Pop and Lock PL5400 - Question for owners

How close is the camera position on the

$93 PL5400 Black Manual Tailgate Lock with Bolt Codeable Technology for Toyota Tacoma

PL5400 to the stock handle? Do the alignment guides still work with the camera mounted in the PL5400?

I'm 50/50 on buying one because I want a locking tailgate (already have a hose clamp) but it seems like everyone has something negative to say about the handle.

 

I didn't notice any change in the angle or view with the 5400 handle.

 

How has it held up so far? Any issues with the lock cylinder or the finish on the plastic fading?

 

sub'adub

 

Mine has appeared to fade, however, a little bit of meguiars back to black tends to do the trick making it look almost new again.

 

I just ordered one pre-painted in white. I don't have super high hopes but it's not exactly a complex mechanism.

 

Can anyone compare these against the OEM locking latch? I have an OEM locking latch on my 2015. It seems very flimsy compared to the full std non locking latch. Feels like it would snap off if someone got a little heavy handed. The lock seems to be a little finicky as well. Sometimes it's hard to unlock. I figured if it broke, I would look for an aftermarket replacement. But the recent reviews make those sound questionable as well.

 

Could be? I purchased the truck with 3K on it. The original owner purchased the truck out of town and then traded it at a Ford dealership for a 2015 GT. The Carfax showed he had parts installed at the local Toyota dealership. I took it in to see what he had installed. The service manager pulled the records up. The owner brought in a tri-fold cover and bull bar to be installed. The service record showed the only part they installed from their stock was the tailgate latch? So I just assumed it was OEM since the camera was still in place.

 

I installed one & used it for 9 months or so, I work out of my truck on a daily basis and I always felt that the handle was really weak and it finally gave way about three weeks ago it was a pain to get the tailgate to open fishing for the rods to disengage the tailgate to get my stuff out until i repaired, since there is not a lot of options I ended up purchasing another one and I will be a little bit more light handed with this one as far as the finish goes it did start to fade after while by just used so my Honda cleaner/polish and it looks good.
Quick note I had toolboxes applying pressure to the tailgate and that might be why the handle guts gave way, it's Roughly a 3/8" piece of plastic that ended up giving way.