Ice buildup on vehicle

[Johnsykas]

We love our Rivian R1T for ski trips to Killington. But each year ice buildup are frustrating. The buttos on bed rails are unstable, so tailgate requires (1) 5 minutes of breaking off ice(2) one person in vehicle pushing the open tailgate and (3) two or 3 strong folks pulling tailgate in unison to break it free. Anyone have any tricks to solve this?

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[cgaiii]

This is true of all pickup truck tailgates in winter weather. At least you have the inside interface latch to work with. Usually you have to chip ice away from the handle. There is no special thing for the Rivian, just be careful chipping away the ice. If you are only picking up the ice while parked, you can try carrying a tarp and covering it while you are skiing or whatever.

 

[Blueassassin]

Pictures? Im curious how much ice you are dealing with.

 

[mikehmb]

I remember having to carry a lighter around to melt the ice from the lock cylinder of my old truck.

Depending on what’s getting frozen up, use a tarp or a towel. This is just the reality of having a truck, FWIW.

 

[sd250]

We love our Rivian R1T for ski trips to Killington. But each year ice buildup are frustrating. The buttos on bed rails are unstable, so tailgate requires (1) 5 minutes of breaking off ice(2) one person in vehicle pushing the open tailgate and (3) two or 3 strong folks pulling tailgate in unison to break it free. Anyone have any tricks to solve this?

Could use a hair dryer or heat gun - you've got 120v in the cab. There are also battery powered heat guns if you don't want a cord.

It was mentioned by someone with a similar issue on the Lightning forum.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Ever use deice spray? It works pretty well. I did find one foolproof trick that makes dealing with winter a breeze, move somewhere warmer. That trick hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Johnsykas]

Could use a hair dryer or heat gun - you've got 120v in the cab. There are also battery powered heat guns if you don't want a cord.

It was mentioned by someone with a similar issue on the Lightning forum.

 

[Johnsykas]

Zero degrees and windy with 1/4" ice, typically. Hair dryer won't help. The buttons on the rail are useless frozen, so need at least two people, one in cab pushing button and the other yanking. The rubber pads on the slide cover inside tailgate freeze to the tailgate. I have reglue them. Thinking maybe Vaseline could work

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Tonneau cover or cap?

 

[Thedude]

Zero degrees and windy with 1/4" ice, typically. Hair dryer won't help. The buttons on the rail are useless frozen, so need at least two people, one in cab pushing button and the other yanking. The rubber pads on the slide cover inside tailgate freeze to the tailgate. I have reglue them. Thinking maybe Vaseline could work

Just chip the ice off the button. Did it al the time last winter.

 

[CharonPDX]

Just chip the ice off the button. Did it al the time last winter.

Or use smartphone app to trigger, or key fob remote.

But yes, deicer spray is your friend. On my old F-250, I’d often leave the tailgate off in winter just because it was too hard to open when iced.

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