How to Remove Tonneau Cover Tacoma?

A tonneau cover protecting your truck bed against dirt, frost, water, and UV light can also cause damage if removed randomly. The professional uninstallation requires you to combine a pair of skilled hands with the right set of tools.

Don’t know much about the tools and the right techniques?

Nothing to be freaked out!

We’re here for you with a write-up narrating how to remove tonneau cover tacoma like a pro.

Throughout it, we will be telling you the most appropriate method of dealing with covers and rails. In addition, you will learn the hack of sorting out the best tonneau cover for you.

What Are The Popular Tonneau Covers?

Why not get acquainted with the types of tonneau covers before learning the art of its dealing?

Here we have listed a complete list of the most dominant tonneau covers for you:

One-piece solid tonneau cover
Roll-up or Rolling tonneau cover
Retractable tonneau cover
Expandable tonneau cover
Painted fiberglass tonneau cover
High impact plastic tonneau cover
Folding type tonneau cover
Toolbox tonneau cover
Hinged tonneau cover
Electric tonneau cover
Snap type tonneau cover

Again, both roll-up and folding covers are available in two versions:

Soft:

A soft cover is basically manufactured with Vinyl and Aluminium, and it costs comparatively less.

Hard:

On the contrary, a hard cover consists of Aluminium, ABS-plastic, or Fiberglass.

How To Remove A Tonneau Cover By Yourself?

So, this is the section, the life, and soul of our write-up, introducing you to the easiest and most authentic method of removing your truck bed cover, including the roll-up, folding and hard ones.

The word ‘authentic’ witnesses that our guideline, in no way, leads you to cause any damage to your truck and cover.

Supplies required

The tools that will ease your dealing significantly follow below:

Screwdriver
Wrench
Protective goggles

Got all the apparatus?

Okay, let’s jump to the main part then!

How to remove a rolling tonneau cover?

Do as the steps say consecutively to get your roll-up tonneau cover uninstalled effortlessly:

Step 1: First of all, open up the cover.

Step 2: Slide the cover into the box that is seated at the forepart of the bed.

Step 3: Have a screwdriver with the same pattern of the screws’ notch. Loosen the screws of the cargo shield with it. Finally, gently separate the shield from the forepart of the bed.

Step 4: With bare hands, pull out the factory grommets

Step 5: Open up the tailgate and uninstall its extrusion from its top using the screwdriver

Step 6: On the backside of your car, there are cargo nuts on the bed sides. Got them? Good, now use the screwdriver and your hands to remove them.

Step 7: From the bed’s sides, take off the rails.

Step 8: Lift up the assembly of the housing and pull it mildly out of bed by taking it forward of the cab.

This is how you accomplish the disassembly of a rolling tonneau cover.

How To Remove A Folding Tonneau Cover?

Uninstalling a folding tonneau cover is the easiest one that takes minimal time and effort.

Step 1: Fold the cover completely as you did generally

Step 2: Attach the folded cover to the buckles of the bed

Step 3: Locate the bolts that attach the C-clamps to the hinges. After finding that, unscrew the bolts with the wrench.

Step 4: As you are working alone on the project, stand on your truck bed and pull off the cover using both hands.

No, no more steps left below. You are done!

How To Remove A Hard (Fiberglass) Tonneau Cover?

No matter what they are made of, the removal method of all the hard tonneau covers is almost the same. Therefore, even if your cover is not of fiberglass, you can adopt the following technique confidently.

Step 1: Sit on your truck bed and identify the clamps of the lid.

Step 2: Are all the bolts loosened properly? Pull them out of their holes one by one holding the rail with the other hand so that it can’t fall off abruptly.

Step 3: As all the bolts are out, take off the rails carefully. Make sure that the rails leave no scratches on your truck’s surface.

Step 4: Is there any seal along the tailgate and bulkhead? Then, peel it off.

If there is any kind of residue left by the seals, you should clean that part using isopropyl alcohol.

Finally, your truck is afresh, free from its cover and rails.

How To Disassemble The Cover Rails?

Has the question – whether to uninstall the rails along with the cover or not, crossed your mind?

To be frank it all depends on you. If you are about to reattach the cover soon then there is no need to invest your time and effort in its removal.

But, if the uninstallation is forever then there is no point of leaving its rails. Remove them in the following ways:

Step 1: The bed rails are the first things that you need to loosen. With an efficient wrench, you can do that very easily.

Step 2: Are all the bolts loosened properly? Pull them out of their holes one-by-one holding the rail with the other hand so that it can’t fall off abruptly.

Step 3: As all the bolts are out, take off the rails carefully. Make sure that the rails leave no scratches on your truck’s surface.

Step 4: Is there any seal along the tailgate and bulkhead? Then, peel it off.

Step 5: If there is any kind of residue left by the seals, you should clean that part using isopropyl alcohol.

Finally, your truck is afresh, free from its cover and rails.

Tips To Be Considered While Removing A Tonneau Cover

The factors that require your ultimate attention at the time of your tonneau cover removal are:

Put extra focus on the drainage system and the attachments seated on the cover. Otherwise, you may end up causing damage to them. This will eventually make you spend extra pennies on replacement or repair.
If not opened for a long time, your tonneau cover clips might feel harder. Instead of applying more force, you may apply some lubricant on them and wait for some time.
Do you need to put the bed on the truck’s top for any reason? In that case, it is advisable to use a ragged piece in between the bed and the truck’s surface. This is how you protect the surface against scratches.
The tools you will be using should always be in a case rather than be here and there so that no accidental damage is caused.
Although you can uninstall the cover by yourself, you should keep an assistant ready, especially if you have no experience.

So, these were all from our part about the things and factors that require your attention. Hope, you will oblige for your own sake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions from the readers that might interest you.

Q. What is the purpose of using a tonneau cover?

Ans. It basically protects the bed of your truck while easing your transport of vulnerable things.

Q. Which brands should get priority for my Tacoma?

Ans. Undercover elite tonneau cover and ford ranger tonneau cover are very popular among the pro users.

Q. Does tonneau cover improve MPG?

Ans. By reducing aerodynamic dragging, a cover improves the gas mileage of your truck by 10%

Q. Is backflip tonneau covers a good choice?

Ans. Although a budget-friendly tacoma cover yet in terms of security, it is behind of our mentioned ones.

Final Words

In short, the uninstallation of a tonneau cover isn’t like removing your bed cover. For that you must be steady and must have a sound knowledge of how to remove tonneau cover tacoma. Without the right tools and techniques, you might have a nightmare experience with further damage to the truck bed and cover.