Haha, what can I say, I was a tradesman for too long ;)

You can definitelty access the plug without removing the kick panel, but you will need to find an alternate mounting location for it. I like the spot right behind the panel as it easily fits the controller.

I installed mine the way you did yours. The hardest part was modifying the blank to hold the knob. I had to use a 1/2” chisel and scrape the back side of the blank to thin it down so the knob’s momentary override push action worked correctly. I also had to shorten the sleeve of the blank about 1/4” from behind because the knob housing was tapered and wouldn’t fit in all the way without doing this. Drilling the two holes was no issue since I used a drill press and brad point bits to make it precise. The instructions called for the larger hole to be 3/8”, but this proved to be too small for the supplied nut. I widened it out as well. That part is critical! If the nut does not slip freely into the hole then it can crossthread easily and ruin the knob!!! So my total install time was 2 hours and I easily spent an hour on the blank modifying alone, just figuring things out.

@@duanebledsoe7566 Yeah, modifying the blank was the worst for me too. I did it off camera because I didn't want anyone getting bad ideas. I used a utility knife and pliers and then I chamfered the back of the hole to get it through enough. I think ordering the proper switch plate is probably worth it for $10.

I saw one installed using the RedArc blank. It didn’t look good to me, like it just didn’t match the Frontier dash well enough. It was a lot of work to put it in using the Nissan blank but it was worth it.

It's 11ga steel

@@WetCoastWorkshop thank you! I am doing the exact thing you are in Ontario, if you have any advice, would be greatly appreciated!

@@pedrog1580 I would recommend avoiding the Alkyd primer and paint, I'm not happy with the final result, it's soft and hard to keep clean. Go with an epoxy primer and then your choice of automotive topcoat. Also, if it's in your budget, get one of the pre-fabbed concession windows for food trucks, much easier to weatherseal than making your own custom one!

@@WetCoastWorkshop wow thank you so much for the advice!

Yeah because that's what we want. Kids slamming on the brakes....not!

Thanks for the comment! Yeah, I don't put much faith in rust converters either! There's actually a great video on how "effective" they are by Project Farm. I will say though, it looks worse on video than it was in person, but there really was almost nothing left when I put it on, I mechanically removed about 99% of it and before welding I actually went over everything with a grinding wheel and 40grit flap disc before zinc primer and welding. I did try Evaporust (off camera) as I had some from cleaning motorcyle tanks, it really didn't make any difference as it's meant to be bathed in the solution, not just brushed on, so I just went with the rust converter. The rust converter that I used has phosphoric acid as the active ingredient, so, of the converters I've tried, it does seem to work very well. I'll be keeping a close eye on it, and maintaining the Por15 on the underside to prevent further rusting, but yes I agree that better methods are available. Laser would be nice, but not available to rent in my area, and too large for electrolysis to be effective, wire wheel was my only really feasible method for the project, but oooohhhhh man was it labour and time intensive! Good luck with your motorcycle trailer, that will be a fun project!

@@WetCoastWorkshopYeah, I went through that whole journey when I got a free boat trailer off of Craigslist if I brought the boat home with it as well. That trailer was rusted through and through. I derusted it complete (all except inside the metal square tubing which I couldn't reach... fortunately most of the frame was U channel... took apart the leaf springs, took apart the wheels and bearings, everything... derusted it all, painted it with brown primer, painted it with silver propane tank, then built a 20 ft flat ultralight airplane trailer bed on top of it to bring home free ultralight airplanes on it. Extended it too about 6 feet with some Windmill Uchannel from our old windmill. Put a bolt through everything, locktighed them, welded it, a golden gate painted over every bolt. I took it on one 800 mile journey and 800 miles back to pick up one free airplane, then I got a job and parked it all in the shop to sit and 4 years later I had found a better way to fly (quadcopters) and lost all interest in my airplanes and aircraft trailer... which has been sitting in my shop ever since. I need to sell them all or something. I got a horse trailer sitting out in the field and a small flat bed trailer... one of them I need to make into a motorcycle recovery trailer as I got three sketchy old motorcycles I keep maintained. I've been borrowing a friends that I fixed up for them. Would also be nice to have my own light truck. Someday maybe the lasar derusting equipment will come down in price and I'll return to epic derusting and welding with 6013 all over again. I was blind back then and couldn't see a weld puddle under a helmet to save my life, but now that I've had eye surgery, maybe now I'll be able to weld like one is suppose to.. not guessing where a welding rod is in the pitch black dark lol

@@WetCoastWorkshopg00gl3 "mato poorboy choppergirl" or "jenni poorgirl ultralight" for pics of the plane and my derusted and rebuilt flatbed boat trailer. If I had to do it all over again, I would of started with a way less rusty trailer for sure. That was a lot of time and life consuming work to do it close to right. I thought I'd be using it for the rest of my life, and then I only used it once... after all that work.

I'll check it out! Also, I agree, I would have started with a less rusty trailer too!

That's an awesome idea! I could use one as well, haha. The number of bikes I've had to haul around in pickup trucks....

Yes, epoxy primer is ideal, and to be honest, I wish I would have gone with epoxy primer and paint instead of Alkyd, the Alkyd paint is very soft and difficult to clean.

Good to know. I am sticking with epoxy primer then. @@WetCoastWorkshop

Ideally you should prime the trailer prior to applying bondo. A few small bare metal spots are OK as long as they are rust free.

