BUYER BEWARE: 3rd Gen Plug-N-Play Tailgate Bolt-N-Lock & Tailgate Bolt-N-Open

I agree. I’m right there with you. I did this mod originally because it was cheap and I wasn’t about to have someone steal my tailgate, but I spliced my wires. That’s why I jumped on the PNP Harness right away when it was first thought of. When I installed mine for the first time, the only way people were doing it was through tapping the two wires on the driver side door panel. This is so much cleaner. I love it! I have spent so much time cleaning up my wiring. When you first start, or when I first started, I knew nothing. You learn so much over time it’s crazy. Now I just try to help as many people as I can early on because it’s a big deal for later down the road.

 

Yeah this isnt my first build and I'm super anal about wiring. I've had too many people pull into my garage with a lift kit to install and we spend more time fixing the rats nest that is their wiring than the actual lift takes.

I'm ex military working on fighter jet wiring so that's probably a big chunk of my attention to detail on wires.

 

Exactly. You get it! Clean wiring is the most important part

 

Maybe someone with a 3D printer could replicate the bracket then fabricate something from it. Or would the print not be strong enough to withstand the torque of the pop?

 

I was under the impression that because it was a pop and lock kit, it was a pop and lock actuator. Maybe I misread the op. The only point I was making was, it's a plug and play harness, if you're drilling into your truck what's the point of a PnP harness? That's all I'm saying. That being said, I'll still be getting it

 

Truth be told people are much more afraid of wiring than anything. I personally prefer the plug and play.method on wiring cause if I have an issue in that area I'll pull the plugs and remove it so if a dealership wants to be dicks about a warranty they dont try to blame it on that. Plus if I trade it in I'm not giving them mods. When I splice into a harness its alot of heat shrink and solder. Not easy to undo for either reason.

 

I drilled an extra hole in both grommets. I think they are made with 2 holes also but I'm not sure how to get them.

 

Totally get it! Trust me. However, the PNP Harness is part of the Kit but it is not the Actuator. They are two different parts of the Kit that make one. It is a PNP Harness. You literally unplug the OEM Connector, plug it into my Harness, and then plug the other end of my Harness back into the Truck. DONE! That is all you have to do to the PNP Harness. After that, the two wires attached to the PNP Harness are PNP as well. You literally take the two socket connectors (female and male) from the Integration Harness and the PNP Harness and Connect them together. DONE! Route the wire from the front to the back or the back to the front. Whichever. You can follow the instructions (rear to front). In the Tailgate it is the same thing. Take the two socket connectors (female and male) from the Integration Harness and the Actuator and Connect them together. DONE! That is everything you have to do. That is what you call a Plug and Play kit.

Now for your actuator statement. I'm not sure how the pop and lock is installed in the tailgate but I'm assuming even that mount has to be connected to something. You may not have to drill inside the tailgate, but you have to connect it to something or somewhere. Otherwise, doesn't it move around not being secure. Unfortunately, yes, the actuator you have to drill small holes and mount it to the tailgate. That is how the actuator is connected and secured so that it doesn't move. Like I have said since the beginning of this mod, the only thing about this kit that is not Plug and Play is the Actuator. The Actuator you have to actually install it inside the tailgate. The instructions that I will be providing everyone will be so simple that anyone, and I mean anyone, would be able to install this inside a tailgate.

Lastly, the purpose of a PNP Harness is for many, many reasons. What if you are having issues with your truck and its a warranty issue but when you take it into Toyota all they see is that you have tapped into OEM Wires all over. They are going to red flag you like crazy and deny you so fast. However, the site of modding your truck shouldn't detour you from doing so. You just need to go about it in the right way. The purpose of this kit and harness is so that in a situation like that, you are able to disconnect the PNP Harness, plug the OEM Harness back in to the OEM location, remove the PNP Harness all together and they will have absolutely no idea or way to even know you were ever connected there. Even if you leave those other two wires just sitting on the carpet not connected. Another purpose is for a clean install. I personally have had issues with the wiring in my truck from the Factory. Nothing from me and my installs but from the factory. I had Toyota install my automatic starter prior to me purchasing my truck and the way they installed it was BS. I'm lucky today that I still have a truck. I'll just say that. With that said, all of my clean wiring is what saved me from Corporate looking at my truck and all of my mods that I have on it, (trust me, there are a lot!) and having them deny me my warranty right away. I had the Director at Wilsonville Toyota tell me that he has never seen a more modded Tacoma than mine and I have been through Corporate 3 times, but 2 really big times within this last year. Dick Hannah of Toyota looked at my truck and in 2 seconds, their first couple questions/statements were: Who did all your wiring? This truck is extremely modded. I'm sure it will not pass through warranty. Lets just say, after 45 days of that transmission/factory wiring battle, I won and corporate covered everything under warranty. They will try, but there is no way. You take your time to do it right in the beginning, you will not have issues in the end.

I'm glad you took the plunge and are getting the kit! Thank you!

 

For those of you that placed orders today, I will update tomorrow. I took a small break from updating today

 

Want full kit, please sign me up!

 

I guess instead of drilling into the sheetmetal, you could bolt it to a rare earth fishing magnet. Unscrew the eye bolt and replace with a regular bolt holding a plate to screw the actuator to. 400lbs of force so it ain't gonna move on you.

 

If you are wondering where the PnL mounts, they go over it pretty well in this video (and also show the method of drilling through the loom brackets):

https://youtu.be/ehiS8HVTRkc

 

I'd like to order a full kit

 

Can I order a full kit too.

 

Ok. I have updated the list with the people that have sent posts on the thread in the last day for orders. If you have not sent me a PM, go ahead and do that now as well as make your payment. I am now moving on to my PMs and will update the list with all of those.

 

That's 400# in tension, Not shear, plus the diameter on a magnet that big must be huge. Look, I'm not worried at all about drilling / cutting my truck. I just had the wrong impression in my mind when ordering, that's all.

 

Since I traded in my SR5 and got a TRD Sport I have to reinstall my actuator. I will use the same mounting from before.
I may try what you suggest. If I unplug the camera connector and pull the wires and loom brackets back, I think I could run the actuator cables through the same loom and add a connector for the actuator. I will look at it and report back if I go that way.

 

Pm sent with payment ship info

 

Proof of Payment sent as well as shipping information.
Thanks, SPYDER192

 

So I ran the wiring through the camera loom. I had to cut the loom open to get the wire in it. There is a double loom used. A small loom with the wire in it and a larger loom that the small one goes through. The larger one is mostly where the loom goes through the brackets on the tailgate and body. I added a connector near the camera connector too.



I also soldered a ring on the actuator rod and slipped that over the plastic part that the lock mechanism attaches to. I removed the lock so that I could put the ring below it. That way the lock will hold it in place.