Hey guys, I forgot to post this, to see what everyone's opinion is. I went to the dealership today, to make sure air intake didnt void warranty. The dealer that I know is a great guy, and we often find ourselves talking for long periods of time, just about cars and other things. Well we went for a walk around the lot looking at trucks and what not, when he told me to always remember to keep my tailgate locked. He said that the dealership had five tailgates stolen in one night. The dealership said that they had never locked tailgates before now. I am not sure locking it will prevent it from being ripped off, but I am going to keep it locked at all times. The dealer said that the tailgates can sell for about 400-500 a piece, on the newer trucks. Just thought I would give you guys a heads up....

 

Yep..I keep my tailgate and a.r.e. bedcover locked at all times.

 

Yep, I keep my truck sealed up really good. Keyless entry for the tonneau cover and power lock for the tail gate...If i lose my alarm remote im screwed.
Trev

 

Thats why they started to put locks on tailgates, so that no one would still them off of your truck. Keep mine locked all the time.

 

I locked my tailgate ever since I had a damn 88 or so Mazda truck millions of years ago...tailgate down, exposes screws for tailights...taillights gone in the morning.

I noticed when I had a Tundra, I was able to lock the tailgate...same story - screws are exposed for taillights if you open the tailgate.

Keep mine locked always...people always ask why when I unlock it to load some stuff, but hey...its not their money or insurance they have to worry about. Id just rather have piece of mind knowing it will 99% still be there when I drive my truck again. Whats 1-2 seconds to unlock it when needed right?

 

Another easy thing you can do whether or not you have a locking tailgate is to get a hoseclamp and put it around the right hinge and tighten it down. This covers the slot in the hinge so you can't lift the tailgate off. Therefore it's no longer a 7 second deal to remove the tailgate, but a 4-5 minute deal.

 

Ok, Is this correct? If the tailgate is locked then you also couldn't steal the cargo cage. I've never paid any attention to the design and that's pretty poor because I'm an engineer and that kind of stuff amuses me. I think that the only way the cage will come out is if it's flipped over on the tailgate so then tailgate must be unlocked and open. I think anyways.

Jeffery

 

locked every night and day since day one....

 

this is true, but not all F150s have the cage.

Think of it this way, this is the easiest body panel to steal, so if you wreck yours, or if youre a body guy with a wrecked F150, you steal a tailgate and save the $1000.

 

I guess if you really think about it, it could be a rather expensive ordeal. $1000 for a tailgate (I'm using J-150 #'s), lets say $50-$100 to replace bed protection (if you have any) and $200-$300 to place that cargo cage (if you have one). So you would be at least out $1000.00 or have to file a claim with your insurance company. Or you could just drive by the mall or by a dealer and find a truck that has all of the above,,, never mind I'm just kidding.

I guess I'm going to start locking mine.
Jeffery

 

My tailgate was vandalized 11-02-03 and had to be replaced.

Summary of charges

Parts (unpainted blank / no hardware) $351.84
Shop supplies ______________________$3.00
Body shop material _________________$92.40
Labor ___________________________$296.40
Sub-total ________________________$743.64
Tax _____________________________ $44.62
Total Charge _____________________$788.26

Thankfully, my insurance paid 100% and since it was a tailgate, I didn’t have to leave my truck at the body shop.

 

 

I am gonna start locking mine after reading this post thats for sure....p.s. anyone wanna buy a tailgate? , color no problem....im kidding, im kidding!

 

I live in a small town, so I don't lock mine. But, when I go to a larger town like Madison or Milwaukee, then it definitely gets locked.

 

I think i am going to start locking mine now. Great Thread