(PHOTO HEAVY) Update on my Tacoma! All upgrades after one year of ownership!

Well it has been about a year and some change since I purchased a (new to me) 2018 SR5 Access Cab Tacoma. I had lots of plans and still have more, but I wanted to update my TW family on what I have done so far. Let me know what you think and show me what you have done recently! Cheers TW I'm sittin here sippin on Coor's yellow bellies watching sunday night football so lets see what you guys got. If you have any questions let me know!

Mod's List:
MESO customs red LED dome and map lights
ARE Camper shell
Rhino Rack Vortex 59"
Bedrug Full bedliner
LE Adhesive backing Led strip lights w/ controller (the light strips have 20 different colors but I really only use white and red if im feeling cool)
Weather Tech floor mats
RAM phone mount

Check out my last posting to see what my truck looked like when I first bought it!

 

Forgot to post these few pics as well. Cheers!

 

I dig the LED bed lighting, where to they get power?

 

I wire tapped the hot wire of the dome light inside the shell that runs to the battery. That way I can run it just like the interior dome light in the shell.

 

I haven’t done too many light modifications other than a 20” LED light bar on my DV8 Off Road front bumper and auxiliary LED backup lights on my RCI High Clearance rear bumper. I have thought about swapping out the interior lights to LED, but have only swapped out the OEM backup lights. The combination of the LED regular and auxiliary backup lights makes a world of difference in nighttime rear visibility, and off road, the LED front light bar is like driving in daylight compared to the stock headlights. If I could do it over again I would have gone with the built in light bar option for my roof rack, I may put some ditch lights up there at some point.

 

So what’s the story behind the Sheriff’s patrol car at your house?

 

DUDE! Your rear bumper is so sick! What is that? Where did you get it? Super sick rig

 

haha yeah that does look weird huh? No, my neighbor is a Sheriff and he is a great guy! Protects our community, blue lives matter.

 

Yes, before we purchased our current home we lived across the street from a police officer, and had a county sheriff just down the street. Both were great neighbors and it was nice to have them on the block.

 

It is an RCI High Clearance, I was able to pick it up used, but still on the crate, from a local guy that bought it just before COVID hit. It ended up taking 4 months to ship and he sold his truck before he was able to install it. It’s a great bumper and because the hitch is so high my bike rack doesn’t bottom out like it did with the stock bumper.

 

I’m guessing you lost the blind spot monitoring? That’s a great looking bumper, but the rear cross traffic warning is kinda nice.

 

I didn’t have BSM to begin with, however, there are cutout holes available if you do have it.

 

Nice truck!
I'm curious about the patches you have in the back.

 

I think those would be the backup monitors. BSM is underneath the tail lights behind the bumper. This has been the Achilles heal for many vendors... lots of buyers would be on board if they could keep cross traffic and BSM.

 

Thanks for the correction!

 

Several different duty stations of the Marine Corps and Customs/Border Protection.

 

If I had a nickel for every time I warned a new member to bury their wallet I’d be a rich man!

 

That's a nice looking bed!

 

Great looking truck! I really love the back bumper, steel/aluminum is a huge upgrade over the plastic rear bumper that comes stock, can you show us some pictures of how the trailer hitch looks with the new rear bumper?

Also are you going to leave your DV8 Off-Road Front Bumper or do you plan to upgrade it to a full metal front bumper in the future? One of the things ive been having trouble finding is a front bumper that will work with the sensors on the 2020 trucks (lane departure warnings, and I heard theres a sensor on the front of the truck). Most of the metal bumpers have a disclaimer saying that they dont work with the sensors.

Heres a good thread to follow for finding good metal bumpers: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/plate-bumpers-after-impact-with-pics.379600/

 

The trailer hitch is hidden behind the license plate. I really like the design, and it is also a single piece of steel so it’s very durable.

Although I am not completely happy with the DV8 front bumper, I was able to get it for $338 delivered to my door with a can of touch up paint thrown in. I welded additional gussets in the braces to provide additional strength, and will probably leave it as is for now. I do not like the design for running a winch, and that would be what prompts me to change to a full bumper at some point.

I have not had any problems with the TSS sensors on the front except on two occasions. I have had a warning that the sensors were deactivated a couple of times, but that was even before I swapped out the bumper. It appears that it was caused by excessive dust while off roading. I have also had a warning in a torrential downpour at one time, but it was only for a few minutes.

I just purchased a DV8 Off Road front skid plate this weekend from a guy that was moving and wanted to get rid of it before the move. It was new in the box and he was asking $50. It was a no brainer, and he also threw in some other stuff he couldn’t take with him. I hope to get it on this weekend.

One great thing about Tacomas, there is always a lot of used parts and accessories around that can be had for cheap if you are patient.