Is it better to buy a new R1T or a used one with an Automatic Tonneau Cover?

[Deleted member 12197]

As a first time truck owner, I view a tonneau cover as a necessity and prefer automatic over manual.

The manual design proposed by Rivian seems unnecessarily cumbersome. If they had designed a manual retractable cover I would be okay with that as a retrofit but it seems neither Rivian nor any aftermarket supplier offers that. So the only option for retractable is the automatic cover. It seems like the only way to get the new retractive automatic cover is if you own a truck with one of the older automatic covers. Hence it may be better to buy used.

BTW The automatic design vs the manual design of Rivian's tonneau covers reminds me of the the difference between the Coupe and Convertible C8 Corvette. I bought the Convertible because I couldn't be bothered to manually remove the roof and place it in the trunk. I figured if that is what I have to do then I'd never use it with the roof down.

So what do you guys think? Should I get an older one with the tonneau, or take a chance on a new 2023 and hope they retrofit the automatic cover?

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[Davethadog]

They won’t retrofit it if it doesn’t ship with one.

 

[COdogman]

Latest is they will not be retrofitting. And it sounds like they are going to be doing replacements for broken covers before adding them into the production line again for new trucks. So it also depends on how long you want to wait.

Getting a used one with a tonneau that will get replaced might be the quickest option.

 

[Deleted member 12197]

Will there be an aftermarket option for a retractable cover from someone else? I see them for most of the big brands - GMC, Ford, RAM.

 

[COdogman]

Will there be an aftermarket option for a retractable cover from someone else? I see them for most of the big brands - GMC, Ford, RAM.

That’s hard to say. I believe there will be more options eventually, but right now the only aftermarket cover that can be called retractable that I know of is the roll up version sold by site sponsor @EV Sportline. There is a whole thread in the forum somewhere about it. Most people seem pretty happy with it so far.

https://evsportline.com/collections...vian-r1t-rmaxx-soft-tonneau-roll-up-bed-cover

There are a couple aftermarket manual covers out there, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what you are looking for.

 

[Deleted member 12197]

That’s hard to say. I believe there will be more options eventually, but right now the only aftermarket cover that can be called retractable that I know of is the roll up version sold by site sponsor @EV Sportline. There is a whole thread in the forum somewhere about it. Most people seem pretty happy with it so far.

https://evsportline.com/collections...vian-r1t-rmaxx-soft-tonneau-roll-up-bed-cover

There are a couple aftermarket manual covers out there, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what you are looking for.

That looks like a 30 year old design concept.

I was hoping for something more like this:

 

[COdogman]

That looks like a 30 year old design concept.

I was hoping for something more like this:

That’s a good design, no doubt. There still aren’t that many Rivians out on the roads yet to make it worthwhile to some of those companies to invest in new products. That will change, but we aren’t there yet.

 

[SeaGeo]

Get a used one with the auto tonneau based on what you have described.

 

[txtravwill]

I can't chime in here as I prefer and really like their manual design they have shown. It's quick and easy, stores away, and you can reclaim all bed space or customize how much and what area is covered, and it's 100% reliable.

 

[tylerdurden03]

As a first time truck owner, I view a tonneau cover as a necessity and prefer automatic over manual.

The manual design proposed by Rivian seems unnecessarily cumbersome. If they had designed a manual retractable cover I would be okay with that as a retrofit but it seems neither Rivian nor any aftermarket supplier offers that. So the only option for retractable is the automatic cover. It seems like the only way to get the new retractive automatic cover is if you own a truck with one of the older automatic covers. Hence it may be better to buy used.

BTW The automatic design vs the manual design of Rivian's tonneau covers reminds me of the the difference between the Coupe and Convertible C8 Corvette. I bought the Convertible because I couldn't be bothered to manually remove the roof and place it in the trunk. I figured if that is what I have to do then I'd never use it with the roof down.

So what do you guys think? Should I get an older one with the tonneau, or take a chance on a new 2023 and hope they retrofit the automatic cover?

Personally I am hesitant to buy a used R1T because I have a sense that a larger portion of the used R1Ts are problematic (sellers are more likely to sell lemons early). I would either wait for one with the specs that you want or take what is available in the Shop.

 

[Deleted member 12197]

I can't chime in here as I prefer and really like their manual design they have shown. It's quick and easy, stores away, and you can reclaim all bed space or customize how much and what area is covered, and it's 100% reliable.

does the automatic design occupy some of the bed space? What did you mean by the manual design allows you to reclaim all bed space?

 

[COdogman]

I can't chime in here as I prefer and really like their manual design they have shown. It's quick and easy, stores away, and you can reclaim all bed space or customize how much and what area is covered, and it's 100% reliable.

I agree. I have been a fan of the manual cover from day 1. That will be perfect for my needs. Honestly I've never had a bed cover for any truck I've owned and gotten by just fine so this will be something new. And the T has plenty of other secure storage areas so I need a cover even less than before.

 

[txtravwill]

does the automatic design occupy some of the bed space? What did you mean by the manual design allows you to reclaim all bed space?

Actually from what read on here there is dead space either way in the front of bed, not used if get the manual still

 

[madgrey]

Manual operation makes a lot of sense if you generally keep the vehicle in one mode or the other. For my hard top C5, the top was almost always on, for my Gen2 Viper, the top was almost always off. on my RAM 1500, the manual tonneau cover was almost always on. Therefore, the few times I needed to change the configuration it wasn't a big problem. Same for my R1T. I almost always have the auto-cover closed, so I would have been better off with a manual cover. I use it even less frequently because I think it's going to break.

Automatic operation definitely makes more sense if you are always changing the configuration. If this was super important to me, I'd pick up a used one with an auto-cover.

 

[Deleted member 12197]

I would imagine a tonneau cover helps with range. Less aerodynamic drag.

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