Cargo Cover?

[sixstring]

I just got a black moving blanket from harbor freight and use that when I want to cover something.

 

[ChuckNOS]

Reviving this thread. Anyone found one yet? All the SUVs I’ve ever owned, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan and BMW, have been so equipped from the factory, which I used religiously since we were the victims of a mid-afternoon smash and grab in Toronto in 2010. The police said thieves used a spark plug to smash the window to grab the suitcases they could see in plain sight.

 

[PhoenixRizez]

Reviving this thread. Anyone found one yet? All the SUVs I’ve ever owned, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan and BMW, have been so equipped from the factory, which I used religiously since we were the victims of a mid-afternoon smash and grab in Toronto in 2020. The police said thieves used a spark plug to smash the window to grab the suitcases they could see in plain sight.

I found this thread a year ago when I bought my '22; when no one knew of any really good solutions, I searched the web trying to find something, but found nothing. I am truly amazed that no one has made a good, secure aftermarket rear cover for the Expy. I'm guessing part of the problem is that Ford doesn't have any anchor points in the rear that a cover could securely attach to, meaning anything will either be cosmetic-only (like the guys using a blanket or comforter) or it will require a serious install where the panels are all removed to add anchors and attach points to the hidden metal supports.

I feel like Ford is missing out on an option people would be willing to pay a LOT for; look at the thousands people are willing to spend on secure, locking bed-covers for their trucks. Even if Ford just added anchor points below the trim with small pop-out covers to access them, it would allow for a dealer-installed option. Personally, I'd be willing to spend a lot for a very secure slide-open cover in the back (like you see on trucks). As it is now, taking the Expy on a long road-trip when you're planning multiple sightseeing stops is difficult because all your luggage is easily steal-able by simply breaking one window, unless you check into a hotel for every stop and leave the luggage in the room. Ironically, I bought the Expy mainly for road trips, but on my last road trip where we planned a lot of long stops at big national parks, I rented a Cadillac with a big trunk instead, because I knew most of the stops would be between hotels and the luggage would be left in the car for hours. With the trunk, I was able to leave the inside of the car completely empty, giving a first impression that the car wasn't worth burglarizing, but all the luggage was locked in the trunk. And yes, I know it's possible to break into a trunk too, but it's a LOT harder than just breaking a window and grabbing stuff, which only takes seconds.

 

[SunnySunshine]

@PhoenixRizez I was told that if you get a 3M UV clear film applied to all the windows that isn't laminated on the vehicle it would make it very hard to break in. Is that true? When we get our Ford Expedition, our family might go that route.

 

[Deadman]

I use a king size Black bed sheet. It conforms to anything and isn't in the way like those stupid covers are. I threw every one of those roll up covers in the trash when I bought cars because they were always in the way.

 

[PhoenixRizez]

@PhoenixRizez I was told that if you get a 3M UV clear film applied to all the windows that isn't laminated on the vehicle it would make it very hard to break in. Is that true? When we get our Ford Expedition, our family might go that route.

That’s actually a pretty good idea. The 3M Hurricane window tint is great, I had it on my Mustang years ago. It’s very thick and basically makes the windows shatterproof, so they won’t “explode” when they break, like normal windows. The window glass will still break if you hit it with the ceramic piece of a spark plug or a center-punch (like the burglars use), but the tint will hold the broken glass together in a single shattered-but-stuck-together piece, which will make it more difficult to get into, at least without cutting themselves. However, it doesn’t stop the window glass from actually breaking. And the strongest installation method requires the glass to be completely removed from the vehicle and the tint added, so it can be applied all the way up in the channels, otherwise, once the glass is broken, a good hard kick can pop the entire broken piece out (which happened to my Mustang).

I still wish they made a secure inner cargo cover, but that 3M tint would definitely make them work harder to get into the car. There’s also another company that offers a similar product (they market mainly to police departments) but I can’t remember their name.

It’s funny, it’s been several years since I had that Mustang, so I didn’t even think of that tint option for my Expy; but I will now.

 

[SunnySunshine]

@PhoenixRizez I know 3M has them:

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b00016706/

I also heard a lot of thieves are generally checking for tints like this before they try to break in, so maybe it would be beneficial to get some decals that says 3M security film or something so they don't even attempt it.

I need to find a place that does this here in the SF Bay Area. Smash and grabs are way too much of a problem here.

 

[ChuckNOS]

I'm guessing part of the problem is that Ford doesn't have any anchor points in the rear that a cover could securely attach to, meaning anything will either be cosmetic-only (like the guys using a blanket or comforter) or it will require a serious install where the panels are all removed to add anchors and attach points to the hidden metal supports.

The retractable covers my Outback and my Rav4 were each spring-loaded into notches built into the side panels. However, seems it would be easy enough to engineer add on receiver piece that could be noted/screwed to the sidewalls.

Absent that, I'm going to have to go with the robust tint and a blanket. Out of sight out of mind is what they say. So although the blanket alone might hide the real identity of items, thieves still know that there is something there. Not to mention things like luggage have their own distinctive silhouettes.

Thank you to those who contributed.