Power Tailgate Lock

Loud enough to dynamat the inside of the tailgate to dampen the noise?

 

It's noticeable for sure. If u think it's gonna bother you. It probably will.

 

Not sure dynamat would make much of a difference with the DIY mod since the actuator is screwed directly into the cross member in the backside of the tailgate. As a result the sound resonates directly into the metal. The PopnLock mounts to a bolt that is part of the handle assembly so that might be a quieter solution.

While the DIY mod is noticeable, I actually like it since it indicates that the tailgate is locked. If I did not hear it I would always be tempted to check the handle to make sure it locked.

 

the pop n lock is not bothersome.

 

Just as a warning, I talked to Toyota Customer Service today since I was curious about voiding the warranty for the electrical system if I installed a tailgate lock. They assured me that it most definitely would, even if down the line something with the electrical system went wrong that had nothing to do with the door locks, for example if your dash lights went out, stereo head unit crapped out, etc. I called a local dealership and spoke to the service manager and said if I paid them to install the kit and it was done by a certified Toyota Technician would that still keep my warranty pertaining to the electrical system valid and was told no. He told me they would gladly install the kit for me for a fee, but since it's an aftermarket part, and not a genuine certified Toyota part, the warranty portion pertaining to the entire electrical system would be null and void in the event that something ever went wrong with any part of the electrical system. This is a bummer and I am going to return the kit I purchased since I have a 7yr/100k warranty pretty much /especially for the electrical system in case any electrical gremlins decide to pop up in the next 100k miles and the fact that it's a 1st year model.

 

That's good info. Thanks!

I wonder if there's a good junction point at which you could wire up one of these aftermarket actuators, wherein it could be removed without evidence of being installed should an electrical problem come up in the future. Maybe tapping into a plug rather than splicing the wire in line. I'm not advocating that we should be cheating the warranty system, but c'mon, I just can't see a way that an actuator downline from the door locks, especially with an inline fuse, would ever cause something like the head unit to crap out.

 

If you use the quick splice like the rest of us, you can always just open it, put on some clear brush on electrical tape stuff, wrap everything back up and they would be none the wiser

 

I agree with you, and think it's absolutely ridiculous and even told Toyota Customer Service I thought it was ridiculous to not have incorporated the tailgate with the rest of the door locks, especially given how much these trucks cost now. I just don't want to risk having to shell out thousands on something like a head unit, or pay for countless hours of labor a few years from now if something goes wrong with the electrical system when I have a valid bumper to bumper warranty for the next 100k miles! We both know that they will try to do everything in their power to avoid a warranty claim and I don't want to give them any reasons to make denying a future claim any easier.

 

Actually, if you use a Posi-Tap, you can completely remove without harm to the original wire. I swear by Posi-Taps. Just checked the gauge of the wire for under the kick plate, Posi-Tap part number: PT1618 is the size you need for tapping into the OEM wire.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1FRSYX6K938O2

 

I remember reading something about this, regarding modifications to vehicles. Basicly it said a dealer would need to show the repair was a direct result of the mod to void a warrantee claim.

Anyone know anything about that?

 

The burden to prove the mod caused the issue will be on the dealer.
Don't accept a BS 1st response such as "you spliced into a door lock wire which caused your head unit to stop working".

Oh really? Could you please prove that Mr. Dealer? That's right I didn't think so... I'll have that warranty work done now please.

Still no love? Repeat this approach on increasing levels of management and you will get the warranty work done.

 

I am following the wire path from the tailgate to the front passenger side firewall, and noticed the existing wiring along the passenger side of the vehicle has a silver-color heat reflective electrical tape on sections that are close to the exhaust and exhaust manifold.

I would like to wrap the new wire for the power tailgate lock in this same heat reflective electrical tap. Any idea what brand of tape this is or where I can find some? What exactly do you call this kind of tape?

 

I did the mod, works great. Now a camper shell with the electric lock is coming my way. I would like to connect those wires to the ones I already ran under the truck, not go all the way back through the firewall. Any idea for 3 way WATERPROOF connectors?

 

While you are correct, if they continue to refuse, you will need to end up getting a lawyer involved. Which goes back to my point of it being cheaper to pay the dealer for the install if you are really that concerned about warranty issues. If it were me, I could remove the wiring and they would never know it was there.

 

I used GM-style weatherpack connectors, which are easily available in a number of configurations. I got a 2-pin set from DIY Autotune - via Amazon. The nice thing about the DIY Autotune kits is that they give you extra pins in case you screw one up.
DIYAutotune.com is their main site - but they also sell through Amazon. Good people.

 

I'm to the point where I'm searching for a pink wire with a green stripe and a pink wire with a red stripe, I have not located ANY wires with stripes except a white / black wire. I'm assuming this is a wire that goes inside the door grommet, but looking at those most of them are damn near telephone sized wiring, the others are all solid no stripes....what am I missing?

 

This is the plug with the wires that control the door lock on the driver's door from inside the kick panel at the driver's left foot.

There is no pink / green, pink / red as you can see...which damn wires is it......I've tested a few with my multimeter but not getting anything, please clarify this, thanks.

 

The instructions are for the rear door, not driver's door. The wires in question can be tapped into under the driver's door sill or the panel between the doors. For the driver's door you want the wires indicated below:

Driver Door: B and R (before the J17 Junction connector) or L (after the J17 Junction connector)
Front Passenger: LG and R
Rear LH: LA-R and LA-G (LA=Pink) <-- this is the one documented above.
Rear RH: R and G

 

First I would like to thank you for you help and apologize for me being dense.

B = what, there are 2 black wires in that molex plug I'm holding and 1 blue one, so I'm lost there.
R= what? There's a pinkish / redish wire it some would call it pink some would call it red.

I can only assume I'm holding a "J17" connector, I just refer to them as molex plugs, but please if you wouldn't mind clear up the notations, I do appreciate it.

Also, so what you're saying is if you don't want wiring cluttering up behind the kick plate, then hook in under the sill panel b/c it's cleaner to put the wiring down there and that's where the Pink / red strip and Pink / Green stripe wires are....right?

 

They do look nice. However, my question was not accurate. I need to make 3 wires splices and I would like them waterproof. Something like a heat-shrink butt joint but for 3 wires. I saw some but the middle had some metal exposed. I would like something watertight.
Something like this but sealed in the middle: