I've spent the last week reading hundreds of posts here and on other boards about bedliners, including prep, application, etc. I narrowed it down to U-Pol Raptor and Line-X. After visiting my local Line-X dealer I decided that is the way to go. I made an appointment to have my tub sprayed in a couple weeks.

I have some specific questions for people who have used Line-X in particular and bedliners in general.

1. Tub Rail. I have only a soft top, which is rarely up. I like the idea of spraying the rail because kids tend to climb in over the rail and I load stuff over the rail, so I'm sure it will get some wear over time. The coated rail looks fantastic on some of the black Wranglers I've seen. But my Wrangler is red and I don't want a strip of black along the rail. Have any of you failed to get the rail sprayed and then regretted it (particularly those who don't have a hard top)? Has getting the rail sprayed interfered with the soft top in any way (such as door surround fit or abrasion to the top)?

2. Door Sills. I've seen a number of photos showing a patch of the door sill sprayed, and others not. I have plastic sill protectors. Is there a good reason to spray the sills? I'm leaning against this.

3. Sound Insulation Removal. I'm waffling on removing it. On the one hand, my OCD side wants to have a perfectly smooth tub. On the other hand, I can hear my grandfather saying "It's there for a reason so leave it be." In spite of the fact that I live in south Florida and ride 95% of the time with the top down, it has never been soaked, so I'm not worried that water got trapped in there. I'll still use front mats and the rear seat will hide the other patch. So if I spray over it only I'll know its there. The Line-X dealer discouraged me from removing it (having apparently seen a couple botched attempts). My question is, have any of you sprayed over it and then had problems later (like the Line-X lifting)?

4. Tailgate Storage Cubby Cover. The factory cover is carpeted. I saw a couple posts where adventurous owners burned the carpet nubs down and lined right over it. Has anyone tried one of the aftermarket covers in a bedlined tub? It would be nice to have a locking cover there.

My current plan is to replace my factory soft top with a Trektop NX and run without the rear and side windows most of the time, rain or shine. I like the look without the sail panels; like a safari top. I'll leave the windows in the garage, and for the rare trip when I'm on the highway for a long while I can button it up.

Thanks for reading.

 

Spray the rails, sills and remove the deaden er. It will last forever. I have to buddies that have the inside done. I have had it done on a few, but not this yet. Instead I have the hood, tailgate and corners done.

Good luck!

 

It looks like ass with the sound insulation left in. Spend the time and remove it.

 

I was quoted $450 to linex the grill and color match it 2 weeks ago.

 

Remove the sound insulation! I used a snap-on heat gun with a scraper/putty knife.

 

Remove the deadener. Looks a lot better. Try dry ice. I'm gonna try it when I raptor line mine in a few months. Too cold right now. Agree the rails look great when done also.

 

I removed my sound deadening by soaking it in acetone overnight and then taking a hammer and chisel to it. The dry ice method really didn't work well for me unless I didn't do it correctly.

 

I had mine lined more than 5 years ago.
If I could do it over again, only thing different is that I would take the sound deadener out. Mine hasn't lifted, but some of the caulking has cracked over time. It's also a place for dirt and sand to get caught, and it's hard to get out.
I did the tub rail, and I've never had a problem with the soft top, tonneau, or my Trektop.
I didn't do the doorjambs, and haven't had a problem.
I've got the tuffy security cover, and it has held up well. I can't imagine having the carpeted one in there anymore.

 

Thank you for directly answering my questions. I understand how the sound insulation could get dirt and sand caught in it as it has nooks and crannies that might still be there after lining. That's a good point. When you say "some of the caulking has cracked over time," do you mean the Line-X has cracked where it was applied on top of the sound deadener? Is your liner Line-X?

Thanks for mentioning the Tuffy security cover. That is the one I'm considering. Because there is no carpet, did it need to be modified? I'm thinking it may need some padded tape on the bottom to take up the space formerly filled by carpet in the tailgate area.

 

I rented a air chisel and removed all the sound deadening/ anti vibration material thank god. It holds water and doesn't give it up. You can save a lot of labor cost by removing everything yourself and using bungee cords to hold up your wiring harness'. Make sure to remove your center console also to ensure a complete job. Most of the cost at the linex dealer is in prep labor.