Line-X vs. Drop-in bedliners

WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A BEDLINER?

Durability
Which bedliner is engineered to last the life of the truck? And just as important, stay in the truck bed?

Appearance
Which bedliner will enhance the vehicle’s appearance (and value) over an extended period of time?

Warranty
What happens if your bedliner fails? Will you be able to easily correct the problem, regardless of your location? And who pays for repair/replacement?

Consider these characteristics carefully before investing in your bedliner.

DIFFERENCES

A bedliner is a tool that can enhance the productivity, durability and appearance of your truck. There are two distinct types of liners available today:


Drop-in

A drop-in bedliner is a plastic cover for the surface of a truck’s bed. Drop-ins require drilled holes to be installed. Drop-ins typically trap water and debris between the liner and the bed. As a result, a drop-in bedliner actually promotes condensation, water damage, abrasion, rust and corrosion.


 

Spray-On
Bonds permanently to your truck bed. Spray-Ons mold around every contour, providing a weather and water tight seal, for extreme protection. This gives your bed a factory installed look, with no lost cargo space.

PROTECTION

There’s a reason why most truck owners are now avoiding drop-in bedliners. But in a vast majority of cases, the primary issue is protection. Protection, after all, is the bedliner’s primary job. True protection of the truck bed begins with the installation of the bedliner itself:

Installation Issues
A drop-in bedliner requires the installer to drill holes into your trucks bed and rails which destroys the truck’s original appearance and leaves new exposed areas where rust can begin building up over time. That’s right, in order to ensure proper installation of the drop-in bedliner, the installer must first drill multiple holes into your truck bed leaving it more vulnerable to the elements in which it was created to protect.

So before buying a drop-in bedliner, ask yourself: Does it make sense to protect the truck bed by first destroying its appearance and built-in corrosion resistance?
 

By comparison, a spray-on bedliner is installed simply by preparing the surface and then coating it with a protective material that will protect the truck’s bed for the lifetime of the truck. Once the bedliner is installed, you should expect it to provide maximum resistance to dents, scratches/scrapes, damage caused by trapped water, and other potential problems.

DURABILITY

Bedliner thickness doesn’t play a big role in impact resistance anymore. Recent research has proven that the impact resistance of the thin surface of a leading spray-on bedliner (LINE-X) is actually strong enough to protect the walls of the Pentagon and many other government agencies from a terrorist bomb.

The durability and strength of spray-on bedliners has given rise to additional uses of the product. Paxcon, a division of Line-X, has been used as a anti-terrorism bomb blast protective coating.

Known in military and research circles as an Energy Resistant Coating (ERC), the LINE-X paint is flexible yet stronger than steel. Walls painted with LINE-X withstand explosions up to 20 times greater than what a normal, uncoated wall can withstand. The paint holds numerous types of structural materials together - wood, steel, dry wall, concrete, brick and more. Bombed walls flex but stay together.

A drop-in bedliner provides abrasion (scratch/scrape) resistance on its own surface, but destroys the trucks surface in the process. Drop-ins are highly susceptible to causing abrasion damage to the trucks bed. And keep in mind that when a scratch penetrates the truck’s bed, it exposes your truck’s bare sheet metal allowing for rust and corrosion to take over

APPEARANCE

Spray-on bedliners mold to your trucks bed. One of the many reasons a spray-on bedliner looks appealing is the custom look of the sprayed finish. And one leading spray-on company (LINE-X) has developed a product that will protect the liner from UV exposure, giving the truck bed a lasting visual appeal while maintaining its protective qualities for the lifetime of the truck.

Drop-in bedliners are molded with their own unique patterns that ultimately minimize the truck’s cargo space. Truck manufacturers spend millions of dollars to engineer and design their truck’s beds for maximum cargo space and overall appearance. Why destroy their efforts when its unnecessary?

COSMETIC DIFFERENCES

Cosmetic issues is another issue to be concerned with when considering between the two types of bedliners.

Spray-on bedliners mold perfectly to the truck’s bed to ensure a perfect fit and ultra-consistent material thickness and hardness. Leading spray-on bedliners look as though they were installed at the auto manufacturer’s factory.

No one wants a bedliner that detracts from the truck’s good looks. In truth, drop-in bedliners were engineered more for protection than aesthetic appeal.
 

WARRANTEE

Who pays if your bedliner fails or flies out? This is another important “protection” issue - protection of the truck owner if the bedliner fails to live up to its expectations.

Some leading spray-on bedliner companies such as Line-X offer a nationwide lifetime warranty, so you don’t have to negotiate with your original installer or pay for the repairs yourself.

Some drop-in bedliners are covered with a nationwide warranty – but they won’t cover the repair that is needed on your truck’s bed from the excessive wear and tear caused by the vibration from the liner that was there to “protect” your truck’s bed.

BOTTOM LINE

After reviewing all the facts, it appears that spray-on bedliners are by far the best investment for truck bed protection.

Before you make your final decision on what bedliner is best for you, we recommend that you take the 4 key characteristics into great consideration; Protection, Durability, Appearance and Warranty.

Warning Labels on Drop-In Liners? You Bet!

Have you read these??...CLICK on either for a larger view.