pfbz

I guess it's just luck of the draw. Whomever it was who helped me at DeeZee couldn't of been more pleasant and helpful. She never asked for any proof of purchase, but since I purchased it from Amazon, I could just log in and reprint it even though it was two years ago...

Azuri

I keep all my receipts just in case I've had some hit and miss aftermarket stuff. It is kinda of fair for a vendor/manufacture to ask for proof of purchase. This tailgate assist comes with a 3 year warranty pretty good backing of a product if you ask me.

Off topic I was surprised when I actually entered my details for warranty for my BakFlip Tonneau cover. A few days later they sent me an email saying my warranty info was entered in their database. It didn't seem like a form letter so that I found impressive.

NastyFFX4

iTrader: (1)

So guess what do you think about using some RTV on the lower "rivet" nut? I saw someone talking about JB Weld but that's a little bit more permanent than I want to go.

pfbz

II haven't even seen the Rivet nut DeeZee is using yet, but in general, riv-nuts can be a superb way of putting very secure nut in sheet metal. But can be tricky to install if you have never done it before...

The best way to install a riv-nut is with a proper installation tool. The best ones are pneumatic and extremely expensive, then hydraulic pump-type tools, then high quality manual ones that look kind of like bolt cutters or weird devices that work very well but are still quite pricey, then inexpensive hand tools that look like a hand rivet gun that work o.k. on aluminum rivet nuts but really aren't up to steel rivnuts, then finally using some bolts, washers, and nuts to sort of build a cheap way to set rivet nuts without a proper tool. This is what DeeZee is doing, and while it *can* work well, there is more room for error to screw it up. I wouldn't use JB-weld or RTV myself, but rather be very careful with the installation.

If your not sure about it, see if your local garage has a proper rivnut tool and if they will just set those nuts for you. Once they've dug the tool out and set it up for the right size, its maybe 20 seconds of actual work for them to set the rivnut. A six-pack-as-payment job? Domestic!

With the right tool, super easy to get perfect rivnut installs. With the tools DeeZee gives you, you can get a perfect install, just easier to screw it up.

The 'right' tool


All the tool is doing is pulling in the back side of the rivnut, but making sure it is straight, tight enough to not spin, not too tight so it doesn't deform is the trick.

Azuri

They are very specific on how to install it. "EXACTLY" 9 full revolutions so I followed it to a "T" I marked the nut so I could clearly see each time I completed a revolution. So far so good flowing the instructions are clear enough even for someone who's never done anything like that. That video was great for understanding how they work, thanks for that!

pfbz

^^^This is really the crux of the problem...

Rivnuts are designed to be installed with an exact amount of pulling force, not installed with an exact amount of rotations. Nine full revolutions is probably pretty close if you have everything set up perfectly flush, etc., and much better then just guessing how much to tighten it, so good for DeeZee for providing this guidline, but it might be not tight enough or too tight in some situations.

Azuri

Yeah I get what your saying. They have you pre-measure 3/4" for the bolt length etc before installing and I guess they've done the math in their own in-house testing that should give the required holding force for the rivnut. I guess they want this to be a simplistic mod for anyone to do that don't have pro tools or don't want to take it to a shop to have it done. I'll see how mine lasts over time.

ianinedm

When I talked to their support they were telling me to do 11-12 rotations.

Azuri

Interesting that their support says one thing and their instructions another...Hehe well I didn't call support so I'll have to live with what the instructions say. If I have any issues in the 3 years warranty they provided I'll give them a shout.

Here's the instructions for the install that came with mine.

http://www.deezee.com/product_images...-%20083011.pdf

NastyFFX4

iTrader: (1)

Here it is. I wonder if I'll have a problem installing it like they recommend. Can you rent the tool from Autozone or any part store? Is it a common tool?