Plastic trim rubbing off paint

The problem with spacing it out slightly is that pressing on it will bring it into contact with the paint again when closing the hatch or if it is bumped. Ditto for flexing if parked in the sun as someone noted earlier. It's just thin plastic that deforms easily. I now slam my tailgate with confidence every day not having to worry about any of these possibilities.

Removing it with the clips is not a problem. Just be careful and don't pry on it or anything that might cause damage.

 

I typically pull down on the handle then push on the plate (w silicone frame) to finish closing the tailgate but your point is totally valid. Not 100% sure how others that sometimes use my 4Runner do it.

I do like the approach you used. Do you have any concerns of the garnish cutting through the tape over time?

Edit- and thanks for the confidence in pulling the clips. Some folk have made it sound like you have to go full He-Man on it to get the top clip out

 

No. The 2228 is very tough stuff and thick enough. It's not a "tape" like electrical tape or something but a thick self-adhesive ribbon. It's designed for outdoor use as thick electrical insulation and other heavy duty uses.

I didn't have any trouble getting the garnish off. Just be sure not to let the tips and bottom of the garnish scratch anything while you give the final pull straight out to get the clips loose. If you have ever removed an interior door panel, the two big round clips are the same ones. They also hold the tailgate interior panel all the way around. The top garnish clip is smaller but it also has a tight grip.

Putting the garnish back on actually was harder than getting it off due to the added thickness of the 2228. I had to lean on it at the top a couple of times to get the top clip to enage. The 2228 will compress and conform a little. Do it when warm or parked in the sun.

 

Thanks @4R Florida . This is very helpful. Want to make sure I have everything on hand for a first time fix.

 

I found this pic of my 2228 when I was cutting it. You can see that it's not "tape" when you look at it compared to the paper backing. It's quite tough ribbon rubber with adhesive backing. I bought mine at my local Lowe's store because I wanted to examine it before buying it to make sure it was up to the task. I also used it behind a badge on my grille to protect the plastic of the grille. Good stuff. I'll hang onto the rest of the roll.

 

simple solution is Plasti Dip my Limited’s emblem had been chrome.

 

On the above:
Above is without removal, using just paper tape. You can use a Toyota circles emblem and letter covers if you don’t want to paint them, then remove.

 

The problem is not changing the color. The problem is the plastic garnish contacting the paint behind it and damaging the paint. Also, Plasti-dip is not forever.

 

Ah, missed that, thanks. Yeah, Plasti Dip is not forever, but it’s cheap and easy to re-do down the line if necessary. Also, smart to put a coat of Plasti Dip Glossifier (also cheap to buy a can) on top that protects and prevents fade.

 

@4R Florida hey I love that video it is very helpful! Any idea about how he puts the lettering on there? I want to make sure it is lined up perfectly!

 

One 10mm bolt under the pull strap and everything else is snap together. Pry hatch light assembly out from driver's or left hand facing side. Cheap trim tool set is recommended. Prevents breaking (me) trim and trim clips Pull vapor barrier down and there's 4 10mm nuts attaching with 4 studs. There was a gasket around mine. I installed an aftermarket LED 4runner 4th brake light there without a gasket and no issues. I thought about a small vacuum hose split, liquid black tape, aftermarket door edge trim, thin RTV film and dry before installing. . You can may be able to place a washer on each mounting studs, install and stand it off the paint just enough to not rub. They may have eliminated the gasket on newer models or a Limited thing. The panel is easy to remove and watch a YouTube video. I'm sure there's one somewhere. I didn't have to remove camera. Toyota does snap together trim so well. I'm going to be in mine later if you want a video. Takes about 2 minutes to remove and I hate trim work.

 

Nice simple walk thru @Greg D !

I used the method of washers. Got some thin stainless steel m6 washers and used a bit of adhesive vinyl (like you use for decals) to keep it off the paint. I used qty 2 .3mm thick washers on the outer posts only. In hindsight, one may have been fine. My goals were to make sure I got the bottom corners away from the paint while making sure I didn't pull it far enough out that the top curve of the trim piece contacts the paint. Didn't want to replace one problem with another.

I did not have to remove the trim piece completely. The top center fitting is extremely tight. All I did was pull the bottom away and held it out with a rolled up towel, touched up the paint, let it dry, little bit of wetsanding and polish, and reassembled with the washers in the outer 2 corners. Total time was about 4 hours with much of that waiting for paint to dry.

The bolts holding the trim pieces were pretty loose. Although you don't want to over tighten these, I think the foam spacer loses it's integrity over time and the bolts get loose. Lots of comments on them falling off entirely.

 

I don't think the gasket on mine went behind the emblem either. I tightened mounting nuts tight on mine and was going to come up with some kind of gasket, but it was standing off the paint fine. Probably the aftermarket in it.

 

Regarding threadlocker, I would not use it. The bolts are held in the trim piece only with a plastic surrounding it. If you have to remove them again, the risk of them breaking the plastic tabs and just spinning is too great.

Instead, get another m6 nut and thread it on top of the stock ones. This will lock them in and if you need to remove them, you just use a wrench to hold the bottom one while you loosen the top one.

 

I was thinking Teflon tape myself. It won't fight to come loose and it will keep from vibrating the nuts off. That sounds a little funny. I just thought about it, but some rubber O-rings instead of washers on front both sides would probably eliminate rubbing and vibrating the nuts loose.

 

I thought about a rubber washer but decided against it as I assumed it would also flatten and lose its elasticity over time due to heat / humidity cycles, leading to loose bolts and worse, the trim piece eventually hitting the paint again. A nylon washer may be a good choice here. Or maybe even a 3d printed petg, abs etc...

The 2 nuts on each bolt is a mechanical connection and is way less messy than loctite or teflon. (teflon is really for making thing air/liquid tight). Alternately a single nylon locknut would serve the purpose. However, not so much if the washer looses it's integrity.

I don't think the nut gets loose due to vibration alone. I think it is from a tiny bit of deterioration of the foam washer which allows it to go loose, then the vibration causes them to start to spin off the bolt. But that's just my theory.