D22 Canopies.

Hey guys how we all doing?

Well today i went to ARB to asked for a canopy for my 2006 STR duelcab.

I wanted

- Normal profile
- Grain, standard white
- Twin lifting windows
- Fitted ontop of "Over tub liner"

they asked for

$ 2319 !!!!!!!!

I even tried to bargain twice but they wouldnt even budge, not even $1!

So now im wondering if there are better places to get canopies.

maybe a different brand?

Any help would be great guys.

btw i live near liverpool, sydney.

Cheers, Simon

I have a flexiglass on mine, only has one lift up window on side. Not sure of the price as it was on when i purchased but they would be worthing looking into. Pretty happy with it.

Companies like flexiglass etc are cheaper, but if you want cheap that's exactly what you'll get.

I got an ARB (low roof) canopy, smooth, painted white, lift up windows - I think it was about $2800 or so. Worth every penny compared to some of the others on the market. The quality and the finish is much better and little things such as the brake light, internal light, & good quality nice looking lock handles make all the difference in my opinion. Also the ARB canopies are made of plastic, not fibreglass, so will be much more durable and won't crack as easily if you hit a branch of something off-road.

Personally, i would steer clear of the unpainted finish as they deteriorate quickly and look crappy after a few years of weather, sun & dust.

Yep, they dont come cheap, But I can't fault the quality and finish of mine, and would have to say it was worth the coin.
ARB/black/smooth finish/fold up windows all round.

damn the cost is going up, up and away,

i started with only a decent USED canopy in mind at around $1000, now im looking at a decent brand new one, and just now im thinking
that it'll be worth saving up and getting a nice one.

starting from $1000 and now $3000 =[ cars cost so much money...

btw guys, are the canopies secure? iv had 2 instances where someone tried to take a tool box out of the tub. i really dont want a smashed/openned canopy window and tool box taken aswel =[

Yep, they are not cheap, and I just let an auction go on ebay for an 8 year old Nissan (Flexiglass) canopy to suit my D22. Right colour and all, bidding started at $800.00, finished at $1550.00!!. Might as well pay a bit more and get new.

BUT, the ARB are nice canopies, I was quoted around $2600.00 painted/installed, and Jason (Lucky %@#$@%) is getting his done this Friday.

Caddy and Carryboy also look good, specs are good, but Carryboy want around $3200.00, FORGET THAT.

Anyway good luck, but I am steering towards ARB because ABS plastic I think will last longer than fibreglass, although I think I saw on the Flexiglass site they do now have an ABS model.

Hey mate, I've got an arb on mine, dies the job, it's secure but only as secure as a brick through the window!
The local Nissan dealer fits after market canopies that look pretty schmick on the new d22's I wish I could remember the name? They've got a spoiler and bigger windows they look pretty good, price... no idea
I would sit tight and give eBay a crack first and then bite the bullet. Arb canopies ain't easy to get on and off but not sure if other brands are easier of harder??
Good luck!

strange you all prefer abs, i would only go fibreglass. Reasons are rigidity, no need for shell reinforcements or special roofrack strengthing. I think the canopy shell would be the last thing to get broken offroad. Anyway fibreglass can be patched sanded and resprayed. I can see the glass getting smashed but that could go on any.
Carryboy while quite expensive are a step up in quality if you compare them in the flesh But each to their own guys.


edit: i should proofread

They are quite secure, but if they really want to get in, they will. Make it as hard for the bastards as possible, but that's why we have insurance....

I believe ABS to be a much more superior product. Realistically, if you want to put anything other than a fishing rod or two on your roof racks you would get ones with steel supports. In fact I did quite a bit of research and couldn't find a canopy that fixed the roof racks directly to the fibreglass, they all has either steel moulded into the fibreglass, or steel bars that go down into the tub (which got in the way of the load space).

I have the ARB tradesman canopy steel tubular roof rack, has an awesome support system which doesn't get in the way at all. None of the other brands offered anything remotely close to the strength and unobstrusive design of the ARB system. I reckon you could put a tinny and a bunch of camping gear on the rack comfortably.

