[baw]

Could someone recommend a spay-in bed liner? I'd like to have it done to my truck. Are most of the products about the same or are some better than others?

[whgoodman]

A buddy of mine had a Rhino Lining < www.rhinolinings.com > shot into the bed of his truck. Looked to be a quality job and a good product. The coating was a good 1/4 inch thick.

[Rumor]

My mom has had the spray-on polyurethane from Rhino Linings for 14 years without a problem.

[abe]

This is from whgoodman's link. As far as which spray on is BEST or whether one is better than another, I don't know. But the thing I truly believe is that most any quality spray-on is better than most any drop in, for the reasons made clear in the photo.

[zerostar]

I use http://www.line-x.com/ for a whole fleet of trucks (for the zoo) and it holds up awesome.

[Spliffdaddy]

I'm a firm believer in the rubber mat. If the goal is to prevent scratches in the truck's paint, it works great. You can remove the mat and the paint looks wonderful. OR you could spray a permanent quarter inch of plastic onto the paint - obscuring it completely.

I just don't understand the logic behind preserving the finish of the truck bed by totally encapsulating it in black spray-on plastic. *shrugs* It's a truck. Use it as a truck or buy a car, instead.

My next rant is about floor mats that protect the carpet. OK, raise your hand if you've never seen the carpet under your feet in your car (all hands are raised). So, why are you protecting something you'll never use - or even see? Sure, a mat can save you from having to clean the carpet regularly - but it's carpet and you should use it as such. Are you trying to save the carpet for the next owner to enjoy?

The first thing I do when I buy a car is toss the floor mats in the trash.

[MacManMikeOSX]

I have a crappy old liner in my truck, but my father just got a new truck with a rhino, I saw it the otherday. It is very nice, wish I had one!

[abe]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

I'm a firm believer in the rubber mat. If the goal is to prevent scratches in the truck's paint, it works great. You can remove the mat and the paint looks wonderful. OR you could spray a permanent quarter inch of plastic onto the paint - obscuring it completely.

I just don't understand the logic behind preserving the finish of the truck bed by totally encapsulating it in black spray-on plastic. *shrugs* It's a truck. Use it as a truck or buy a car, instead.

My next rant is about floor mats that protect the carpet. OK, raise your hand if you've never seen the carpet under your feet in your car (all hands are raised). So, why are you protecting something you'll never use - or even see? Sure, a mat can save you from having to clean the carpet regularly - but it's carpet and you should use it as such. Are you trying to save the carpet for the next owner to enjoy?

The first thing I do when I buy a car is toss the floor mats in the trash.

In the case of the truck bed thee are some users and uses that gouge into the paint and metal and rust can quickly and easily form. Try selling a truck with everything else looking decent for the vintage but with a rusted through bed.

As for the carpet, the wear in the carpet under the driver's seat is going to get more wear than any other part of most car interiors. There are times when you want the car to look nice, going on a date or out to dinner. When you sell the car and the blue book dings you for a shoddy interior condition and/or the prospective buyer uses that as a way to drive the price down a few dollars, it is just a harmless, painless preventative.

And if you really walk around in bad stuff and want to keep from having that smell remain in the car much beyond a trip home or the car wash, mats are pretty handy.

[Spliffdaddy]

A rubber mat works just fine - and it's removeable, unlike a spray-on liner. The bed of my pickup has zero scratches...after hauling untold tons of cargo over its 8 years of life.

OK, on to the floor mats

"Resale value" ? wtf? When I get through with a vehicle it's worn out. Even if the carpet were pristine, the rest of the vehicle has little value. I guess if resale value was important to me, I'd order new carpet for $200 - instead of spending more than that on floor mats over the life of the vehicle.

But, then, I tend to treat my vehicles as machines - not as investments for potential resale. I know people that spend $39.95 for an oil change every 3,000 miles. They think it's less expensive to maintain the car in the long run if they do that. I guess they didn't bother to do the math, because at 150,000 miles they spent $2,000 on oil changes. Hell, you could replace the engine for far less. In my experience, even neglected vehicles are good for 150,000 miles. So I use a full synthetic motor oil and change it every 20-25,000 miles.

It's a machine. It's a tool to get from point A to point B and back again. It isn't a child, it isn't unique. They probably made half a million others just like it. I love cars, but I'm realistic about their purpose. And I might be the only mofo in the world that knows what Wilton wool carpet feels like and looks like under my feet. Factory snap-on floor mats be damned...they snap off, too.

I appreciate all you folks saving the carpet for me, since I typically buy used cars. Rest assured I'll toss the floormats before I put the first mile on it.

[abe]

Point made!

[sabrejim]

Why would you throw the mat away when you get the car? It's there and it's free, use it.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by kaze0

Why would you throw the mat away when you get the car? It's there and it's free, use it.

I know of a couple cases with my friends where it has caused accidents. In one instance it slipped up under the brake pedal when they were getting in the car and they were unable to stop.

Also, if they get damp and you don't take them out mildew can grow like crazy and then you have to replace all of the carpet in the car.

I have removed them in my car, but I kept them in my van because they don't get in the way. I do remove them in the winter though.

