yeah theres no warranty at all covering this. u jus need to use it how its meant to be used not pulling on the plastic.

 

Not that too many people are going to do this, but I plan to sometime. OK,

1 Remove locking mechanism (keep reading)

2 Install linear actuator(3) which can be bought from FBIMINI.COM or AUTOLOC.COM, in place of stock shock(s).

3 Program auxillary input on alarm to send power to the actuators.

the12volt.com has a simple wiring diagram to reverse polarity since actuators work like fans in that when the receive one charge (negative or positive) they extend, and when they receive the opposite charge they retract. With the12volt.com's diagram, every time you hit the aux button the polarity of the chsrge will be reversed. The only catch I have'nt figured out yet is how to have the button pressed and released and the actuatour continue lifting or closing until the full length is travelled. The actuators have stop switches built in at the top and bottom of the casings so they don't go beyond their boundries. I think if you used a pulse time relay after the auxillary output it would provide polarity for a certain amount of time adjustable from lik30 seconds to one and a half minutes, then it would work, and when the actuator topped, or bottomed out the power would be shut off.


Now I really want to do this.

Sorry for the mad scientist(ish) tangent, but I figure the cost of this project for one acuator (and keeping one gas shock in place), provided you have an auxillary output to use, and you do all your own work, would be under or at $300. It does'nt save you money, but you won't have to mess with the hatch again, and your hatch will be poppin'!

 

I was two years into my warranty, but at 40k. I called Scion and explain the situation and they were very cool about taking care of it. It is a poor design and they see it more than you think, so they fixed it completely at no cost even though I was 4k over the limit.

The design is bad....5 little plastic clips with no metal subframe is supposed to manage the weight of that big hatch? It is the handle to do the lifting, so they should have put a metal substructure there and made the plastic more of a facing that the weight-bearing part of the system. I just thought it was loose and had planned to open up the back panel when I had a chance and tighten up the nuts/screws and it just snapped off on me the other day. Imagine my surprise when I saw only plastic and then heard the $300 charge for parts and labor if I had let them do the repair...was never gonna happen anyway, but dang!

Thanks for the wiring info....I think I'm going to take a look at that as a possibility.