ABS plastic can be welded and repaired much more easily than fibreglassing, and retains it's strength better once repaired.

hmm you have a good point with fibreglass vs ABS plastic.

but now im not sure of what to get, i guess i have to wait abit longer, save up more money for a brand new one and while im doing that i can just search ebay.

if only ARB offered to take off 100-200 from the cost of the canopy, i wouldnt paid right there n then!

but the ARB canopies cannot carry any load at all ( loses warrenty ) unless you pay for an internal support thingy for roof racks ontop, that adds more money!!! all they want is money lol

If it retailed for $2519 and they gave you $200 discount would you have signed up?

Yes they are expensive, but i wouldn't get anything else, They are very good quality.

lol its not that i want a discount, its all i got atm haha.

if they only want 2.3k then theyl have to wait for my money lol

but you guys rekon its worth every dollar? should i save up for a smooth finish or grain finish?

what is i get a grained finish and get my own painter to prime+ paint it? would that come out smooth? lol

Simon

I got a raised roof grained finish on mine, mainly just because its my work ute and I am not pedantic about how it looks, the smooth finish canopies do look a lot better though.

No you won't be able to make a grained one smooth.

yer i dnt care how it looks either but some ppl here are saying that the smooth ones last longer?

i dont know why tho.

hey mate, i've go an Alpha canopy on my D22 and i love it. it's fiberglass & smooth with racks built in. it was on the car when i bought it, but it has a Blueys sticker so it obviously came from ..::| Blueys Ute World - We Sell Accessories For Utes |::.. the price list says $2725 for Jap dual cabs and there's a nice hi res pic of a D40 on the site. they have sliding windows so not exactly what your after, but might be a compromise.

I have a flexiglass on mine with lift up windows both sides.I have not had 1 ounce of trouble with mine and mine was a factory 2nd and half the price of new.I think it is very strong and a good product.

I don't know about smooth canopies lasting longer but the grained ones do have a tendency to look dirtier. Some might say the dirt that shows up could make the canopy deteriorate quicker but I can't really see how, smooth finishes get just as dirty (especially between the hut and the tub) and if you're really that worried about it you can wash the thing anyway.

Not sure how they fit on a D22 but one thing to be aware of with cheaper canopies (and I'm not suggesting any particular brand) is how they fit on the tailgate. Some of the D40 canopies provide little resistance to someone trying to open the tailgate and since Nissan Aust don't deem central locking tailgates as essential it can cause issues with thieves.

As others have said any canopy is only as safe as the closest brick but there was some canopies that I looked at for the D40 which with a little force on the tailgate would pop the tailgate open leaving the rear window still locked but full access to the tub

well if thats he case.

anyone outhere who has a d22 with an ARB canopy with problems with the rear tailgate? is it nice n secure?
i went to ARB moorebank n their show room is fairly small so i couldnt have a look at a canopy on a tub.

cheers
Simon

I wouldn't be overly worried about it, after all if it was a huge issue there would be heaps of reports about it happening, in most cases a brick is still going to be easier than any other option for someone wanting to make a quick get away.

I checked these things when buying mine, one because experience with other utes showed me what I didn't want but two because at times I can be carting around over $10K worth of bits in the back and while insurance pays if something happens I'd still rather take as many precautions as I can to try and not use insurance. Nothing is bullet proof but then some people don't need as much security as others.

Simonness said:

well if thats he case.

anyone outhere who has a d22 with an ARB canopy with problems with the rear tailgate? is it nice n secure?
i went to ARB moorebank n their show room is fairly small so i couldnt have a look at a canopy on a tub.

cheers
Simon

Click to expand...

Yeah my tailgate still opens, oh have I introduced myself... Marcus, no back window on my canopy due to flying lawnmower!
It didn't open before the mishap though, when I bought the truck couldn't understand how the tailgate locked then realized the canopy locks it in place.
Petty sure mine has the grain finish, it looks fine to me.