Tailgate embossed "TACOMA" question

My 17 Sport has the embossed TACOMA tailgate letters filled with dark gray "inserts". It isn't just plain paint, and water annoyingly drips out from behind these when I wash the truck. My question is, which trims include this? Most of the other trucks I see just have the embossed area painted with no "inserts".

I'm take it or leave it, just curious.

 

As far as I know, they're aftermarket. I'm pretty sure they all come blank from factory.

 

Inserts are likely just glued in. Heat them up, peel them off and clean up the residue. Like they were never there.

 

Then, if you want to add letters....reflective, or not, check out @rrentrop 's thread.... I've got his peel and stick letters and they DO NOT do what yours are doing...

 

yep. aftermarket

 

My guess is, a hair dryer and patience will loosen up that adhesive then you can remove the god awful things. Do the Vinyl inserts from @rrentrop as @over60 stated above, IF you want to dress them up. They come blank from factory so your dealer added them. Wonder how many hundreds they added to your sales ticket for those suckers....

 

Dealer add on?

The guy that sells trim for that here uses a nice vinyal I think. Which would not 'leak'.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/vinyl-inserts-for-the-tailgate.396793/

 

Hmm, dealer add? Wasn't listed on any paperwork, and a few on the lot had them, so maybe its just something they add and bury on a different line item. I don't think they necessarily look bad per-se, but if TMC builds them all blank then it makes sense. I won't remove them. The water dripping was mostly to convey that they weren't just vinyl appliques. I've seen a few around town so maybe we all bought from same dealer.

 

Post a photo of them. We'll tell you if you like them or are taking them off.

 

Weird for a sticker to leak. Are there bubbles underneath? Sounds like a poor job if so.

 

I used oem letters they stick dang good and no leaks.

 

Think it is emblems stuck in and not stickers.

 

Oh gotcha. Thanks @shakerhood

 

Southeast Toyota Distributor has them as an option. So dealers that are forced to use that network will have them under "Port Addons", but if you bought in AZ your dealer wouldn't have had to deal with that mafia.

 

I know I am going OT a bit, but I invested in a leaf blower to use to assist in drying my vehicles. Does a fantastic job of getting water out of trapped areas and also blows off the larger panels lessening the amount of using a towel on your paint.

 

Post of the month.

 

Typical TW thread. Ask an innocuous question, and get told to post a pic so I can be told my opinion. Wasn't even soliciting opinions. JFC.

 

He was busting your balls.

 

As far as third gen threads go... this one is pretty mild.


I'd like to see a pic just because I haven't seen what OP is talking about.