Driver Side Grab Handle

you have me mistaken for someone else. I simply commented that the company was banned from TW. I have never ordered any of her products. While she has had a few good ideas for products, and a few that made me think “Why?,” I have noticed a lot of problems with fulfilling orders and communicating with customers, also a lot of complaints about how she deals with those that order her products.

I was just saying you shouldn’t post someone else’s personal information on a forum that can be publicly viewed

 

Order went smoothly for me. I have no idea the history about this person or company.
I will say that making a mold like that is not simple for someone who never did it before. I work in rubber molding and have designed molds for years. If this is their first time then they did ok. But if they had this mold for a year, they could have fixed it already as the part is off alot from the OEM dimensions leaving big gaps/mis-alignments.

The issue is most likely they outsourced the mold design to the chinese manufacture who then did not reverse engineer the measurements that well.
To laser scan the original part, mirror it, and make a good 3D model would take an experienced person 6 to 8 hours. But you also have to account for any material shrinkages in the mold with the specific material.
They did a excellent job matching the surface finish.

When I first ordered, I was worried I would be scammed as all my credit cards were declined on their site. I had to order with Paypal to get the order through.
They shipped within 24 hours of my payment. Then I received it in 3 days. This was really quick.

I will keep the handle as it is 100% needed for this truck on the drivers side even with its bad mis-alignment. Toyota was incompetent for not including a drivers side grab handle.

 

For someone to complain about an order on the 29th not shipping yet or not having communication like Amazon is pretty pathetic.
I ordered from a toyota dealer online for some tacoma parts and got no communication at all for 7 days before it finally shipped.

 

I have worked with molding companies and do understand the complexities. The mold makers were supposedly Toyota China?

But, I don't believe it is a direct mirror as the hole spacing is narrower.


I would bet that the fit issues are because of the mounting bracket alignment. If you bend it downward (typically the top one), it will fit better. Strength of yielded metal though . . .

The project was poorly handled and only revealed once folks started receiving them. Improper design and installation testing. It could have been great, but KTJO 4x4 snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

Steering wheel out of reach???

 

I am guessing this person did not designed the mold themselves and paid a chinese mfg company to reverse engineer, design a mold, and manufacture the part.

This is a great idea, but they should have done an iteration on fixing the mold after their prototypes instead of continuing to ship mis-aligned parts.

The mis-alignment looks like it is from the A-pillar plastic piece not aligning properly with the holes or the other trim pieces.
I think the grab handle is correct.
You have to bend the A-pillar piece a lot to get this to fit and it is not easy. Turned a 2 minute job into an hour of trial and error.
Then because of all the bending you can clearly see the gaps and mis-alignment.

 

Yes. That is what happened. The Chinese MFG shipped over verification 3D prints that were apparently only tested on her Taco.


I completely agree. With all the negatives posts, all that KTJO 4x4 did was submit an order for twice the quantity.


That was where I was at. It took me an hour to get the top bolt properly threaded and I ended up with bad gaps. Bending the top clip about 25deg made it the 5min installation that it should have been. IMO, the bore angle / angular tolerance of the top hole in both the handle and pillar trim is wrong / uncorrected. It seems to fit about half of the Tacos.

Folks have never struggled with the OEM pillar trim. I have had mind off a few times for speaker mods and such.

 

You use your steering wheel?

 

yes, its habit that I can't brake.

 

From the buyer beware thread:

 

My experience was positive. I ordered the grab handle on Dec. 8 (2020) and received it on Dec. 23rd. All the parts were there, and in good shape, with the exception of the "J" clip, which was the wrong size. (A quick trip to the hardware store solved that problem.) Installation was straightforward. I did receive some extraneous emails, which I ignored.

Concerns about air bag deployment, bumping one's head against the handle, and blocked vision, are all overblown. Nobody complains about these things regarding the passenger side grab handle, which is the exact equivalent.

Anyway, here it is:

 

Mine must be in the half that the fit is ok. However, I had two problems: handle arrived damaged (but not where you can see it) and I had a bitch of a time threading the bottom nut. Took me about 1.5 hrs to complete the job.

 

PM coming your way...

 

From the sounds of it, I think he's in the other half? Struggling to get the bolts in and gaps would have me thinking that KTJO 4x4 PnP is not happening here. Hahaha!

 

No gaps, just a bitch trying to thread the bottom nut. Definitely not a PnP.

 

Hahaha! Sounds like a well known tale as old as time.


Crap though. I misread your earlier post and though you were talking about @r81984 's install, not your own.

Sorry!

 

Makes sense now!!!

 

Everything I have ordered from her has been PnP with no problems. I would love to have this grab handle but there are too many negatives to order it. Now if she would say it is not PnP and there are fitment issues that you would have to work through and because of this offer at at reduced rate then that might be different. Hahaha

 

Truth in advertising is sooooo dead at KTJO 4x4.

 

I have the grab handle, bowl lights, always on 400 and the tailgate remote. All went on fairly easily and all work well.

I had a problem with her from day 1 but when I complained her posse came out and blasted me. Tonered blocked me from that conversation with her because I wasn't being patient with her and the pillar. Looks like the tables have turned.