Well I finally had a new tailgate installed on my 2005 Tacoma. (First one was badly damaged when a load slid into it due to the slippery plastic bed). Toyota wanted $1000.00 for their body shop to install a new tailgate, using parts from the old tailgate, such as lock, handle etc. I found a custom auto body shop who did the job a few hundred dollars cheaper and better. By better I mean: I asked the Toyota body shop if they could install a piece of diamond plate steel in place of the plastic on the inside of the tailgate. They looked confused, and said we dont do any work like that. I found Denny & sons custom auto body in Selden NY. I asked him the same question he said sure we can do that, and he did. He installed a new tailgate and instead of using that cheap Toyota plastic, he used a nice piece of diamond plate steel. Cut it to size, drilled it, shaped it, sprayed it with epoxy, primed and painted to match the truck. A beautiful job thats durable as well. I can actually use my tailgate now for real work, like a real truck. The body man told me with 30 years in the business, he was shocked when he took off the plastic cover and saw it hollow, empty, no structual support. He said " Toyota has always made good quality stuff but this tailgate was a piece of junk.
- posted
18 years ago