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      05-31-2016, 06:11 PM   #67
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Originally Posted by 60Driver View Post
Where did it ship from?
Shenzhen, China. Picked up at 7pm (local time) and in that time went via HK, L.A., and Seattle before arriving here just after noon. I'm not sure i could have made the trip as quickly! Lol
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      05-31-2016, 10:06 PM   #68
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Ok, I really couldn't wait a couple to get this installed so I had to do it basically immediately after work. Of course I was 3 hours in, nearly complete, could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the missis had to take the car...

But I did manage to get it all hooked up, supply the power, and test it out. So I'll give you guys the unboxing and a quick preview for now

Words of caution for those thinking of getting this:
1. This is not a fully reversible install - you have to cut 3 holes total: 1 in the large plastic trim, and 2 in the metal part of the gate near where the strut supports are attached (I'll post photos later)
2. This thing is LOUD. I'll take a video of it in action later, but I was quite surprised by just how loud it was.

And now for the unboxing:

The whole thing came in a surprisingly small package, but everything was packed up really surprisingly well.

Unlike the first set that I ordered which ended up failling on me, this one comes with 2 supports for the gate, but their constructions looks virtually identical. That said, the control box looks far more superior and all the wiring is plug-and-play, no splicing or cutting of wires required (you just unplug the factory harness, and plug the new harness in between).

Last photo on the right you can see the two hole saws that are required for cutting the 3 holes I was referring to before. I have to say I was extremely shocked at just how sharp they were (especially the one for cutting in the metal).

Alright, that's it, will post the rest once I get around to completing the install, taking the video, and editing it all

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      05-31-2016, 11:48 PM   #69
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From the pictures it looks like a pretty good quality kit. Hopefully it works out better than the first one, especially since you had to cut holes in the vehicle.

Are both support struts powered and lifting the gate? If so, I wonder if they're operating at the same speed. If one's a little faster than the other that could contribute to the loud noise.

Edit: So the cutting drill bits in the lower right corner came with the kit? Nice.
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      06-01-2016, 12:51 AM   #70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 60Driver View Post
Are both support struts powered and lifting the gate? If so, I wonder if they're operating at the same speed. If one's a little faster than the other that could contribute to the loud noise.

Edit: So the cutting drill bits in the lower right corner came with the kit? Nice.
Yeah, they're both powered and seems like they're operating at the same speed. I think the sound is coming from the electric motors - they're low speed and high torque so each tooth creates a little vibration.

And yeah, those are the ones, and came with the kit.
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      06-01-2016, 01:56 AM   #71
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So, after 3.5 hours spent in the garage installing the gate it's finally done and ready for a quick review.

The installation process was fairly simple. The installation instructions were mostly pictures with some descriptions and really only provided a general sense of what to do, for the details you have you use your imagination. Took me some time to figure out all of the wiring but as a nice surprise all of the plugs are unique and not interchangeable so you really can't incorrectly plug something in.

The hardest part of the installation was running the wire from the battery to the controller - see the second to last photo, the red line is where the wire is run between the metal panels, through the rubber boot, behind the headliner, and behind the interior paneling.

Additionally, in photos 3 and 4 and you can see where I had to drill into the metal - it's where the wire from the supports goes into the metal.

As for the functionality itself, the button on the remote works to open and close, the button by the driver's seat works to open and close, and the button that was installed on the gate (see last photo - on the top) works to open and close as well as to set the height to which the gate opens.

A couple points of note:
1. The anti-pinch feature which stops the gate from closing on top of someone works but it's a little rough (more of a shove as opposed to a gentle push)
2. IMPORTANT: At a certain point (about 10-12 inches from fully closed) the anti-pinch feature stops engaging and the trunk gate slams - strong enough hazard that they included warning stickers and in my opinion for good reason. A little concerned how this would be with little kids.

Opens and closes fairly quickly (see video), but it's really rather loud. A little concerned about the noise bugging our daughter, I guess we shall see. I'll update once we've had it for a while.

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      06-01-2016, 07:24 AM   #72
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Looks great! What tips do you have for running power from the battery? (Why was that the hardest part?)
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      06-01-2016, 09:14 AM   #73
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Congrats...terrific job! I have a question about removing the 3rd light cover panel, how difficult is it, I have tried, but I'm afraid to break the clip-on couplings.

