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Dodge Dakota Accessories and Modifications
bonnie_rick
Member Posts: 115
etc. have you found necessary/helpful for your
vehicle?
Bonnie Rick
Conferences Manager, Town Hall
Edmunds.com
vehicle?
Bonnie Rick
Conferences Manager, Town Hall
Edmunds.com
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Comments
Spoke with a Club Cab owner last evening and he said the flender flairs kept a lot of road grime off the truck. He had installed the R/T lowering kit and wide tires.
My flares were supposed to be here last week. Still waiting.....
Another must have for me since I like to camp and fish I needed a boat rack for my canoe. I don't want a permanent luggage rack type so my options were limited. Of Yakima and Thule only Yakima currently offers a removeable solution. I also found impressive solutions at www.bedrack.com and www.rackwarehouse.com. However, I chose the following a removable Yakima half-rack to go over the rear passenger doors, and a Fulton Canoe caddy (T-bar that mounts to the trailer ball mount on the rear bumper). The Fulton Canoe Caddy is available at www.cabelas.com. Too soon to tell if the canoe caddy is the solution for me, but it looks good and the whole system (Yakima and caddy) was just over $200.
I have Smittybuilt Sure Step bars on order. I'm also considering getting a Safari Bar for the front, Window vent visors, and the door sill guards. I'm also looking for some mud and snow floor mats that I like the looks of. (I don't like the looks of the Husky liners)
K&N replacement filter, notice improvement in high end response.
Wagner Xenon bright lights headlight bulbs - the only thing that Dodge needs from Daimler is some headlight technology. Dodge is concistantly slammed for their lights. As a long time MOPAR owner this is true.
Mud Flaps - even with the factory flares dirt still all up the sides. Rear, are regular rectangular truck type with anti-sail bars - gotta keep the trailer clean. Front small rubber standard flares.
Locking rack for HI - Lift jack, don't leave home without it!
Bookitty
A drop in liner will distribute weight and blows from dropped firewood, cinder blocks, engines, other heavy loads thereby reducing or eleveating dents in the bed. The drawback is that they do shimie and shake in the bed causing abraision rubs on the paint. Water, sand, dirt can and does get between the liner and the bed agravating the abrasion factor.
A spray on liner becomes the top layer of the truck and is not removable. It is easy to wash, reduces load sliding and provides some protection against dents from heavy loads. You can still use all the built in features of the bed like the slots to stop load shifting and for load supporting across the wheel wells. Available in a variety of colors but the manufacuters tend to stear you toward basic black since the other colors may fade and are not always a true match to your truck color.
Cap vs. No Cap Depends on the size of the loads you plan on carrying and if you need lockable space. No cap and a locking truck tool box would still provide a "locking trunk" but leave the bed available for hauling. A cap provides a weather proof covered area that can be locked. Available with all sorts of ammenities like flossing (carpeting), lights, sliding windows, hinged windows, screens, etc. Caps can be removed. Typically only require four C clamps. Caps weigh about 150 lbs so require two people to lift, not because of the weight but the bulky size.
Bed height covers are available in both soft and hard style. Depending on how accessible and style you like.
I have received a lot of compliments on the "BedRug" I installed, which I critiqued in one of the Dak posts about a month ago. Overall, find it to be a nice compromise between spray or drop-in liner.
How has yours held up? Does it require much cleaning to keep it looking nice? How do the tie downs work? Do they stick thru or bolt over top the bedrug? How does the Bedrug end at the top of the tailgate? Do you have a tailgate rail? Does the rug fit over or under the tailgate rail?
Also, for those who transport dogs in the back of a truck with a cap, does the air conditioning reach them with the sliding window on both the cap and truck?? Just wondering what kind of window arrangement I need for maximum ventilation especially in hot weather.
The Line-X dealer said he didn't THINK it would be a problem, but he wasn't too convincing.
Any first hand knowledge or experience would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe
Thanks in advance,
Joe
Thanks again!
Susan
I have the two tone (silver rocker panels) paint scheme. The black molding is not what I want.
Can anyone with the Big Orange Book confirm or deny that this pigtail is prewired for the center mount brake light? I am having a bed cap installed this week and they want to splice into the tail lights. I to have this pigtail and it seems like this would be a much easier and better choice. Could Dodge possibly have foreseen this need and prewired for a Cyclops break light?
(that's after the 10% DC owner discount, regularly $53 apiece) It seems rather steep...and
I thought the $30 for the 4 sill protectors was expensive....guess I'm looking for some aftermarket stuff, too..
BTW, for sport owners, the Pro Stripe M-104 ties in beautifully with the black section of the rear bumper.
