once the tape fell off the fabric just tore slightly). the lid (as if there were no lid) and the accumulation of dirt under the lid (it seems that it penetrates immediately and then stays there). Now I'm trying a new cover from another manufacturer and see if it's better or worse.Update 1 year 5 months after purchase: the car cover fell apart. I used tape to repair large tears in the fabric. The wind blew the seat belt off the fabric today so I can either continue with the repair or find a better car cover. Given the problems I've had with it - a guarantee for a new one from another manufacturer. I still had heat issues (who knew a car cover could let through all the warmth of sunlight?), it's a dust magnet. (Dust gets through and then rain runs off so you end up with a very dirty car) and it was always difficult to put on (pulling the seatbelt under the car is difficult at best). So you can expect a lifespan of 12-17 months for this product. Half of my time was in the garage. Make sure you have duct tape handy. Update: I've been using this case for a little over 6 months. It sits on my truck about 50% of the time and the other 50% is stacked in the garage. I don't store it wet but make sure it's dry first. The lid lives the easy life - it's nowhere to be found except on a truck in the driveway or in the garage. She started tearing. I knew the antenna hole was getting bigger but when I put the cap on tonight there was a big hole in the cap. Confused, I tugged and ripped off more inches with ease. The fabric appears to have deteriorated from exposure to the sun. I've never been impressed, but this is getting ridiculous. Good thing I have a good roll of duct tape. There are a few issues with this coating and I have no idea if they are common to other coatings or not, but the following are my concerns: 1) Doesn't protect the car from dust, and in fact the surface seems to be getting a lot dirtier . I live in Texas so there may be more dust here than anywhere else, but I was shocked at how much dirt was under the lid when I lifted it. 2) Pulling the seat belt under the car is a royal pain. I'm glad there is a seat belt, but I wish they had put a little more thought into how to attach it under the car. We have high winds in Texas and the strap gives little assurance that the cover will stay in place. 3) It's hard to tell left from right and front from back when you first try to unravel the cover. A nice wide band at the top of the front would be nice. 4) Entering the vehicle with the cover closed is not possible. I have an old trunk for my old car that has a zippered access to the driver's door and now I appreciate that old trunk a lot more. Very disappointed that the case fell apart after 6 months. Next time I will try a more expensive case from another manufacturer. --- Old comments shortly after buying the case. Not very impressed with this case. I use a cover to protect my truck from constant sun exposure. I made sure to clean the truck thoroughly to avoid scratches that wind can cause on the lid. I shouldn't have worried. The cover is a dirt magnet - don't know how it works but after removing the cover a week later my nice clean truck was covered in puddles of dried dust/mud. Apparently the dust settles on the tarpaulin and the rain carries it away, then protects the dirt from washing off the truck! This was not to be expected. My truck has never looked so dirty as it did the day I removed the cover. Sigh. I installed the stub antenna before putting the cover on. The next day the antenna was sticking out of the lid into the hole it had made. It didn't last long, but I don't care since the lid still shields the interior from sunlight. This does not bode well for the durability of the coating. I think I'll add some reinforcement to the hole - at least in the right place! To attach the lid strap to the truck I have to tie a weight to the tie down strap and drop it under the truck - not practical BUT it has held in place after a couple of storms so far. This is something you don't want to do every day, and if you have back problems, forget it. or a big problem. It seems they should make the mirror pockets larger to accommodate more types of mirrors (smaller mirrors still fit in the end). The lid is an absolute nightmare when it latches when the wind blows - even intermittently. I'm thinking of changing the lid to have some rubberized hooks to make installation easier. Some weights on the corners might work too, but nothing that would damage the car in the wind. Overall the case works for what I bought it for but is unlikely to last as long as I was hoping. That's a lot more trouble than I expected, but that could be the case with all covers.

Pros
  • Impressive
Cons
  • ill thought out