I just got my new 06 SuperCrew 4x4 with the 5.4 FFV engine. Quite the upgrade from my 98 SuperCab 4x4 with a 4.6!

Well immediately I replace the essentials, cap, shields, mats, etc. One thing I had to add ASAP with the liner.

I was going to go with Line-X again and while there waiting for a sales guy I had the opportunity to "review" what the spray is comprised of. That afternoon another local company touting the same benefits as Line-X, I decided to compare them. No only did they have the same 55-gallon drums, but the shemical content appeared to be the same. Also, the ironic part was that there were tow former Line-X guys working at the competitors shop, and a former competitor working at the Line-X shop... and they all said the product was the same thing.

The samples appeared and tested the same. Comparison of the sprayed product on an actual truck bed was the same.

Since it was the anniversary month of the competitor, they had a one weekend special. Basically I got my liner at a great price... $350 for the same product as a Line-X at a cheaper price. This is done one Saturday a year.

I am still a Line-X fan, but it sure seems that it is not as "proprietary" as it is made out to be. I am a serious user of my bed and this has performed as good as my line-x ever did.

 

All tires are made of rubber, therefore all tires are the same, right? Of course not. Bedliners are the same way.

The MAIN components of spray-ons are either 100% polyurethane, 100% polyurea, or a blend of both. BUT, there's more to the bedliner product than just the main components.

LINE-X XS-100, the bedliner product, is a polyurethane/polyurea blend. LINE-X has another product called Paxcon (www.paxcon.com) that is also a polyurea/polyurethane blend. Even though both products are polyurethane/polyurea blends, the two products are WAY, I mean WAY different. Check out the Paxcon website.

The LINE-X bedliner product is made by BASF Corp. Part of the deal between LINE-X Corp. and BASF is that BASF cannot sell the LINE-X product to anyone else. It is a VERY proprietary formula.

If you want LINE-X, get LINE-X. If you want Rhino, get Rhino. But, don't settle for, "Oh yea, our liner is the same as.....".

 

Ya, I've seen a different company that had the same exact liner as Line-X. The guy even told me it was the same. He used to work at a line-X shop before he opened his own. Only difference was their chemical was produced by Dow and Line-X by BASF. It looked exactly the same and had a better lifetime warranty too. Not nationwide, but who cares, I'm not moving. The guy has been in the area for a while, so I don't think he will go belly up. I've been checking everyone out looking for a sprayed liner for my new truck.

What was the name brand, I wonder if its the same shop?



MassiveFord

 

Time will tell,you never know at may be the same or it may not.I hope it lasts for you.I've found some things you buy are cheaper in some other name and some are not.If they did a good job on getting it ready for the spray on, it should be ok. Later On

 

Right on... This guy has been around for a number of years (longer than the Line-X dealer) and everyday has just as many trucks, if not more, than the Line-X guy. He's nice, professional, does a top-noth job, warranty, etc. Simply put, his product is equivalent.


TRUCKGASM - Not to argue, but when both of the dealers say the same thing, then there is probably SOME validity. Also, it ws not simply 100% anything, it was a chemical content. There is also the whole MSDS issue (REQUIRED BY LAW) and must be availble for inspection by anyone who comes in contact with a chemical.

They may say proprietary, and it may be to Line-X. However, Line-X says they develop their own stuff in their flyer, you are saying its BASF... what gives? Anyways, maybe that's why they don't carry the Line-X name, but just the same product. Afterall, it's only the name that is different. Anyway I look at it, its the same product. Again, not bashing Line-X, I like them. Besides, daily they are the same price. All the reasons lead me to believe that it is the same product. From what I can tell, the material IS THE SAME... just a different name.

 

Of course he told you that. Line-X is the ruler that all the other companies compare themselves to. How can that warranty be better? Line-X LIFETIME warranty covers everything and it IS nationwide. Looks like Line-X is better.

 

Line-X is not a chemical company, they develop it and they have BASF make it for them. That is how the world works. Ford doesn't make the plastic in their trucks, nor do they make the steel or aluminium. The "Quiet Steel" that Ford advertised so much when the 2004 was launched is a technology from Material Sciences Corporation.
Proprietary means that the product and/or fomulation is privately owned and controlled. They could sell it or license it if they choose.

