Decklid Tailgates: An American Tradition
Two things come to mind when I see the words “decklid tailgate.” I instantly think of a ticket I got once for tailgating the driver in front of me, and the ticket was not inexpensive by any means. I also think of tailgate parties before football games.
No matter what you think of, a tailgate is the door or gate at the back of a station wagon, pickup truck or SUV. It is usually hinged at the bottom or sides and can be opened easily to make removal of cargo or placement of cargo an easier process. Of course, with the advent of hatchbacks we now have hatches, which are really a specialized tailgate and serve the same purpose. These are separate units and are not connected to the tail lights or the bumper or the fender, so no worries when replacing one.
Leave it to the British to screw even a tailgate up; in their language a tailgate is called a boot. Don’t even try to understand why they call it a boot; let’s just leave it at that and move on to more interesting information.
How do you replace a tailgate? Get out your handy-dandy socket set and wrench and go to town. Remove the bolts, take it off of the hinge and replace the new one. Does that sound easy? That’s because it is easy, right up there with replacing a battery or headlamps except that a tailgate weighs more.
Are they expensive? Well, how does $500 sound to you, and that’s if you are lucky. Depending on the make and model of your truck or SUV you could be spending upwards of $750 for a new tailgate. However, do not despair; if you buy replacement parts at a You Pull It salvage yard then you just might find one for under $200. Considering that the replacement of one is simple you are then saving $100 in labor costs.
If you should choose to do the work yourself the only problem you are going to have is matching the color to your existing pickup, SUV or station wagon, so make sure you know the exact name for the color of your vehicle and then give us a call at Cash-n-Carry and we will do the search for you.
Car maintenance does not have to be expensive; if you have never gone to a modern salvage yard then you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try. You just might save yourself a lot of money and wouldn’t that be nice?
