BossTaco2020

This is the right perspective to have. I have no brand loyalty and will go to the manufacturer who will treat me right. Same thing with jobs. Not like back in the old days where you could spend 30 years at a single place and then retire. I go where the money is. Edit: On another note, you all need to be sharing the names of these dealerships that are screwing you over so others can steer clear of them. Like Hendrick Chevrolet in Durham, NC. Screw those guys. Save yourself some money and headache and head to Sir Walter Chevrolet in Raleigh. And actually, it would be a pretty awesome idea to have dealership rankings wouldn't it?

I'd be ticked and wouldn't take my vehicle back to them for servicing and would also recommend friends and family against that place. Purely for the incompetence. That being said, I don't think it'll hurt the resale value of your truck unless you're one of those that trades in a vehicle every other year or so in pristine condition. To me, trucks are meant to be used/abused and the bed especially gets the brunt of that abuse. My trucks have always had tailgate and bed "character" added to them (intentionally or not) before I get rid of them. So a few holes in the grand scheme of things wouldn't bother me. I would see if you could add some grommets or rust proofing, or at least check it every so often to make sure nothing is happening where they drilled. Especially if you live in a winter or ocean climate where there's a lot of salt.

Great forum topic, I had considered doing one myself. I love my 2020 TrailBoss LT! It's everything I wanted in a truck and I just love driving it. It's technically my first V8 too out of the 8 vehicles I've had in my 30 years of driving experience. As far as trucks go, I've owned multiple Tacomas (2004 TRD PreRunner and 2016 TRD OffRoad) and a 2012 F150 Ecoboost. This engine and transmission is just so smooth compared to those other trucks. I have instant power without turbo lag and my only complaint is that I don't have a cop-free long stretch of road to really exercise this engine. The interior is spacious, the infotainment system is perfectly fine (except CarPlay being washed out, but not a big deal), and the ride height is just perfect for me. I've done some light offroading and haven't had a reason to complain yet about its abilities. We'll see once we get some snow up in the mountains how well it does. Only thing I wish this had were better shocks, the Ranchos are garbage. Will be upgrading to Bilsteins pretty soon I imagine.

What ring positions did you use for the 6112's up front? I'm assuming the kit came with new springs? Where did you buy it from? I'm looking to do the same on my 2020 TrailBoss, but retain the stock height and wheels.

Yeah I know! Almost bought a Tundra but then saw that gas mileage and that ancient 6 speed transmission, yikes! It's a decent truck though, even if a little outdated. The Toyota fanboys will say that is why it's so reliable. Maybe, but I love this 10 speed transmission in my truck and wouldn't trade it for anything...

I didn't have any real problems with it. It was just small, uncomfortable, slow, and felt ancient. Gas mileage sucked although I do tend to have a lead foot. The factory shocks were garbage, even if they were Bilsteins. They were just the smallest ones you could possible fit in a vehicle. As such it floated and bounced a lot and never really felt planted. I was able to bottom them out just going over a dip in the road at speed (45-50mph). My Lexus RX350 (with the same engine as the taco) has a much better suspension and just squats and absorbs it and keeps going. Same with my TrailBoss, although not as firm as my Lexus. edit: Those are the reasons I hated my Taco. My TrailBoss is so much better in all of the ways. It's bigger, more comfortable, fast (even with the 5.3), and the thing feels planted and less bouncy. Although my next upgrade will be to put some Bilstein 5100's (rear) and 6112's (front) at some point. I enjoy driving my truck again.

Damn, I bought my first Chevy truck ever in my life and it gets rated as least reliable. Guess I should have held on to my Tacoma then... ? Nah who am I kidding, I hated that truck.

does anyone know if the Bilstein shocks affect load capacity of the truck? If anything I'd think that 5160's with the extra oil capacity would help dampen the load better, but maybe not increase capacity.

It's funny, at first I hated it and I was seriously contemplating getting the blocks I linked to above. But after owning the truck for 3 months now and almost daily driving it, I've gotten quite used to it. I wear size 13 shoes FWIW. And a little off-topic now... this truck is so damn comfortable, I could drive it all day long. I used to get cramps in my leg and the right side of my buttocks driving my 2016 Tacoma to and from my mountain cabin (3 hours). I did it this past weekend in my TrailBoss and it was just so easy. Plus the power!!! That crappy Ford Exploder that squatted in the passing lane on I40 doing 65 MPH didn't stand a chance when I got on the gas to aggressively pass him on the right (while giving him the stinkeye).

