tailgate trouble!

ok, about a week after i got my truck my sister backed into it. it's been about 3 months, but i finally have some spare money to do something about it. it really doesn't look that bad, but i should have posted a picture so yall could see what i'm talking about; i will a little later on. it's a 2nd generation and she backed into it about 3/4 of the way down the tailgate, right where it dips in about an inch and then comes back out flush with the rest of the tailgate (if that makes sense). the problem is that almost every body shop i went to said that i would have to get a new tailgate because of the spot it was hit. they kept saying the support was probably bent and that it would be easier to get a new one, paint it and be done. well that would be great, but those new tailgates cost $300 plus shipping and paint. it just seems like there has to be an easier way to do this because we're not talking about a huge terrible dent.

well only one body shop in town said they could actually fix it and didn't have to buy a new one. he said that the other body shops just didn't want to go to the trouble, do the labor, or spend the time to do it right; so to take the easy way out, they said that a new tailgate was the only option. he said he could do it right, use the old tailgate, and make it look like nothing had ever happened to it for $200. i really don't want to get a new one if i can salvage the old one for much cheaper. but i don't want to get the old one fixed cheap and then it not be done right. i tried to look at some junkyards for tailgates off totaled tacomas and posted a wanted ad for one on craigslist, but no luck. do yall have any input on this? (also, please don't get on my ass if this is in the wrong forum, i just became a member about 45min ago, just let me know if it should be somewhere else)

 

Welcome to TW!!!!

Well, personally based on your post, $200 to repair or $300 for a new tailgate, I would just get a new tailgate. for $100 more it will be new, no internal damage and you know it was done right. To save $100 you risk a cheap job and internal damage. You never know you may need your tailgate to support part of a load you are carrying and if it's compromised then you will regret trying to save $$$ on the repair. Just my opinion.

 

The guy that can fix it for $200: Good deal, but first you should check some of his other work if he has any to show you. If he's legit just get it fixed there.

In defense of the "new tailgate" guys, they probably just have a higher labor rate or something: fixing yours might be $400 at their place, hours wise, but a new tailgate would be cheaper for them to do since it only takes 10min of labor.

 

thanks guys, both are great answers. it's just about a $200 difference judgment call i gotta make. your opinions will help me make my decision

 

I would be tempted to remove the inside panel and see with my own eyes what the inside of the tailgate looks like. If there is just a big dent then maybe it can be pounded out from the inside and repaired and repainted. Or maybe there is structural damage and you'd be better off with a new tailgate.

 

Your right the call is yours. If you get it fixed and it is a poor job you'll kick your self in the ass the whole time you own the truck. Save up your money and get it done right. You then will be proud of your TACO

 

thanks guys, i just needed some advice from both sides to make my mind up

 

Well I understand your predicament. I'm a body man and yes definatelu check out some of The shops other work and make sure they're good. In my opinion iwould replace in because I wouldn't want my tailgate, or any panel for that matter to be loaded up with boondocks, but ultimately the choice is yours. If you do decide to repair it rather than replace it, make sure they put some corrosion protection on the backside because when the beat the dent out it will scratch the backside and it will rust overtime. Just something to keep in mind.

 

thanks man! your response is probably the best considering that you do body work and know a lot about this. i want a new one and know it's the most trustworthy option. but money is kind of tight and i don't want to have to get a new one if i really don't need to. but i'm leaning towards saving up a little longer and getting a new one.

 

Yeah I would say that's your best bet. But the decisions ultimately yours!

 

What is the cost of the paint for the shop that is pushing the new tailgate?

So its either $200 to fix it (I assume that's all the costs)

or

$300 + Shipping + Paint = ???

I can see the latter getting up to $500 easily

 

The cheap bastard in me would wait even longer to see if you can't find a cheap tailgate, and check nashville/birmingham/atlanta/north carolina craigslist. Or wait for a member to get a tiregate and not need their tailgate.

 

$300 for a new painted gate is really cheap. OEM gates around here cost in the range of $1000. I assume the replacement would be an aftermarket piece.

 

Or stolen.

 

yeah, the guy said $200 to fix it. labor, paint, and everything included. and that's exactly what i was thinking; about $500 at the least once all the otehr expenses are added in. i hate to be cheap, but i hate to do something expensive that's unnecessary

 

great idea on checking other nearby big cities. i hadn't even thought about that. and i hadn't thought about waiting on somebody else to get a new one either. thanks man!

 

yeah, but the ones for $300 are just with a priming coat on them to be painted to your color. so i have to add in the costs of shipping, labor, and paint. it can still get pretty expensive that way

 

haha, every time i see another white tacoma i sit there and think to myself "man, i could easily solve this problem pretty quick"

 

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What I was getting at with that post, is not to expect OEM quality (can't believe I even said that about the OEM weak gate) when you get a cheap $300 gate that must clearly be an aftermarket chintz piece.