I also had a sinking feeling that someone would inadvertantly leave the light on in the bed and drain the battery. I asked if the installer would tie into the bed light mounted on the cab so that I could control the light from inside the cab. He responded "Why would you want to turn the light on from inside the cab when you will be looking in the bed?" 1) I have a rear sliding window so the kids can reach into the bed from inside the cab while riding to get stuff. 2)So that it is part of the vehicle lighting system that turns itself off automagically after 15 minutes so I don't drain the battery. 3)Because I am the customer and that is what I want. Anyway the installer refused on the grounds it was too complicated for them to figure out.
Instead I ordered the cap with two battery lights. One center rear, one center forward. Basically a flashlight screwed to the roof of the cap. One for access from the rear sliding window and one for access from the tailgate. I anticipate using up a few batteries when one gets left on by accident but at least the vehicle will start. Hey, that is why Sam's sells batteries in 12 packs.
Accessory Review:
I just installed the BAK rail caps. Nice product, but I'm a little disappointed with the final appearance. There is some variation in mine that makes one side seem shorter than the other. Starting from the back during installation, there's no way to adjust this. Also, the lines (when looking down the outside of the bed) are somewhat crooked and seem to drop towards the rear. Not a huge problem, just annoying. My truck had a dealer installed pin stripe and the caps visually throw the lines off a little.
Mounting is simple: place the rack rail on the side of the bed, hold it in place, drill pilot holes with a 1/8" bit, and then final holes with a 1/4" bit. Once the holes are drilled, bolt the rack rail to the truck bed and that is it. Repeat for other rail. I do not know if the hardware kit comes with any "friction tape" or equivalent, but in my personal paranoia I did not want the possibility of vibration between the rails and the truck bed, so I put some neoprene washers between the rails and the truck (fixed to the rails with Goop adhesive). This will have the additional advantage of allowing any water that gets between the rails and the truck to more easily evaporate.
Once the rack rails are installed, putting the Yakima RailRider towers on and the rest of the bicycle rack hardware was dead-simple (much easier than clamp-on Yakima roof rack that I've been using on my Honda for the last five years). With the Yakima lock-cores installed, I now have the capability of completing locking the bikes attached to the truck. Good "keep honest people honest" security.
The rack looks good, particularly with the over-the-top bed-front and tailgate portions of the Mopar cover, and is doing a good job of protecting the sides rails of the bed, both inner lip and top. The width of the rack will easily accomodate three forward facing mountain bikes, five or six if interleaved forward-backward. With both Yakima rails used to support the bikes front and back, everything would be elevated above the bed rails, leaving the truck bed for other cargo.
After using this for two weeks I am very happy with the configuration from all three sides (strength, security, and looks).
I am only "middling" impressed with RackWarehouse. The took almost two weeks to get the stuff to me via UPS (they are in N.H., I am in Texas), they forgot the mounting hardware & instructions - but faxed the instructions to me when asked and are sending me the hardware. Their prices were good, hopefully the lack that I experienced was an anomoly.
Cheers,
-Ted
I transported two bikes 500 miles and back again during my vacation. Have used other bike racks in the past, including racks that mount inside a truck bed and I have to say......this is the best I ever used!
I also prefer to leave the back end of the vehicle clear of equipment I care about in case some idiot decides that their vehicle wants to try to merge with mine. Paranoid? A little. Would insurance cover the bikes? Probably. Do I want to go w/o my MTB for a couple weeks to find out? Definitely NOT. ;^)
BTW: The rack, when properly used, completely elevates the bikes above the top of the bed rails. While this does impose some limitations on the height of stuff in the bed, this does leave the bed completely empty and the back of the vehicle completely unemcumbered.
The hitch-mount racks are cool though, nice and easy to take off when not in use.
Scott
I had an A.R.E. CH (Cab Height) cap installed on the bed two weeks ago. I paid for a few upgrades when ordering. Two interior battery operated interior lights (BOIL), Light Grey Carpeting (Platinum Floss), sliding rear window, and 2 Windoors.
WinDoors are ARE's term for side windows that open like the rear entry. They have two T-handles with keyed locks. The window is hinged at the top and opens upward with assistance from two gas shocks. Approximately 12 inches high by 48 inches long.
The cap was installed Tuesday afternoon and I took the Quad for a road trip Friday morning. 1800 miles round trip from Raleigh North Carolina to Upstate New York. Loading and unloading was so easy since I could reach all the way to the front of the bed from either side via access of the WinDoors. They give me access to the entire bed with no crawling in. Well worth the $100 per window.