[snoopy199]

I have a drop in liner (from the dealer) and it seems pretty decent, not like the picture shown in this thread. Of course I don't haul a lot of crap in my truck and I use a tonneau cover

[olePigeon]

My 94 pickup I'm using (Toyota, 100k miles) used to have a bedliner. I took it off to put a cover over the bed and there's really bad rust over the wheel wells. They were slightly dented (from something heavy, don't remember what) and moisture pooled under it after it rained or maybe from humidity. Just rusted the hell out of it.

I'm looking to get the rust (if not too bad) sanded, primed, then a bedliner sprayed in to keep it from rusting again.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by kaze0

Why would you throw the mat away when you get the car? It's there and it's free, use it.

I just hate the way they slide around, bunch up, and generally annoy the **** out of me. That's one of the things I love about my M3, snap in mats that dont budge.

[Jawbone54]

Bought a truck with a spray-in bedliner 6 years ago. I only had it a few months, but I loved it. Never had to worry about scratches, etc.

[baw]

Awesome, thanks for the info!

[phantomdragonz]

I love spray in bed liners... I have a jeep wrangler, that I take 4 wheeling. a lot of my club members either have line-x or rino lining sprayed in their jeeps (they are both really good) or do it themselves with a product called hurculiner... you can buy it at most auto parts stores (napa does not seem to carry it) the install kit (to roll it on, NOT spray it) costs $100 I hear that it fades in the sun though.... rinoliners and line-x hold up much better to the sun.

and for all of you who like the rubber mat.... try carring rocks, or dirt... plus I think a truck bed with sprayed in liner looks a hell of a lot better then a truck with a nice scratch free bed...

Zach

[krillbee]

Yeah, those spray in liners are permanent, so you should get a good one. Otherwise they can start wearing out sometimes unfortunately. A place I used to work at had trucks where the spray in liner was just peeling off in places, leaving annoying holes that would snag against furniture that we pushed into the truck.

But I'm sure if you get a tough enough spray that doesnt chip or peel easily, then it would be nice, and prevent scratches and rust. But then again, it is permanent unfortunately.


In regards to floor mats, they are very useful. When your mats get dirty you can take them out, hose them down, scrub em with soap, hang them to dry, and put them back in. But you just cant clean the carpet in the car that easily. Its not fun having to lean inside a car to scrub the carpet, plus using the hose then is out of the question. If you dont clean your floormats dirt and crap will begin to spill off onto the rest of the carpet and mess it up. But if you clean your mats, then that isnt as much of an issue.

Having a clean car is nice. you'll like it better. and your passengers will also like it better and tend to treat the interior of your car more gently.
Its gross having to sit in a car that has a very dirty interior.

Even if you don't care how your car looks, the next person who buys is from you probably will (if you sell it later). And resale value will be higher if your interior is in better condition. Spliffdaddy, Why pay to get the whole carpet replaced? that would be expensive, when you could clean it for nearly no cost (except a small bit of time)

Spliffdaddy,
I spend $10 on oil changes (to have someone else do it for me). Anyone who spends $40 per change isnt very bright, or doesnt know which place to get it changed at.
I change it every 3,000 miles, meaning I'd spend $500 every 150,000 miles, much cheaper than buying another engine and having it installed.

And I cant imagine that changing the oil every 20-25,000 miles could be that good for a car. Modern cars should last a very long time if cared for properly. And vehicles are expensive to buy, so I dont see why you'd want to replace one any sooner than you'd need to.

[zmcgill]

He said he uses synthetic oil. It doesn't break down like normal oil so the only reason to change it is to eliminate particle build up.

[mdc]

Originally Posted by Railroader

I know of a couple cases with my friends where it has caused accidents. In one instance it slipped up under the brake pedal when they were getting in the car and they were unable to stop.

I can see how that could be very dangerous.
My 2002 Hyundai Accent had little hooks in the floor that the floor mats hooked into. They worked, but not that well, they floor mats came undone too easily. A for the idea, D for the implementation.

My 2006 Scion xA has a far better implementation. The hooks that the floor mats hook into are designed a lot nicer and the mats stay stuck really well.

[krillbee]

Originally Posted by Gossamer

He said he uses synthetic oil. It doesn't break down like normal oil so the only reason to change it is to eliminate particle build up.

how much more expensive is synthetic oil? Does it really last that long?
Plus doesnt oil get dirty pretty quick?

Originally Posted by mdc

I can see how that could be very dangerous.
My 2002 Hyundai Accent had little hooks in the floor that the floor mats hooked into. They worked, but not that well, they floor mats came undone too easily. A for the idea, D for the implementation.

My 2006 Scion xA has a far better implementation. The hooks that the floor mats hook into are designed a lot nicer and the mats stay stuck really well.

The car dealership I used to work at would always toss used floor mats, whenever a used car came in. They would put these temporary paper floor mats in the car.

I wonder if dealers do that so they arent liable for floormat related accidents? or if its just so that the cars look cleaner? (since that untouched carpet is underneath.

