RCI Rock Sliders installed

[TacoFreak]

I asked RCI customer service about the plastic plugs, and here is their response:

" The plastic plugs will not be re-installed after installation, and do not worry about rust: Those plugs do not prevent rust on the inside of the frame, and the inside of the frame is painted the same as outside. There are other avenues besides those plugs for dirt/water to enter the frame. "

That makes me wonder if there are weep holes in the frame to let water back out. I obviously need to spend more time under my truck instead of driving it!

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[MT-Taco]

I asked RCI customer service about the plastic plugs, and here is their response:

" The plastic plugs will not be re-installed after installation, and do not worry about rust: Those plugs do not prevent rust on the inside of the frame, and the inside of the frame is painted the same as outside. There are other avenues besides those plugs for dirt/water to enter the frame. "

That makes me wonder if there are weep holes in the frame to let water back out. I obviously need to spend more time under my truck instead of driving it!

Nope.. Just drive it!

 

[TacoFreak]

The whole plug thing became pretty clear when I installed the sliders. The oblong ones don't really come into play and I just left them in place. The round ones could be reinstalled, although I'm not sure they are needed. There are lots of openings in the frame to let water in and out like the RCI rep said.

I had a little trouble getting all of the bolt holes to line up on the passenger side. It took many adjustments of the bolts to get there, with the problem child being the lower hole on the rear of the slider. I eventually put just the upper bolt in the front in and then adjusted the slider until I could get the lower rear bolt in and after that it was smooth sailing.

Here are some pictures. I'm really happy with them and appreciate the recommendations and the help!

 

[SnowmanJPS]

Do you think theres enough room to run both the OEM guard and these sliders? I'm lazy and dont want to store the oem ones lmao

 

[TacoFreak]

@SnowmanJPS Good question. I never thought about that until after I had removed them and installed the RCI sliders. I'm not sure how they would look or even if they would fit. But a lot of times if you sell a truck people do want the OEM parts and I don't want to store them either. I plan to just give mine to a friend with an SR5 and not worry about that.

 

[Dagr Wolff]

Just wanted to give an update on the sliders. Paint falling off, rust on the welds and lots of rust underneath. Regular car washes, live in the Midwest. I was going to clean them up and put them back on, but no thanks. No off roading by the way, just back and forth to work and some trips. Also, frame has surface rust now. These have just turned out to be a big, heavy, expensive regret.

 

[MT-Taco]

Just wanted to give an update on the sliders. Paint falling off, rust on the welds and lots of rust underneath. Regular car washes, live in the Midwest. I was going to clean them up and put them back on, but no thanks. No off roading by the way, just back and forth to work and some trips. Also, frame has surface rust now. These have just turned out to be a big, heavy, expensive regret.

I hit the rust with a wire brush and coat with rust oleum every fall. In the salt belt I’d probably hit them with a coat spring and fall? The steel is very thick and will outlast any other steel part on a Tacoma.

 

[TacoFreak]

I hit the rust with a wire brush and coat with rust oleum every fall. In the salt belt I’d probably hit them with a coat spring and fall? The steel is very thick and will outlast any other steel part on a Tacoma.

That is thick steel and it will last a long time, but I am surprised to see so much missing powder coat on those sliders.

@Dagr Wolff Have you contacted RCI about this? Mine have not been in a lot of salt, but some, and they still look perfect.

 

[MT-Taco]

That is thick steel and it will last a long time, but I am surprised to see so much missing powder coat on those sliders.

@Dagr Wolff Have you contacted RCI about this? Mine have not been in a lot of salt, but some, and they still look perfect.

The bottom of mine look pretty similar before touching up, but I’m off road a lot and rocks are constantly kicking up blasting the sliders. It’s what they are for! Protect the pickup.

 

[Dagr Wolff]

That is thick steel and it will last a long time, but I am surprised to see so much missing powder coat on those sliders.

@Dagr Wolff Have you contacted RCI about this? Mine have not been in a lot of salt, but some, and they still look perfect.

I agree they are strong and aren't going to break or anything, but yeah the paint was worthless and simply flaked off. There's other painted steel things under my truck that still look brand new. It's just very disappointing to have a brand new truck and rusty $1200 junk hanging off the side.

Of course, I understand they are off road tools and I haven't been off roading with them, and I'm sure they would do their job. I expected if I went off road I'd have to touch them up. I did not expect to drive around town and have them waste away.

Funny story, they did save the side of my truck. In a parking garage! Was making a tight right turn going down a steep ramp and thunked right up against a barricade. There's my $1200 investment I guess lol.

In answer to your question I haven't contacted RCI, not sure what they could do but it's a thought.

 

[MT-Taco]

I agree they are strong and aren't going to break or anything, but yeah the paint was worthless and simply flaked off. There's other painted steel things under my truck that still look brand new. It's just very disappointing to have a brand new truck and rusty $1200 junk hanging off the side.

Of course, I understand they are off road tools and I haven't been off roading with them, and I'm sure they would do their job. I expected if I went off road I'd have to touch them up. I did not expect to drive around town and have them waste away.

Funny story, they did save the side of my truck. In a parking garage! Was making a tight right turn going down a steep ramp and thunked right up against a barricade. There's my $1200 investment I guess lol.

In answer to your question I haven't contacted RCI, not sure what they could do but it's a thought.

You could get them cleaned up and rhino lined?

 

[Robb_D]

I agree they are strong and aren't going to break or anything, but yeah the paint was worthless and simply flaked off. There's other painted steel things under my truck that still look brand new. It's just very disappointing to have a brand new truck and rusty $1200 junk hanging off the side.

Of course, I understand they are off road tools and I haven't been off roading with them, and I'm sure they would do their job. I expected if I went off road I'd have to touch them up. I did not expect to drive around town and have them waste away.

Funny story, they did save the side of my truck. In a parking garage! Was making a tight right turn going down a steep ramp and thunked right up against a barricade. There's my $1200 investment I guess lol.

In answer to your question I haven't contacted RCI, not sure what they could do but it's a thought.

im sure there are other painted things under your truck that look better, but none that are directly in the line of fire from your front tires constantly. It’s not necessarily that the paint (powder coat) is junk but that by constantly getting blasted with road grime from the tires the powder coat is likely to be penetrated by moisture. Once that happens the corrosion spreads.

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