Tailgate water shield install steps showing plastic sheet cut, s…

Tailgate Watershield
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The factory painted-paper shield is ineffective & installed wrong. This one actually sheds water toward the drains instead of inside the cargo area. This scrap of common plastic drop sheet should last much longer than the factory paper water shedder, and perform much better installed inside the t/g where it can actually work.

Being very careful not to wrinkle the plastic, I applied a few strips of Gorilla tape along the top edge, folded the bottom over so it would fit through the access hole, and fed it straight into the t/g along the glass.

This was the REALLY tricky part: lifting the tape and sticking it to the t/g inner reinforcement bar, without wrinkling the plastic. But this location will cause any water dripping off the bottom of the raised glass to fall on the glass side of the plastic. Then it will run down the plastic past the access opening and out the bottom of the t/g thru its original drain holes, onto the ground where it belongs.

After the tape is secure along the top, the plastic sheet is unfolded and tucked so it SHOULD stay between the glass and the operating rods. The driver's side has to stay clear of the defrost wiring (if installed).

The tape is stuck to the "inner top reinforcement" in this photo:


I don't expect it to be very difficult to push the plastic out of the way for t/g service, but time will tell. If it has to come out, it's cheap, and quick to replace.

Owner caption November 2025 · Photo 0 of 5000