[zmcgill]

Originally Posted by krillbee

how much more expensive is synthetic oil? Does it really last that long?
Plus doesnt oil get dirty pretty quick?

According to advance auto parts online, a quart of synthetic runs from about $4-6. Comparable "dinosaur-juice" is around $3-5. Synthetic lasts longer because it's not subject to thermal breakdown like normal oil, plus it holds a much more constant viscosity over time, unlike regular oil. I'm assuming a good filter will help keep the oil clean.

[baw]

As long as you are chaning your oil every 3000-5000, synthetics are a waste of money.

[zmcgill]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

So I use a full synthetic motor oil and change it every 20-25,000 miles.

Originally Posted by baw

As long as you are chaning your oil every 3000-5000, synthetics are a waste of money.

Who said they did?

[Spliffdaddy]

According to the label on the oil I use (Mobil 1) it's good for 15,000 miles. They do suggest that you change the filter according to the car's service schedule (typically 7500 miles). So I use a very high quality filter and don't change it - and I figure if the oil is conservatively rated for 15,000 miles, then it's good for 20,000 miles at least.

The oil costs me about $4.50 quart and the "extreme duty" oil filter is about $11.00. So it costs me about $29 to change the oil every 20-25,000 miles. Either I'm lucky or I'm right, since I've never had an engine wear out. My truck is the 4th vehicle I've serviced in this manner. My '86 Chevy Astro van clocked 180,000 miles before the transmission gave out. I had over 170,000 miles on my '89 Jag XJS, and I almost never changed the oil in it. Hell, it took like 12 quarts. My ex-wife got to keep her Mazda Miata back in 2000, and I guarantee you it's still got the same 4 quarts of Mobil 1 oil in it *today* - 70,000 miles later.

I don't understand why people bother using conventional motor oil. Heck, even modern anti-freeze lasts 5 years nowadays.

I used to work with a lady that leased a Pontiac Grand Am. This was back in '97 or '98. She never changed the oil in it - or even bothered to check the level. At just under 85,000 miles, she heard a ticking noise and asked me to investigate. I told her there was no oil showing on the dipstick. That's when she informed me that she had never opened the hood. Over 80,000 miles on the factory oil. In case you were wondering how long an engine would run without changing the oil. Don't buy a previously-leased used car.

[krillbee]

hmm, i might have to check out this synthetic oil. are there any other real downsides, other than the slightly higher cost? and having to make sure it doesnt get dirty?

[abe]

Originally Posted by krillbee

hmm, i might have to check out this synthetic oil. are there any other real downsides, other than the slightly higher cost? and having to make sure it doesnt get dirty?

Oh, synthetics are great, I hear! MUCH better than petroleum oil.

http://www.advancedlubetech.com/USD/lubedepot/

They Say Nothing Outperforms Mobil 1? Wrong!

AMSOIL INC. set out to examine the specifics of the overly broad “Nothing Outperforms...” Mobil claim. AMSOIL 5W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil (ASL) and Mobil 1 SuperSyn 5W-30 Motor Oil were analyzed in five key bench tests measuring motor oil performance: NOACK volatility, flash/fire point, pour point, four ball wear and total base number (TBN). As shown in the charts below, AMSOIL outperformed Mobil 1 in all five areas.

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

I used to work with a lady that leased a Pontiac Grand Am. This was back in '97 or '98. She never changed the oil in it - or even bothered to check the level. At just under 85,000 miles, she heard a ticking noise and asked me to investigate. I told her there was no oil showing on the dipstick. That's when she informed me that she had never opened the hood. Over 80,000 miles on the factory oil. In case you were wondering how long an engine would run without changing the oil. Don't buy a previously-leased used car.

Unless she never had the car serviced as per the manual, the oil would have been changed at probably every service.

This is something I have never fully understood when I travel over to the states. Even a really small town might have 3 or 4 "lube" shops where their primary business appears to be changing a vehicles oil.

Here is the UK and Australia, most people (unless very much into their cars) would never have the oil changed outside of the normal service intervals. To give you an idea, my Merc C32, like most new cars in Europe these days, has a service indicator. Rather than having a service every 10,000 miles or so, the service indicator will look at how the cars has been used and vary the number of miles until the next service. At that service, the oil will be changed along with any of the other checks/replacements that are due to be done.

Some vehicles can have over 20,000 mile service intervals. It just seems to be strange that one area of the world generally goes for much longer times between oil changes where another goes for such short times. Is it a hold-over from when all the US old-tech engines did need these frequent oil changes? I know many US vehicles, particular some of the trucks are still using fairly basic engines. Not that I have any problem with that. A lot of these engines have much more character than most new-tech engines plus it is much easier to work on them yourself.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I always much preferred an aluminium bolt on tray rather than the intergrated beds as on most US trucks. Basically all utes (Australian term for Utility vehicle) will have a bolt on tray sitting on the chassis behind the cab rather than an integrated bed. All three exposed sides can be dropped down to access whatever is in the back. Doesn't look as good but is much more functional.

As they are generally Aluminium, there is no real need for any protection for them. Many guys do put just a flat rubber mat in there to stop things sliding around.