No More Painted Tailgate Handle On Lariat

[TBR17]

Ford isn't painting the tail gate handle any more! Oh my bewbs are so tender and sore!

Seriously....
If you are the kind of man that drives a Ranger this change should largely go unnoticed.
Like color matched Tailgate Handles? Fine - Paint it and claim your Alpha status as a primo-customizer. You conform the truck to your expectations, not the other way around. Be master of that domain.

Don't care cause you have better things to conquer? Good. That's why you bought a ranger. Go climb a mountain and kill a bear with a Bowie Knife. Let his head hang over the tail gate and no one will notice the color doesn't match when you drive back into town.

But getting upset at Ford for giving you a tailgate handle that doesn't match your body color is like the people that do naked yoga to tan their butt-hole so it recharges their chakra and matches their all body tan.

I have an XLT so all mine are black, but my previous truck was a '20 Lariat with a white tailgate handle. I received the May issue of Motor Trend and there is a write up on the Ranger Tremor which happens to be a Lariat. There is a hill climb pic shot from the rear and I noticed the black tailgate handle. This was what first alerted me to the possible change which was later confirmed when I went to the dealer. Having had both, I noticed it. Anyways... time to go get my balls waxed and my spray tan. TOODLES

Sponsored

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Ford isn't painting the tail gate handle any more! Oh my bewbs are so tender and sore!

Seriously....
If you are the kind of man that drives a Ranger this change should largely go unnoticed.
Like color matched Tailgate Handles? Fine - Paint it and claim your Alpha status as a primo-customizer. You conform the truck to your expectations, not the other way around. Be master of that domain.

Don't care cause you have better things to conquer? Good. That's why you bought a ranger. Go climb a mountain and kill a bear with a Bowie Knife. Let his head hang over the tail gate and no one will notice the color doesn't match when you drive back into town.

But getting upset at Ford for giving you a tailgate handle that doesn't match your body color is like the people that do naked yoga to tan their butt-hole so it recharges their chakra and matches their all body tan.

I believe the point is this is just another item added to the growing laundry list Ford has done in mid production to cut costs while increasing the MSRP of the truck. Your are correct that not having a painted tailgate handle shouldn't be a bid deal, and personally I don't care one way or another if it is or isn't painted.

Now to look at all the things Ford has cut back on not just with the Ranger, but across the board one has to wonder with all the changes like this if they are putting that back into better quality parts or hoping to turn a bigger profit and please the investors with it. I'd hope they'd spring for better quality, but I think we all know what they will choose to do though..

 

[puckdodger]

Ford isn't painting the tail gate handle any more! Oh my bewbs are so tender and sore!

Seriously....
If you are the kind of man that drives a Ranger this change should largely go unnoticed.
Like color matched Tailgate Handles? Fine - Paint it and claim your Alpha status as a primo-customizer. You conform the truck to your expectations, not the other way around. Be master of that domain.

Don't care cause you have better things to conquer? Good. That's why you bought a ranger. Go climb a mountain and kill a bear with a Bowie Knife. Let his head hang over the tail gate and no one will notice the color doesn't match when you drive back into town.

But getting upset at Ford for giving you a tailgate handle that doesn't match your body color is like the people that do naked yoga to tan their butt-hole so it recharges their chakra and matches their all body tan.

You ever thought of taking some lessons to help you say what you're really thinking???

 

[FloggingBishop]

Ok in fairness I think I get what the OP meant. Fords getting cheap..... yet we still bought one and like to bitch. If the Taco wasn’t the same body since ‘01 I think some of us may not be here

 

[TBR17]

Ok in fairness I think I get what the OP meant. Fords getting cheap..... yet we still bought one and like to bitch. If the Taco wasn’t the same body since ‘01 I think some of us may not be here

I like them so much I bought 2 in 4 months. Nothing I'd replace it with other than a Ranger Raptor if it gets the 2.7L.

 

[Tom_C]

Ok in fairness I think I get what the OP meant. Fords getting cheap..... yet we still bought one and like to bitch. If the Taco wasn’t the same body since ‘01 I think some of us may not be here

Exactly. I doubt I would be bothered by a black handle. It just seems they are chipping away at stuff. And I was originally pissed that I paid the same for the tech package but didn't get the BO stereo in a SCAB. (Or, what ever package the BO comes with in the supercrew).

 

[Ronbo]

PlastiDip is your friend.

 

[VAMike]

Exactly. I doubt I would be bothered by a black handle.

I think having 4 body color handles and 1 black handle looks dumb and that would probably affect whether I'd want the current lariat trim, but everybody has different ideas of what looks nice (that's why there's a chrome package, a black package, etc.) To large degree you're buying a trim based on aesthetics, and if Ford chips away enough little touches it becomes much more attractive to get the cheaper XLT trim instead. Of course I never really liked the sport package either and now they cram that down your throat with the XLT. I guess the answer is a 2019 lariat.

 

[Tom_C]

I think having 4 body color handles and 1 black handle looks dumb and that would probably affect whether I'd want the current lariat trim, but everybody has different ideas of what looks nice (that's why there's a chrome package, a black package, etc.) To large degree you're buying a trim based on aesthetics, and if Ford chips away enough little touches it becomes much more attractive to get the cheaper XLT trim instead. Of course I never really liked the sport package either and now they cram that down your throat with the XLT. I guess the answer is a 2019 lariat.

Good point! Glad I have the white handle. I bought the lariat because I like creature comforts in my old age, and I guess old age also means I am fortunate enough to allow me to splurge, though I don't think you could go wrong with any trim.

 

[FloggingBishop]

Exactly. I doubt I would be bothered by a black handle. It just seems they are chipping away at stuff. And I was originally pissed that I paid the same for the tech package but didn't get the BO stereo in a SCAB. (Or, what ever package the BO comes with in the supercrew).

I got fully loaded lariat fx4 and also got an extra factory installed dent with my truck for free, and the BO system....

 

[Tom_C]

Damnit! I didn't get a dent!

 

[slowmachine]

Damnit! I didn't get a dent!

If you park at Wal-Mart, you can get one (or several) for free

 

[rang19ca]

Don't care which color the handle is, the Ranger still out classes anything else in their class.

 

[Rviator]

Black or unpainted tailgate handles are nothing new. I'm pretty sure it was unpainted on my blue 2006 F-350 Lariat FX4. It didn't bother me in any of the 13 years I owned it and didn't care if maybe the first year of that body design was painted or not.
Be happy that's all there is to complain about.

 

[VAMike]

Black or unpainted tailgate handles are nothing new. I'm pretty sure it was unpainted on my blue 2006 F-350 Lariat FX4. It didn't bother me in any of the 13 years I owned it and didn't care if maybe the first year of that body design was painted or not.
Be happy that's all there is to complain about.

I'm fascinated by this attitude. Ford wants to sell appearance packages. People comment on what they like/dislike about the appearance packages. Someone complains that people are "complaining too much". Weird. Stupid little things like this are important enough to be line items in Ford's package descriptions, and for Ford to charge $$$$ for them. So what's the problem if people comment that they think Ford's $$$$ package is getting stingier? Don't like it? Don't listen, buy an XL and be happy. I think it's nice that Ford offers a very competitive base model, and I also think there's a lot of room to talk about how Ford cheaped out on this revision of their top trim. If Ford doesn't like that impression, they should try harder to put more value in their top trim--not take some out.

Sponsored