Console Safe

Any pics?

 

I'll post them when I get it installed, probably later tonight.

 

I am on their website but I don't see any offers for the free magnet and LED light. Where did you get yours?

 

They were in the box. The invoice is marked with a note that the magnet is a January promo.

 

Teaser pics, too cold to install last night. I'm from Minnesota, but the key word is "from"...

 

I'm excited to see this! Fits in the right side area of the safe, leaving the left side free... and preserves access to the A/C outlet, I suppose? Can you tell us if there was a combo lock option?

 

There are multiple lock options. Included in the price are either a 4 digit combo or one of those pop machine key locks, for $60/70 more is the Abloy lock that I bought ($60 for two keys/$70 for three), or an electric lock for $150. When I was physically there, I wavered between the 4 digit and the electric; the guy that was getting this model installed in his '17 Tundra bought the electric, and it seemed pretty cool. After I got home and mulled over the options, I bought the Abloy, for no other reason than I think the electric is a case of overkill for where I drive and park my truck, and I think the 4 digit is something I didn't want to hassle with. Some people don't like to carry a key, or think that that method takes too long to access; it's good we live in 'merica, with choices!

 

Update after install (attempt): Just sent an email to the owner of Lock'er Down, requesting an RMA. The holes are off, and by just enough to make any successful installation a matter of me grinding out the holes in the product. I'm not doing that on something that is stated to fit my truck. As it was, I spent about an hour, trying to find a solution/uninstalling the box; it's not fun turning bolts with a ratchet, 30 degrees at a time. It's odd that the holes, which are slotted to give some leeway, are still not workable.

The product looked good sitting in the truck, but not being able to secure it to the truck is obviously a non-starter.

 

Talked to the owner, the issue is most likely two fold:

1. The hole under the console are slightly out of alignment. He says I can adjust them. I tried that last night, but have to loosen the two bolts that are not removed, before it will work.
2. The bolts they sent are too long, with not enough thread. The guy I talked to last Friday at the shop said that was the case with their current bolts, but they were getting in a new shipment over the weekend. Well, they are getting in a new shipment, but not until March. So I got the same bolts I could have gotten last Friday.

They are going to ship me some new bolts, shorter, but with more threads, and I'll give it another shot when I get them. Bobby is somewhat out of pocket right now, so is having to rely on the guys in the shop, and they dropped the ball. Hopefully, the new bolts, and re adjusting the bolt holes under the console, will fix the issue.

 

I had a hard time deciding between the Lock'r Down and the Toyota Console Vault from Spark's. I ended up going with the Spark's vault and it arrived today. The install on the 2018 required the removal of the OCD tray rails (not shown in either of the two install videos that I watched); I think that the rails may be new on some or all of the '18s - they're each held in place by four rivets that had to be drilled out to remove the rails. Not a big deal but for planning purposes there's an extra step and an extra tool involved. Here are a couple of pictures to illustrate:

Forward rail still in place, rear rail removed -



Forward rail removed -

 

Got the new bolts yesterday, tried them out before going to the work of pulling the vault back out of the box, and the bolts wouldn't even screw in. Sent them an email, requesting an RMA....

 

Are the nuts inside the console now stripped because you tried too hard to get the bolts started? I dont understand how the nuts/threaded inserts are adjustable? Can you explain better? Sounds like you would have to remove the entire center console to be able to adjust those. Your factory console was bolted down but the bolts were off centered?
Sounds like a problem with your truck not the Locker Down. Locker Down i believe is a premium product and i think they are all laser cut out so i dont think its a problem with Locker Down.
Are you sure the bolts are the correct threading?

 

To answer your questions, in order...

- The bolts are not now stripped, thank goodness. The stock Toyota bolts have been reinserted, and the console snugged down.
- It's not that the nuts are adjustable, the owner of Lock'er Down said the console itself was slightly adjustable; loosening all four bolts in the bottom of the console would allow me to reposition it slightly, so that the bolts used to tighten the vault down would better align with the fixed nuts. As it turns out, this is not true; I removed the two bolts on the passenger side of the console, and loosened quite a bit the two bolts on the driver's side, and the console didn't move at all.
- My console is bolted down, but the bolts for the console aren't off center; when the vault is installed, the bolts going through the bottom of the vault are slightly off from the bolts. The vault has slots in the bottom of it, but the bolts don't use the variability of the slots, as they are tight up against the edges of the slots.
- I'm not saying Lock'er Down doesn't make a quality product, in general. But the only product I'm concerned with is the one they shipped me.
- I would hope that the bolts are the correct threading. After all, I bought a vault for a Toyota Tundra, so I expect they sent me bolts for a Toyota Tundra. The bolts went in far enough the first time that they had to be the correct threading, especially considering that I put the original bolts back in after I had removed them. If they had been the wrong threading, the original bolts wouldn't have worked, upon reinsertion. The second set of bolts appear to have been rethreaded, (the original ones didn't have enough thread length to be used), with no cutting oil; they are ragged as hell. I ran lathes in a tool company for a few years, so know the difference between a good thread and not.

I haven't heard back from Lock'er Down yet, on my request for an RMA. I like the box, but the amount of work on my part to try and get this to work is kinda crazy.