On the drivers side, cold weather gloves and hat. And on the other side, a roll of TP, socks, and underwear for me and my kids. Never know when you'll need extra and when you do, you'll be grateful!! Am dad, trust me ?

Got it, thanks! That's the look I'm going to be going for once these Duratracs wear down. Although I probably will be adding some upgraded shocks (Bilstein 5100's or 6112's) in the future. However I like the stock ride height and rake.

Looks great! Wasn't sure from your post though, do you or do you not have any suspension mods? Are you on the stock suspension?

FWIW, my 2020 Lexus RX350 FSport with every bell and whistle also requires me to plugin my phone to access CarPlay. And not only that, but it's one specific USB port in the center console under the armrest. At least my 2020 TrailBoss can access CarPlay from any USB port...at least I think it does... I personally think it's an Apple thing changing specs and all that, but I have no way of knowing.

As someone who has the 10 speed transmission in his 2020 TrailBoss, I say definitely go for that over anything else! And make sure you maximize the value of your trade-in. I had an almost $6K difference in my Tacoma trade-in between different dealerships.

Yep! This is the time to lawyer up and go after the other guys insurance. Pain == $$ Diminished value == $$. And a good lawyer can probably get you $$ for your time and inconvenience (being out of work, etc).

WTH is WAMS???

I want to get the Bilstein 5100's in the rear and 6112's in the front of my Trail Boss and keep the same ride height (with rake). But I haven't heard of anyone doing that before. Bilstein's website shows that the 6112 is available for a 2020 LT Trail Boss for the front. I just don't want to have to deal with replacing UCAs and I really like the height the truck is at now.

there's always the cigarette lighter based mounts. I have one in my Silverado and it works for me. This is how I usually roll (except not with that iphone 6)

My dealer did BulletLiner and I love it. Feels better and more substantial than the LineX I had on a previous F150 from 2012. My 2016 Tacoma had a plastic bed to begin with so didn't have to have a liner. But this BulletLiner is pretty nice. We'll see if it holds up as well as the LineX. They also did not spray my tailgate, I still have the plastic and the cup holders. And yes, cupholders on the tailgate (as shallow and puny as they are) are an awesome thing I didn't know that I needed, until I had them. Was out at the boat ramp the other day drinking some coffee with my girl and just people watching for an hour before we hit the water. Can't balance your cup on the tailgate otherwise without them.

Buy a beater 4wd truck for yourself, pocket the change and save for the minivan your wife will inevitably want ?

Why would you do that? That would imply a trailer of 12,000 pounds which is way more than he said he was towing. He said 8000lbs so 10% on the tongue is 800lbs, leaving 1110 lbs of payload.

As has been mentioned, I think you're at the upper end of a half-ton. I wouldn't feel safe with that big of a trailer and family in the cab in a 1500, but that's IMO as I'm sure others have no qualms about doing it. A 2500 LT with a 6.6 Duramax would easily pull that load and won't also break the bank. I just priced out that config and got around $61K MSRP before any discounts. That's about $6K more than my LT Trail Boss and a more capable truck for towing.

Is it possible you got the wrong ones? Reading the reviews on Amazon and they don't seem as bad as you're saying... https://smile.amazon.com/Husky-Liners-Fits-Chevrolet-Silverado/dp/B07VMNQ5NX

I'd try to find a no-haggle dealership. They usually are discounted off MSRP and then all GM rebates still apply. Usually I shy away from those places as I can normally negotiate a better deal. But the the other dealerships aren't budging off MSRP, I find the no-haggle places a way to snag a better deal. At least that was my experience just recently buying my 2020 Trail Boss.

That's what I'm saying! Although in my case I have a Lexus RX350 FSport AWD that is admittedly better in the rainy conditions and probably the 1-3 days of snow we'll get here in NC. But I'll drive my Trail Boss in all of that because I just like driving it better. But getting back to frame coating, can you get line-x bedliner sprayed? Or is that not a thing? I've never needed undercoating here in NC for any of my vehicles.