I have a 2004 Quad Cab Hemi, with 4x4 and 8000 miles on the truck. The truck came with a drop in bed liner, and people are telling me to get rid of it ASAP!![:-] I've heard of rust problems, and other stuff. Give me the d/l on the ben liner and how long do i have until it rusts because im from chicago and the winter is coming soon.....i apologize if this is newbie stuff..[&:]

 

If you are really concerned with rust, take out the bed liner and have a spray in done, preferrably Line-X. Not to get into a Rhino vs Line-X (do a search), but I feel that Line-X is a better product.

I have had drop in bed liners in many trucks. Most of them had some surface rust start where the bedliner had rubbed away the paint, no biggie, it wasn't full blown truck cancer, just minor surface stuff. But then again, this is in Georgia where we never have salt on the roads. I don't think I've ever seen a bed completely gone due to rust on a modern truck that has galvenized panels and everything. Just my observation.

 

The Good Doc is right!! Pull that drop in out and if there is any surface rust started, get it media blasted, primed and coated with the Line-X. The drop ins are capable of removing the galvanization in time. I understand about road salt as I live in Northern Indiana.

 

So your saying if I had 400 to spend and i had to choose between a cold air intake for mpg and a spray liner..........the liner is needed first

 

If I had 400 I'd skip the air intake for extra mpg, regardless if I had the money. Right now, you can buy another 130 gallons of gas or so ($400 in hand/$3 per gallon gas). 130 x 15mpg=1950 miles driven on gas bought instead of intake. If you saw a 2mpg increase you'd have to go through 37.5 tanks of gas before it started paying for itself---2mpg x 26gallon tank=52 more miles per tank..so..1950miles/52more mpg per tank=37.5 tanks full. Depending on how much you drive, it may or may not be worth it. I go through about 1.5 tanks of gas a month, so It would take me over 2 years to see a benefit. YMMV.

Now, I use my truck bed a lot more than once very 2 years and I'd like to keep it looking good. I'd spend the $400 to do the liner. It is also instant gratification. No more rust, no more scratches, etc. This is where I would spend MY money. Again, this is just my opinion and nobody elses.

 

Ye I will probably end up putting in the bed liner.....thanks for the help

 

I have had a lot of trucks and I know a lot of people with trucks, never a problem with the drop in. The spray in liner is nice but I don't think it's worth the money. Just don't get the drop in that goes over the rail because it will warp in the sun. A lot of companies are doing the spray ins these days and some are junk. The SEM spray in is complete trash.

As to anyone who tells you a drop in will cause enough wear for the bed to rust? That is a lie. Flat out not true. That is one of the most foolish statements I have ever heard.

Kind of sounds like a marketing line from a spray in liner company.

My father bought his last Chevy new and sold it at 130K miles. He used the truck on a construction site most every day, hauled lots of stuff in the bed. Nothing on a construction site or lumber yard is loaded into the bed of a truck gently. The guy who bought the truck from him mentioned this foolishness also. So we pulled up the drop in liner. The bed was mint. Some scuffing of the paint but no scratches down to primer or metal.

 

Drop in liners do not cause your bed if it is installed properly. Spray in liners look nice at first, but after a year or two the black look turns to crap and the liner looks like crap. Keep your drop in, and spend the 400 dollars on performance or appearance. Not the inside of your bed.

 

But I also heard it could be from condensation beneath the bed liner...is this true?? I worry about that because i want to get a cover and condensation can even form when the cover is on.

 

There are plastic plugs in your bed you pull out before putting in the liner. Solves the condensation problem.