Lock your tailgates! Also, insurance question.

Why don't they make it so that you need the key to unlock the hinges before you can remove the tailgate?...Maybe because they're too busy making money on the widespread need for overpriced replacementt tailgates?

I had the tailgate of my 06 f250 stolen in less than 5min.

Then 6 months later, someone stole the whole damn truck! I miss it to this day. 

z31maniac said:

secretariata said:

In reply to wheelsmithy :

But if the truck had an MSRP of $68k is a $5k tailgate really out of order? Manufacturers don't make a complete replacement tailgate so each individual component has to be purchased at well above actual production cost to cover excess production for parts supply that won't go to the assembly line, storage of said excess production, distribution to dealership when parts are ordered, paint and assembly of individual components at dealership...I don't necessarily like the cost, but I do see that there are reasons for the cost to be what it is.  My biggest beef is the original cost of vehicles (especially trucks & suvs) these days.

Well for one, the MSRP is highly inflated and trucks routinely sell for $8-12k less than MSRP. 

A base Ford F250XL MSRP starts at $32k. 

$5k for a tailgate sounds pretty out of line. Are the higher F250 trim levels getting Magnesium tailgates? Or is just fancy colors and maybe some chrome trim?

Include a camera and or step ladder etc. It adds up.

Well, the dealership has ordered a new tailgate and will be replacing it on their dime. Didn't take much pushing - I think they knew what was going to happen as soon as they saw the tailgate missing. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Gotta love GRM, someone complains about low life scumbags stealing tailgates and somehow people end up blaming the OEM's!

Years ago my company got a new F150 as a delivery vehicle. I asked the driver how he liked it compared to the Toyota that he had been driving. He said it was great, but the tail gate kept falling off. I looked over at the truck and it appeared to be in place. Puzzled, I asked what he meant by that? So he showed me. He walked over to the truck, and grabbed the handle. He was tall and awkward, and the motion he used to open the gate resulted in an extra tug at about 45 degrees, and the fairly battered 1 day old tailgate fell to the ground. I had to explain to him that it wasn't falling off, he was removing and dropping it. 

I've been sitting on a brand new superduty tailgate since July with no takers at $500. What's this market you speak of? 

I've had my spare tire stolen. Not my cat (yet), but anytime something is a needed item and easy to remove, it's gonna get stolen.  Heck, people steal Miata hardtops.

My spare tire now requires tools for removal and I think I'll be adding one of those power lock doohickeys for the gate. I usually have it locked with a key when I'm on the road, but it would be a lot more convenient if it was tied to the vehicle locks. Thanks for the link.

Knurled. said:

I think there was only one stolen tailgate, then the guy had the idea to just grab one from out of the dealership lot.  Then the owner of THAT truck had the same idea, and so on.

 

Musical tailgates.

 

Should be an X-Files episode.

Nah.  Supernatural episode.  Hotter chicks. 

What about a GPS tracker?  I know nothing about them myself. 

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

What year? Depends on how you’re advertising it but shouldn’t be too hard to move at that price if it’s complete and in good shape!

I bought one of those glorified hose clamp thingies for my '96 F-150 as soon as I got the truck, because I had never seen such a nice tailgate. I wonder how many times it's done its job. 

For those of you with older trucks that don't have locking tail gates.  The cheap theft deterrent method that snailmont5oh mentioned is to take a hose clamp and put it around the hinge that has the slot for removal.  That way it takes a tool and more than 20 seconds to remove the tail gate.

just kick a big ass dent in the tailgate, then nobody will want it. it's worked for my truck for 3 years now

Another deterrent is having a non-standard color, making it less attractive to bad guys because they know people don't want to bother painting it.

An easy mod to the above is to flip that clamp around and tighten it with a wrench. While the thieves might have a screwdriver or socket wrench, it's unlikely they'll have the right-sized wrench. Anything to waste their time while being highly visible.

I added a torsion spring assist to the tailgate on the OBS F250 I had. Not only did it make closing the tailgate a LOT easier, there was no berkeleying way you were walking off with that one quickly. It could be removed, but you really needed 2 people, and it was better if one was a gymnast.  Plus it was only $20

I've thought about finding a replacement for the beat up tailgate on my 99 Tacoma.  This is a good reminder to leave it alone so it's undesirable.

I have nothing new enough to have a locking mechanism on the tailgate. My 78 is just chains and a bolt. 

J0nesy said:

For those of you with older trucks that don't have locking tail gates.  The cheap theft deterrent method that snailmont5oh mentioned is to take a hose clamp and put it around the hinge that has the slot for removal.  That way it takes a tool and more than 20 seconds to remove the tail gate.

 

Mine is actually from McGard, and has a mini locking lugnut style groove cut in it, so you need the special key to get it off there. I think I may have lost the key, so now I can't even steal my own tailgate. 

I am hoping someone steels the tailgate of my truck. It is so bowed that it would hit the third brake light led strip under it when you open it. Plus the dents on both the top and the back. It works fine but is dam ugly up close. Local dismantled has a like new oem one that I would need to paint for less than $300 complete with all hardware. 

ultraclyde said:

I added a torsion spring assist to the tailgate on the OBS F250 I had. Not only did it make closing the tailgate a LOT easier, there was no berkeleying way you were walking off with that one quickly. It could be removed, but you really needed 2 people, and it was better if one was a gymnast.  Plus it was only $20

Thanks for that. Easiest tailgate I've ever closed. 

For those having tailgates stolen, is this happening even on new trucks with tailgate locks? How are they managing to open the gate to remove it?

dculberson said:

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

What year? Depends on how you’re advertising it but shouldn’t be too hard to move at that price if it’s complete and in good shape!

Brand new white 2017 OEM complete loaded gate.  Advertised on Craig's in Milwaukee because I'm not shipping it.

I have a topper on my 88 Silverado, so I just make sure to keep the topper door locked. 

Interested in the torsion spring. What brand do you have?