Pop and Lock PL8521 Power Tailgate Install (2012 Tacoma)

Installed mine a few weeks ago. To me the sound is not that bad.

The fact that I was able to install it without any problems is evidence of how easy it is to install.

 

Honestly it was easy once I got the right wires to tap into. After that it was a breeze.

 

hey I am new and I really need to know where is mount you talking about? I'm planning to give this a shot. The plug is just underneath the rear passenger side? do you have to put silicone on it? sorry a newbie.

 

You can see where the lock and the tailgate are mounted together on the first picture of this thread. As for the plug yes it is under the front passenger seat. Some have used silicone , but I didn't . I haven't had any issue with any moisture coming through.

 

The noise really isn't all that bad. The lock is buried within the tailgate at the very back of the truck. Between that and the cab is a fiberglass composite bed which doesn't generally resonate sound well. Because of that, I've never heard the tailgate lock (rattles or whatever) inside the truck cab.

The lock does make a solid thud when operated (while parked, etc), but even that isn't excessive. Standing beside the cab, the door locks are almost as loud (my OEM alarm beeps are louder). In fact, with traffic (or similar noise) around, it's very easy to not hear the tailgate lock, leaving one to wonder whether it actually locked (it hasn't failed to do so yet).

About the only time you'll really hear rattles (the metal spring inside) is when the tailgate is slammed shut. That's mainly because you're standing right beside the tailgate. It doesn't really bother me, so I've done nothing to address it.

 

I have my G4 Elite's latch riveted to the upper piece of my tailgate cover, is this going to stop me from removing it to install one of these? Will it destroy anything getting those rivets out if I do have to go that route? Never removed rivets before.

 

^^ I looked at the G4 Elite, but couldn't see well enough to know whether it will interfere with the install or not. Can you get to, and remove, the black plastic panel on the inside of your tailgate? If so, there's no reason to even mess with your tonneau cover. The entire lock install (inside the tailgate) is done through the area covered by that black plastic panel. Of course, the wires have to be installed as well, but they run under the truck to the cab's interior.

 

You can see in this picture, the loop for the locking mechanism for the G4 is riveted to the upper portion of the plastic cover on the tailgate. Do you need to remove the upper portion to install the lock?

 

^^ No, you only need to remove the large plastic panel below that upper portion. Once you get that panel off, you'll see the tailgate handle where the lock is installed. From there, just follow the instructions in this thread.

 

I just installed this on my 2013 and can confirm it works as advertised for the 13s! The wires were the same as posted in this tutorial. Big thanks to the OP for the walk through. I've never done much work on vehicles and zero electrical work, but even I was able to complete this mod in about an hour!

 

I installed this a few weeks back and the only thing I did a little different is that I used a hot glue gun to hold the wires inside the tail gate where they had no place to cable tie them... works great. Took me a few hours because I am a little retentive with my wire routing etc....

 

I broke down and ordered one today, will definitely be using this guide next weekend when I install it!

 

Got mine in the mail, my wires are a different color than yours. Has me slightly concerned, looked like a returned item the way the packaging was. Does this look right?

 

I think mine were that color. I don't think it matters which wires plug in where as long as the polarities are the same (ie it locks when it's supposed to lock). If it unlocks when it's supposed to lock just switch the plugs on the solenoid side of the wire and then crimp.

 

You are good to go. That's what mine looked like!

 

Cool, thanks! Gonna install it tomorrow after work. I plan on shortening the wires instead of having a ton of extra wire wadded up in my tailgate. Also, mine seems to have come with a "sponge" unless that's just for packing. Maybe they updated that in the last couple months?

 

That sponge may be to put between the solenoid and the back of the tailgate? If there's nothing there it will rattle when the gate is shut. Nice they include that now.

 

Mine came with the sponge as well. It was a perfect fit, just snug enough, for between the solenoid and tailgate. So I assumed that's what it was for and left it there. I don't here any rattle when shutting the tailgate. Although the actuator is loud when locking and unlocking as others have stated, but it doesn't bother me.

GL with the install, I think you will be surprised at how easy it is!

 

Yep, install was pretty simple. Wish the plastic plugs under the tailgate and going under the body had room for more wires...not sure how anyone re-used them. That piece of foam that came with it was the perfect size to keep it from bouncing around when closing and won't hold moisture like a sponge might.

 

Just want to thank you for this tutorial. Without it I wouldn't have ordered this item. Just waiting for it to arrive. I'll repost and give you an update.