Fixing a Vehicle Cargo Cover

A broken vehicle cargo cover corner piece

A customer approached us at Fabrigator to help them fix their vehicle cargo cover. They had previously tried contacting the OEM of the cargo cover for their vehicle but were told that they did not sell just the end corner pieces of the cover and that a full cover could be purchase for $120. In addition the OEM did not provide a lead time on a new cargo cover.

A Comparison of a good corner piece and a bad one

Although the customer was based 1,100 miles away, they were able to send a couple images of the intact pin of the cover and a picture of the broken portion.

Customer Picture from which we designed alignment

Rather than recreating the whole corner piece, which risked alignment issues due to potential measurement discrepancies, we looked at just the pin. After finalizing the design dimensions of the pin for the grove it would eventually sit in, we looked at making sure that installation of the pin portion of the cover would last. Instead of leaving the customer to use epoxy to attach the pin, we designed it to be screwed to the cover.

Video of Design in Autodesk Fusion

After the design was complete, material selection was critical for a lasting solution. We settled on using ASA for its UV and heat resistance. In the finished product the customer recieved, we provide both alignment in the design, a standard 3mm screw and instructions for installation. In a span of 48hrs of the customer contacting us they received the pin to attach to their cargo cover and it was installed.

Customer shot image after being satisfied with result

The result was a perfect fit and a happy customer who sent the above image in admiration of the quick turnaround and fit.