 

That is odd. I don't remember having any play when I installed mine. I think they are nicely precision fit and it sucks to hear you are having problems. I would think these are all laser cut out on a cnc so they are all the same. So you think the only solution is to hog out the holes?

 

The half console, as you can see from one of the pics above, has a pocket welded on the bottom. Laser cutting on a CNC is kind of irrelevant when two pieces are welded together; even when a jig is used, the accuracy of alignment is affected by the use of the jig, quality of the weld, placement of nut by Toyota, etc... A potential solution may be to get some decent bolts, not the crap that they threaded; remember, the issue the second time around wasn't with the vault alignment, I didn't get that far.

 

Sometimes companies cheap out with hardware and it pisses me off. I had to dick around with my expensive running boards and ultimately the mfgr. played dumb and I bought my own damn hardware.

So run to fastenal and tell locker down to refund the bolts.

 

What I would use, instead of what Lock'er Down is shipping, (standard bolt, with flat washer), is a flange bolt, which is what Toyota uses for the console. If they were using that, you don't need a separate washer, and you have bolts threaded all the way up, eliminating the need to rethread the ones they sent me. Fastenal has them, but not in stock, and I have to figure out the correct length. Lock'er Down said the ones I got originally were too long, but I'm not sure the second set isn't longer than I need as well.

 

Story of my every day life. Lol

 

Well, the story of my life, unfortunately, is stuff not working as advertised. Way too often. My best bud works in supplier quality for Polaris, and he says quality has been backsliding for years. Not saying that's the case with Lock'er Down, but I am tired of buying things brand new that don't work as advertised.

 

I have the lockrdown safe as well, but for the full console... Fortunately no issues when installing, lined right up and install took about 5 min.

HOWEVER, I did notice that one of the bolts I had received was about 2.5 threads longer than the other (I believe the back bolt was longer). Instructions said the 2 bolts should differ in length, not sure why that would be the case though.

Sucks that you're going through hell over a couple bolts. I'm sure you'll love it once you get squared away.

Good Luck!!

 

The back bolt is longer, and it must be a case of the indentation in the Toyota case being deeper, because the pockets that are welded on the vault are the same height. The bolts I originally got were both 5mm too long, according to the Lock'er Down guy, so they were cut down and rethreaded. I'm not going to dick with it until he gets back to me on my request for an RMA. If that isn't by the weekend, I'll ring him up, I know he has been working through some family medical issues.

 

I love mine, it’s from consolevault. At first I didnt like that it takes up my entire console but I actually like it, I don’t want my sunglasses and other stuff stolen....I did a mod that was shown on this board to use the charging port...

 

I am also looking into getting one. Not sure which works best? Any other things I should do you would recommend?
Thanks!

 

most of it is personal preference... lock type, half console, full console... my only advise would be to avoid any that arent a complete solid metal construction totally enclosed

 

I really don't know which ones are metal construction. Sorry never bought one before.
Any specific brand and model you would recommend for a full safe?

 

ive had 3-4 consolevaults.com safes, they are really good. The last 2-3 mentioned are very good as well. when you visit any site they will show you the complete pic.

 

Thank you!!!

 

So it's finally installed.







Fits good, leaves half the console free, which is what I wanted. There is a little bit of scratching on the inside of the console, which I'm okay with. That came from the many times I had to put the safe in, and take it out again. Why? Here's why:



Left to right:

- These are the bolts sent with the console safe. When I opened the box, I told the wifie, "hmmm... these look just like the bolts I saw last week when I was in their shop; the ones the guy said were incorrect, because they weren't threaded high enough." They were supposed to be getting in a new batch of bolts over the weekend, and I would get the new ones. Guess not.

- These are the bolts they sent after I got ahold of the company owner by phone, after he didn't respond to my email. These bolts were threaded higher, and evidently, they don't sell cutting oil in San Antonio, judging from the raggedy ass nature of the threads. Oh, and these bolts had 5mm cut off the length; the owner said that was the other thing that was wrong with the first batch. If they don't look 5mm shorter, don't adjust your TV, THEY'RE NOT!

- And finally, the bolts I bought at Lowe's on Wednesday, after my second request for an RMA went unanswered, and I figured I like the safe itself, just not the crap bolts the company sent out. I dug out a vernier calipers, from back in my day as a machinist, took some measurements, and bought the correct bolts. (The shorter one didn't need the threads all the way up, but that was the only type they had in the 40mm length.)

Not sure why it's so hard to provide the correct bolts with a product that costs $350+, but there you go. Made In The USA! And fixed in the USA!

 

Looked at this on my computer...didnt realize you have the half safe. I'm surprised they overlayed the door on top like that. Could easily be pried open.

 

You should test one and see. Not really sure how sticking a prybar under that tab and prying is any easier than sticking it in the gap between the door and the box on a full safe. You might bend the tab up, but that's not "easily" getting you in the safe. And btw, the half console marketed by Southeast Toyota has the same overlap.

btw, for everyone reading this thread, I sent those pics to the owner of Lock'er Down safe this morning, and expressed my displeasure. He is dealing with some family matters, but told me he had instructed his guys to send me an RMA label earlier this week, and when he got back to the office, "heads will roll". That didn't do anything for the extra work I had to put into the install, but at least it was nice to hear from a business owner who responded, and not trying to say his company wasn't at fault.