Again, good job and thanks
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      06-01-2016, 10:53 AM   #74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWBig6 View Post
Looks great! What tips do you have for running power from the battery? (Why was that the hardest part?)
Just take it easy and get a good plastic trim pry tool. As the trim around where the black plastic meets the beige plastic it very stiff and hard to pull away sufficiently to get the cable in there.

I ended up starting with the roof liner and pushing the cable through the rubber boot first, then ran it through the gate to make sure I didn't have too little or too much cable. After that was done I ran it to the left side of the roof liner and down the trim.

It was tempting just to run behind the rubber seal but it was a little too thick and made the seal stand out so I opted for hiding it properly.
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      06-01-2016, 10:59 AM   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carlin/14/E84 View Post
Congrats...terrific job! I have a question about removing the 3rd light cover panel, how difficult is it, I have tried, but I'm afraid to break the clip-on couplings.

Again, good job and thanks
Just take your time to identify where the clips are and then give it a good pull (be careful not to break the trim itself). Worst case you break the clip and have to replace it, I wouldn't worry too much. The top plastic trim is held in with 4 clips while the side pillar trim is held in with 3 each + a screw which holds our trunk cover tray.

If you look through my photos you can make out where each of the clips are.

Also, don't get discouraged - first time I was doing it I didn't take off the third light trim as I was worried I would break it as well.
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      06-01-2016, 07:23 PM   #76
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I have been looking at your pictures, but I just wanted to make sure how to go about it.

Thanks again...
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      06-02-2016, 02:37 AM   #77
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Nice clean install, looks good. How's the volume of the mechanism outside? Your garage looks a little small and I wonder how much that contributes to the loudness.

As you mentioned, the anti-pinch disengages fairly high. I wonder if there are any settings that can be adjusted via some kind of update from the manufacturer.

$449 US delivered, right? I'll be waiting on your update before I pull the trigger myself.
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      06-02-2016, 02:49 AM   #78
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carlin/14/E84 View Post
Congrats...terrific job! I have a question about removing the 3rd light cover panel, how difficult is it, I have tried, but I'm afraid to break the clip-on couplings.

Again, good job and thanks
The attached instructions might help.
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File Type: pdf Removing and installing trim for tailgate.pdf (118.1 KB, 321 views)
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      06-03-2016, 08:45 PM   #79
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Thanks for sharing, functionality it looks great but yikes the sounds is not good it sounds really screechy. Almost to the point that it sounds like the gears are grinding.
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      06-03-2016, 09:26 PM   #80
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 60Driver View Post
Nice clean install, looks good. How's the volume of the mechanism outside? Your garage looks a little small and I wonder how much that contributes to the loudness.

As you mentioned, the anti-pinch disengages fairly high. I wonder if there are any settings that can be adjusted via some kind of update from the manufacturer.

$449 US delivered, right? I'll be waiting on your update before I pull the trigger myself.
Yeah the small garage definitely contributed to the volume - its not as bad outside in a large parking lot but it's still noticeable. My 5 month old didn't get freaked out by it so that's really all that matters , lol

The control box does have an SD (or was it microSD? I forget) slot for firmware updates but I'm not hopeful on anything like that. Best I can tell it needs the momentum to close the gate properly and with such momentum it just wouldn't be able to stop the gate in time.

And yeah $449 USD delivered. Ended up being $627 CAD including $31 in import duties.

I'm quite satisfied with it so far, but keep in mind you're not going to close it by hand much - the mechanism tries to hold the gate in a set position even if you move it so it's hard to get much momentum to close the gate by hand. Plus I imagine it wears the motors more than just having the mechanism do it.
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      06-03-2016, 09:27 PM   #81
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Thanks for sharing, functionality it looks great but yikes the sounds is not good it sounds really screechy. Almost to the point that it sounds like the gears are grinding.
That's probably due to the phone's microphone, it's not too bad after you live with it for a couple days.
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      06-03-2016, 09:28 PM   #82
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The attached instructions might help.
Thanks for that, that's great!
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