Awesome. Thanks. Excited to see your final product. @@WetCoastWorkshop

As soon as I have time to edit, I have the whole trailer build recorded and ready to go. Then I'll be posting some shop projects :)

Yes! We're all done and launched now. I'm working on finding time to start editing the videos, so keep an eye out, the next video is coming soon!

Glad it was helpful! There should be no need to add an additional circuit breaker as there is one already in the engine bay for the towing controls.

@WetCoastWorkshop Got it, thank you for the info. Wet Coast Workshop. Looking forward to new videos.

Awesome! Good luck, and reach out if you have any questions during the build!

Thanks! Good luck with the install!

You can use them for any accessories you want to add, like maybe a light bar. I don't have any plans for mine yet.

Yes, it's TPH-014. You can find it on redarcelectronics.com . They also have the switch plate blanks back in stock now, they are TPSI-008

Not sure what Toyota has to do with this...I chose the Frontier over a Tacoma for many reasons....But yeah, when the dealer follows Nissan's recommended installation techniques then it's on Nissan (and the dealer) for the shoddy install. If you're happy with a horribly installed, ugly, cheap, inconvenient trailer controller, then by all means, you do you! But if you want a better option, then follow along and give the Redarc a shot.

Thanks! I'm super happy with the result! I've shared the video with the dealer to encourage them to take a different approach in the future.

Thanks for your support!

Yes, probably sound advice! I've always found that it's just better to do things myself, and in this case, trying to save time cost me twice as much time!

Thank you! That's a very generous offer! My modified switch plate is working for my needs right now, but if you do get the 3d plans loaded up definitely link them here, I'm sure lots of people could make use of them!

Yes, thanks, I did this after testing out the system towing a trailer!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Haha, yes, please avoid! Highly recommend the Tow-Pro controller (Liberty or Elite depending on your application). They do also sell a switch plate blank for the frontier, they were just out of stock when I ordered my controller. The switch plate was definitely the hardest part of the process, but that's only because the rest of it was so easy! And don't worry about color match for the switch blank, because none of them match anyways, haha.

OOF! That's a rough one....I'll be doing a cost breakdown video once I've posted the entire build series...but, I priced it out in 2019 before getting started....and well...let's just say that global production shortages resulted in it costing about 3X what I had originally planned. I haven't done the final tally yet, but well north of $15K CAD (not including any labour obviously)

Yes, I didn't even think to go to an RV dealer, but they are probably a lot more experienced with brake controllers than the dealers are. I'm happy that I ended up doing it myself, and would have done so originally if I had the time, but good to know there is another decent option out there!

Yes, the dealership poorly executed the work, but this (at least at the time) was the approved installation by Nissan Canada, so the dealership was following guidelines and it's Nissan who needs to set the standard for the dealerships!

From my experience no dealer need work approved by the car manufacturer. Only big warranty jobs related to hybrid battery and power train.

Yes! I'll be posting the next video soon, the trailer is now complete, it will just take me a bit to get through all of the footage. Thanks for watching and check back soon for an update!

Thanks, very happy with the final result!

Yes! After confirming with Nissan that this was, in-fact, what they intended to do (and consider a professional installation) they refunded me and ordered a new lower dash panel to replace the one they drilled into. So, other than a bit of extra work, and a valuable lesson, they did resolve the issue....sort of.

Well, they ruined it (for me) in a few ways. #1 With the controller installed, I couldn't fit in the truck without hitting my knee on it, even with the seat all the way back, 80's trucks had a LOT more room! #2, they unnecessarily drilled through the lower dash panel, meaning if I go to sell the truck, that panel is effectively now garbage and I need to replace it. #3, it looked like absolute garbage, for no reason...It's not 1980 anymore, there are far better options that both improve the function and actually look good. For reference, I paid more to have the absolute cheapest Curt brake controller installed than I did for the Tow-Pro Liberty. And as for why I throw Nissan under the bus instead of the dealer...I reached out to Nissan Canada on Twitter and they supported the original installation and said that was their current standard. And finally, when I originally spoke to the dealer, they informed me that the controller they installed was the only one on the market that would work for the 2022 Frontier (which is obviously not true) and after much discussion, I determined that the best course of action was a refund and installing it myself. For anyone wondering, the Tow-Pro works absolutely perfectly, I've towed my mobile bar and a dump trailer (at max towing capacity) with it and couldn't ask for better performance. Great job with the design of the Tow-Pro series @RedarcElectronics !

@WetCoastWorkshop Thanks for replying back. Secondly, why didn't you ask the dealership where and how they were going to install the controller before paying them? Third, the lower plastic with holes is mostly unnoticeable from the driver pov.

I did have a brief discussion with them about what was going to happen, and he didn't know exactly which controller it was, just told me it was the only one that worked with the truck. I agreed to have it installed under the center console (there's a little pocket there), and when I picked it up, they said they had trouble getting the wiring harness to go that far. And yes, the holes were very visible every time you open the door, and always visible from the passenger's side. Either way, even if (for some reason) that had actually been the only brake controller that worked with the truck, the sloppy install was completely unacceptable for a dealership doing work on a brand new vehicle.

@@WetCoastWorkshop Understood.

@@WetCoastWorkshop Those desk service guys don't know shit, they just take your order and try to upsell you services and other shit you don't need because they literally make commission off of every encounter.

Cardboard and a sharpie!

@@WetCoastWorkshop Thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks! I wish I would have splurged for a new welder before doing all of this, as I ended up needing to get a new one later anyway! Good luck with your welding, there are plenty of excellent welding tutorials on KZbin!!