I know this topic has probably been overly discussed, but after reading what I could find I still feel the need to ask.

While cleaning the truck I just bought, I took the OEM drop in bedliner out and noticed several spots where it has scratched the paint (some places down to bare metal). The truck only has 5500 miles on it and the amount of damage the liner has done is shocking. Needless to say, I am not going to be putting it back on. After convincing my wife that we need to protect it better, she finally agreed to let me get a better liner. I made an appointment with a local Linex shop to get it spayed next week. This is my first truck, but I have always been under the impression that Linex is a top of the line bed liner. I am curious what other F150 owners have to say about it. I don't do a lot of heavy use of the bed. I use it more for family camping trips and hauling lumber/supplies for DIY projects at home.

Does Linex sound like the way to go for my needs? I want to protect the bed long term and also prevent the scratched areas from rust/corrosion down the road. On the top of the wheel wells it almost looks like rust, but my understanding is that aluminum doesn't rust, it only corrodes. I've included images of some of the damage the drop in has done. Do I need to do anything to the spots that are scratched down to bare aluminum before they do it? I know they sand the bed, but will that be enough to prevent further rust/corrosion underneath the Linex?

 

My bed on my 2016 was a little tore up when I had it sprayed with Line-X, with some spots down to bare metal like yours. The installer took care of all prep, and I did not need to do a thing. I went with Line-X Premium, which is the standard product that is then sprayed with a UV protectant layer. It stays shiny black over time and wont fade to a chalky gray color. I don't do any heavy hauling, but have hauled a few loads of gravel which didn't do any damage to the liner. All in all I'm happy, with the only negative being the cost. With any product like this, the majority of the results are determined by the prep and care taken during the instillation. So go with a well known shop that has good reviews. Line-X is very strict with their shops, and this does keep the quality up overall...but still, check reviews.

Make sure they don't spray over any of the bed bolts or tailgate bolts. Line-X is hard to cut and if you have to cut a bolt free it'll never look "factory" as it'll be jagged.

 

Get Line X and a DeeZee bed mat to put on top of it.

 

Thanks for the reply. There is really only one place near me that is feasible to leave my truck at all day, which is Line-X of Madison in Wisconsin. Unfortunately they only have 14 reviews, but they are overall good. I assumed if it was a Line-X branded shop they would know what they are doing and do it correctly. I will definitely ask them what their process is and confirm they will remove the hardware.

Do you know if you can still remove the oval rubber drain plugs at the front of the bed after they spray it? I need to drill some 5/8" holes in them to run my drain tubes for my tonneau cover out. I'm not sure if I should do this before or after. Can I even drill a hole through Line-X without a special bit or hammer drill (I really have no idea how tough it is). Otherwise I assume I could drill the holes before and the spray won't plug them up.

Also, did they Line-X over the top side of the front rail on your truck (below the rear window)? That is where I have a lot of scratches from the old liners (see pictures in original post). I can't find any information if they completely cover that area or where they stop.

 

This is exactly what my plan is

 

I have the premium line-x with the UV protection, and almost 2 years of FL sun beating on it, it's still shiny. Good stuff, would buy again. Drop in liners are for the birds.

 

Line X if you want....I love my drop in liners. I don't see what it matters if they wear a little paint on the high spots. You can't see it....The Line X guys are gonna scuff all the paint to spray in a liner and you certainly won't see it again.

Some people claim rust with a drop in, of course that is no worry on aluminum. However, I have a steel truck I bought new 25 years ago. It has always had a drop in. It's never been garaged and has seen lots of salty winters. I pull the liner every few years to clean under it. It has no rust.

 

I just had my 18 Limited sprayed with Linex. Second truck with the product from the same place. They should remove the drain plugs and all of the bolts holding the bed in before they spray. Any exposed metal will be covered including the edge that runs along the back window. The sides get sprayed up and under the lip but not where the plastic liner runs along the sides. This should include the tail gate as well.

Linex certified shops should all be trained the same way and one should expect the same end result no matter which one you take it to. The warranty in this case is your friend, nothing wrong with making sure you understand how they do what they do but if there is an obvious issue with the job you should be able to call Linex and file a complaint, if it is warranted. My shop took 60 minutes to do mine and install my Truxedo. Are you leaving it there all day because you don't have time to wait or because that is how long they said it would take. That would be an immediate concern for me.

The product is as good as the claim and it's not coming off, ever. No need to get the UV upgrade if you have a bed cover that is closed more than open.

 

Thanks for the info. Your description of how they do it is basically what I expected to hear. I also agree about the warranty and that it gives you peace of mind.

As far as leaving it there all day, when I asked how long it takes the guy just said "most people will drop their trucks off in the morning and pick them up later in the day". I didn't follow up on this because I figured it would take a couple hours and I would rather go back to work and then pick it up later. However, if it is only an hour I would prefer to wait. I am going to have to call back and follow up on that.

For your tailgate, do they go around the edge of the bed on the bottom and sides? I have some seals on mine that would probably be in the way, however, I would rather remove the seals and have line-x installed properly and then figure out how to seal it later on if necessary.

So they didn't spray the black oval plugs at the front of your bed? From most of the pictures I have seen it looks like they do, which doesn't really make sense to me.

 

Interestingly enough on my 2011 they sprayed over everything, bolts, plugs etc. On my 2018 they removed everything. Not sure if that is different because my 2011 was steel and the 18 aluminum? I didn't ask the first cause I knew no different.

The tailgate only gets the face sprayed. No where on the side or around the edge. The spray is probably every bit of an 1/8 thick and should look evenly distributed. If any part of the process was going to get messed up it would be an uneven surface due to lack of experiencing with the spray pattern. I would just ask them if you could wait for it and how long that would be.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.