They may not look quite as sexy as some of the other styles but they sure are useful. Function over form.
For comparison, here is what they quoted.
ARE CH cap $895
Rear sliding window $50
Battery Light $10 each
Carpeting (Floss) $115
WinDoors $100 each
Rear Brake Light $30
Upgraded foam gasket $25
As mentioned in another post, I happened to speak to the owner on the phone when calling around for price quotes. Mentioned I was shopping price. He quoted much lower prices than when I went in and talked to salesperson. Got him on the phone and he honored his phone quote.
Salesperson wrote up the ticket and prices changed to:
ARE CH cap $895
Rear sliding window Free
Battery Light $10 each
Carpeting (Floss) $115
WinDoors $75 each
Rear Brake Light Free
Upgraded foam gasket $25
Handy Andy's of Garner, North Carolina did a fine job of installing the cap. Wiring for the third brake light included inline fuses for both the ground and the hot. Very neat and tidy. They also changed out the locks so that all 5 were the same (the rear lock was different from the side locks when delivered).
The battery lights are pretty lame but useful at night. The carpeting really finishes off the inside of the cap. Looks like a custom headliner. Cap installer said some people get fiberglass splinters that don't have the carpeting.
ARE did a nice job of making the cap fit the body styling including a little wave near the where the bed meets the cab. Follows way the bed wraps around the cab. Overall I am pleased with the result.
On racks, I put the small raingutter-like pieces on the sides of the shell, but I haven't tried tha canoe yet, because of the hang over the cab. Anyone else dealt with this yet? I have some Thules also, from Ford Exploder days, I'm hoping they come up with a fit. On the exploder, the system was rather ingenious, instead of clipping over (and squishing) the weatherstripping like the Yakima, they provided a screw and a small 3" wide clip. You were to drill out one of the weatherstripping rivets, install the clip behind the weatherstripping, where it was designed to be a perfect fit against the frame (it was) and then screw the weatherstrip back into the same hole, through the clip also. The foot then, sat on the edge of the roof but pulled against the clip...worked very well, strong as could be, and no leaks in the 5 years they were on that vehicle. I think the same would work for the DD QC.
Anybody ever had one of Cabela's truck back tents? In my old trucks, sleeping in the back after a long hike or before early morning waterfowling was no problem, as the beds were 6.5 or 8 feet. In the quad, however... At www.cabelas.com you can follow the prompts to:
Location: Storefront : Automotive/ATV : Vehicle Accessories : Exterior Vehicle Accessories : Camper Top Tent
and see what I'm talking about. It looks good, but I'd be more confident if I heard from someone who's used one...
Thanks
Ben
If you get the rear sliding window and leave it open, the air will enter at the front of the bed cap and exit through the side slider window providing good air exchange while driving.
ARE puts their logo sticker on the bottom rear corner of the cap. It is silver lettering on a black background with a 3d clear covering. Looks very similiar to the Quad Cab logo on the cab. Seems to complement each other well.
I have the agate (black) interior and the door sills do not seem to look like afterthoughts. They look like they are orginal equipment. $30 seems steep for four plastic strips but they provide excellent protection to the paint.
Easy to install. Wipe the vehicle with alcohol, place the guards on the truck, peel the cover off the two sided tape. Stand back and admire your work.
www.weathers.com, item number AVS88249. I spoke to Amanda on the phone. Excellent product by Auto Vent Shade. Once they are installed, they look like they've always been there--you never see them.
mud flaps: I still have to get those. If I recall, there are two mopar options. Anybody have the part numbers?
I spent at least 8 hrs fashioning wooden blocks out of treated lumber and attached these to the triangular braces that come off of the frame rails where the factory units would hang. Glad I have all of the tools to do a good job - in wood. Had to remove everything each time to finally get these centered in the apron holes and to get the proper set back. Because the foglight brackets aren't easily adjustable while mounted, I'll have to remove the whole thing (light attached to the block of wood) to address any alignment issues.
These aren't functional yet because I haven't decided how to get the control switch wires through the firewall for the final hook-up. Any ideas on where to run a wire or two through the firewall without drilling ???
I temporarily hooked them up by running some wires right off of the battery. These lights gave excellent coverage. I also like the way they look when off - purple and yellow lens / bulb. Would have been nice if a real Dakota bracket was available.
One of the nice things about the factory add-on lights was that you get a new light switch that is (AFAIK) the same as that which comes with Quads that are built with the lamps. You may want to talk to your local parts dept to see if you can get the switch and the info on how the wires are run. Would be most cool to have your Catz lights run by the factory switch. ;^)
-Ted