Intresting info

[carguru]

FYI

 

Bedliner article

 

Bedliner facts

[RyanbabZ71]

The first article

 

"From lack of protection against scratches and dents, to potential

delamination of the lining material, to documented damage to the truck bed

caused by a spray-on lining's installation, truck owners are finding that a

premium price doesn't guarantee satisfactory performance, according to Kristin

Uttech, director of marketing for truck accessories manufacturer Penda

Corporation."

 

I think its funny that the article quotes someone from Penda Corp (they make drop ins).  They arent a little biased?  Spray in liners are hurting their profits.

 

There are pros and cons to both.  My dad has a drop in and one con is when water gets under the liner the bed rusts and I have proof of that.  Right at the end of the bed where most of the water enters it looks horrible.  Stuff slides around much to easy.  Pros durability. You can toss anything in there and it wont dent the bed

 

Cons to spray in throw something to hard and you can dent the sides ( no fix for that).  Pros, no sliding, no rust under it.

 

They need someone who is unbiased writing these articles

[TxDoc]

There is not much detail on the specifics of the tests that were conducted.  

 

So, they basically made statements, i.e. " Drop-in liner offered 2 times the skid resistance of spray-on liners". I have never seen a spray in that was slicker that a drop-in.  What "thing" did they try to slide around on the liner, did they measure and obtain a coefficient of friction?  

 

And, " Drop-in liner was 10 times more abrasion resistant than spray-on liners". To resist abrasion, wouldn't the surface need to be hard and "slick", and conversely not be skid resistant?  " Drop-in liner provided 50% thicker sidewalls"-Two different materials are being compared, i.e. carbon fiber can be much thinner than steel and have more resistance to puncture. So, is steel better? Not if you want to save weight. "Loss of Finish Reflectivity

After 2,000 Hours of UV Exposure

(about 6 months exposure)"-loss of reflectivity.  I did not know a lot of people desired "reflectiviity" in a bedliner. Are they talking about UV reflectivity? Not clear. SpeedLiner shows liners that have been in place for three years, black and in colors that have not faded.

 

" Drop-in liner was 21 times more resistant to ultra-violet fading"-not much info on how this number was arrived at.

 

No mention of drop-in liners cracking or warping in Texas heat.

 

For some apps a drop-in could be better. Loading (or throwing) conduit into a truck all day long would probably gouge a spray-in and just slide over the hard drop-in. They have held up well for my father's electrical contracting business.

 

The SpeedLiner dealer told me they could add Kevlar material to the liquid and increase the strength of the final product, but at a fairly high cost.

 

"GMAC considers the installation of a spray-on bedliner to be "excess wear" to a vehicle"--I could not get GMAC to validate this. No source was provided on the beliner site, either.

 

"So before buying an expensive spray-on liner, ask yourself: Does it make sense to protect the truck bed by first destroying its appearance and built-in corrosion resistance?"-as soon as the air-inhibition layer is scuffed by a drop-in, corrosion can progress, whereas with a spray-in no air can reach the metal to react with water to corrode.

 

" drop-in liners are covered by nationwide warranties - all you'll have to do to make a warranty claim is contact the nearest retailer who offers your brand"--mine wasn't. I was told the cracking, splitting and warping was due to the heat and it could not be prevented or covered.

 

"Get your hammer and chisel ready…if you tire of the faded or scratched spray-on lining or are trying to sell the truck to a buyer who wants to restore the bed's original finish"--1st, that is the buyer's prerogative and 2nd, is this a common occurrence that I never heard of?

 

Many statements on the site without substantiation.  You have to buy what will best suit your needs and pocketbook.

 

For a low cost option, a drop-in would be fine.  It would depend on what you want and need the product to do.

[LarryE]

funny how they think gmac is against them when all dealerships offer spray in liners now

[Shadowfax]

As a person who has used both kinds, I call BS on that sites claims. The damaging effects of a drop in far outweigh that of spray on. Bedliners should never be viewed as somthing to protect your beds paint finish, rather somthing that prevents rust, corrosion, and dents.

 

Depending on how thick your get your liner sprayed on it will protect your truck just as well if not better than a drop in. I would know I live on a farm, and everything we have in our trucks are now spray ons. I have about 2000lbs of tools in the back of our truck now. everything from hand tools in the box to rail road jacks in the bed. Not a dent, scratch, or ding in the last 4 years of having it either.

[GreenRado]

Agree w/ Ryan, both were clearly not unbiased, and if anyone thinks a drop-in can't be cracked or broken, they're wrong - they do get brittle w/ age.

 

I'm going the spray-in route!

[Shadowfax]

Did anyone fill out the cutomer feedback form on thier site? I did, and it was novel like in lenght lol.

[03 HD]

Do the spray on and then add a drop in? This must be the ultimate protection and the best of both worlds but more costly.

[HillHound]

I had both also and they both have their good and bad points.  I kind of prefer a drop-in due to the extra dent protection but in my experience most spray-ins have better traction to keep stuff from sliding around.

[99silveradoz71]

Well I'm darn cautious with the truck in general.  Like others have said, you have to look at your needs, then make the call.  Originally the dealership put a drop-in in mine.  I didn't do much with it at first.  The floor piece was scratching the tailgate and after doing some research and saving $, I got the spray-in which is what I wanted initially anyway.  Works great for hauling mowers/snow equipment/shopping packages/furniture, etc.

[Jpshostr]

Myself, I HATE stuff flying around the bed, so take that drop-in right off my list.  Those things are like a hockey rink, slick as can be, stuff can really get flying in them.  A spray-in looks like it would be nice, but what steers me away from them is the turnover gooseneck ball in our beds, I would just like something covering it up to keep dirt and other junk out of the folding mechanism.  I do like the way they seal the bed though.  Myself, I like the rubber bedmats, the thick version.  Covers up the GN ball, leaving a completely flat surface when it isn't in use, yet is a simple two step job of folding it forward when access is needed.  

 

Just what best works for me.

[variant]

i seen a nice drop in the other day... it was in the middle of the 405 FWY it flew out of the bed completely!!! how? poor fit i would guess... it looked a few years old sun warped and all... some i have seen on trucks look like they shrink... i'm going with spray in liner as dents are not a problem if you tie or pack your load correctly....    :thumb:

[SnakeEyeSS]

sounds like both at the same time would be the best deal