Hello All,
I bought my Baja in March of '04 and have already replaced my tonneau cover through the warranty. Now the second one is ripping at the seams. I can only imagine this is a widespread problem. I spent $600 getting the accessory and am frustrated. Does anyone know if Suby has issued a recall, or is offering any respite for those owners like me?
Thanks,
Heath
Also, I may try and get my moey back, and if so will have to find an aftermarket replacement. Can anyone recommend one?

Contact 1-800-SUBARU 3 and let them know how disappointed you are in the cover. Also have on hand copies of when it was installed and replaced.

I heard Subaru was going to come out with a hard cover on the MY05, but it never happed because they were not happy.

Seeing that you live in New Hamshire, does the snow sit on top of the cover? That may be to much weight for it to handle. Also, do you use it all the time (open/close), or is it just on there for looks?

Your best bet would be to contact Subaru and let them know you are unhappy

I am calling now. Thank you very much Rexygirl!

I just got off the phone with Suby and they say the warranty is a 3 year and that it's up to the dealers discression, but I should be able to get it replaced each time it becomes defective over that peeiod of time.

He also mentioned that this is not a widespread problem.

Thanks,
Tubaja

I heard Subaru was going to come out with a hard cover on the MY05, but it never happed because they were not happy.


I've seen the hardcover at the dealer, it's standard on new '05 Turbo Bajas with leather interiors. Just ask your dealer how you can order one. Maybe they can give you some kind of price break based on the trouble you've had with the soft cover. Never hurts to try.

It was mentioned on the Baja forum, that they are not selling the hardtops for non-turbo models.
It's not even an option.

Hard tops are offered only through aftermarket distributors and usually run between $800-$1500. The come painted and usually have locking mechanisms unlike the soft top covers discussed here. Anyone who says that these soft covers don't break must have their head up their arse because we have personally dealt with quite a few of them. If your not happy with the product, by all means complain because that is the only way that things get fixed. If no one complains how does Subaru know that there is a problem?

Jackie

We've also had numerous problems with the soft cover. I won't even recommend them anymore because of the issues I've seen. When it snows out here it and sits on the cars it stretches the material and generally is more trouble than it's worth. I haven't really been too enamored of some of the aftermarket hard covers either, we've seen some problems with them here. You can buy the hard top from Subaru, you just have to get the part numbers and prices. If I can get the time here in the next day or so I'll try to post part numbers and Subaru pricing in the Baja forum.

I, too, have the same problem with my cover, and it wasn't even one month old, and no snow on it yet, when it began to tear on the corners.
I just recieved a letter from my dealer saying that a new one had come in, after I showed them the problem, and to bring it back to be replaced.
If this is going to be an ongoing issue, I may want to rethink wether it is worth having a cover on the back. I like the looks of it, but not if it's going to be a hassle.
I, too, have checked into the Subaru made hard top for the 05 Baja, and like everyone else, have not been able to get a good answer on when, or if, it will be made available to the general public. I HAVE seen pictures of the cover, and I like the looks of it. Maybe Subaru can't make them fast enough, knowing that they have a market out there for them. Who knows?
Keep it under 90, folks!

From what I understand, the 05 Bajas were supposed to come out with a hard top standard on all new cars. Apparently, Subaru was not happy with the design and cancelled it. Some made it thru though, from what I hear. (mostly for cars up north). I know several people that have inquired about the hard top and currently none is available thru Subaru. They went and got an after market one and some are happy and some are not.

I recently saw a yellow Baja driving around that actually had a full "truck cap" that closed the bed off so it looked like a truck. Looked kinda wierd but neat as well. It was painted the same yellow as the car and had windows and a lift door on it.

I have seen the new hardtop at the dealer, If I remember it is the same material as the front panel on the regular top, just has three panels that cover the whole bed. I also saw a sweet one piece flush-mount lid a couple months ago, but I didn't catch the brand. It looked sweet from the side.