 

OK, I'll tell more of the story.

LINE-X Corporation used to manufacture their own chemicals. They were produced in California and Georgia. Several years ago, LINE-X sold the manufacturing rights to BASF and LINE-X formed a new corp called LINE-X Franchise Development Corp. The reason they did this is rather obvious if you think about it. BASF has MUCH more raw materials buying power and manufacturing power. However, part of this deal was that LINE-X controls the product, both chemically and otherwise, and BASF cannot sell the LINE-X product to anyone else.

So, first of all, if BASF sold the "same thing", it would be a violation of their ongoing contract. Second, the formula is a trade secret, period. Like all tires are made of rubber, maybe there are other polyurethane/polyurea blends, but they just aren't the same and can have very different physical properties. For example, Rhino's Tuff Stuff and Toff are both 100% polyuethane bedliners, but Rhino's elongation is 387.5% and Toff's is 200%. Those numbers come from the same ASTM D412 test.

MSDS's do NOT have to list all ingredients, they only have to list hazardous conditions. For example, below is a link to Herculiner's MSDS. The ONLY chemical listed is Xylene. Xylene is only the solvent. It does not mention the resin or polyurethane at all. Many times, MSDS's will state, "Proprietary Formula".
http://www.herculiner.com/images/msds_herculiner.pdf

 

Let me re-phrase. The non-Line-X guy told me that the chemical is "very similiar", not exact. The final properities are exactly the same. I have seen two trucks and I asked the owners of the trucks how they liked it. They both said they loved it and one even had a line-X in his previous truck. He also said that the non-line-x guy fixed his liner for free when he ripped it himself, line-x wont do that. Thats why the warranty is better. This one is an Unlimited lifetime warranty, Line-X is only a limited lifetime warranty.

Dont get me wrong, Line-X is awesome. But there are products just as good.

-MassiveFord

 

I know as much about Line-X as anyone, and depending on which brand it was, there's a pretty good chance that it was basically the same thing. Another company sprays 1:1 ratio of a resin/iso product and it's the same thing as Line-X, they can sell their's cheaper becuase Line-X corporate price gouges it's dealers and they have to pay at least 500.00 more per chemical set. Now, the Line-X warranty is stronger because of a larger dealer network and the lifetime warranty. But to sum it up, yes you probably got the same thing at a lower price, corporate line-X makes it impossilbe for it's dealers to compete on cost basis.

 

The LINE-X warranty is a nationwide lifetime limited warranty and can be viewed here: http://www.golinex.com/warranty_nationwide.shtml

If the other brand is offering an unlimited warranty, then I suggest they change their warranty. Does that means if the customer wrecks his truck, they'll put another one in there for free? Does that mean if the customer spills 90% formic acid on the bed, the dealer will rip it out and replace it for free? I doubt it. All of a sudden, this "unlimited warranty" is not so unlimited.

I betting that:
The other brand guy is not a LINE-X franchisee, not seen the LINE-X Operations Manual, never attended a LINE-X training class, never attended a LINE-X regional seminar, did not attend the LINE-X national convention, never has sprayed LINE-X, never researched LINE-X, never researched polyurethane/polyurea, does not have a chemistry degree, never talked to any of the LINE-X corporate honchos, and perhaps never layed eyes on LINE-X chemical barrels.
But yet, he's telling you, "Sure, our stuff is just like LINE-X."

 

All I know is that the guy said he used to work at at line-X shop before he opened his own. I think he said for 5 years. So he knows the product. He can give better prices because he doesn't have franchise fees like line-X and his company doesn't hike the prices of material. I believe him.

As for the unlimited warranty. I think your right. It only covered damage to a certain extent. As long as it wasn't in an accident or put through abnormal abuse.

 

There's only one initial franchise fee, that's it.

 

Massford did you even think maybe he isn't spraying in as much material as Line-X is required per our franchise agreement to spray. There is a generic high pressure guy in my town that sprays bedliners cheaper than me. But if you check the thickness of his bedliner the thickest I have found is 40mls. Where Line-X is required by our franchise agreement to spray 125mls. If you don't spray 125 mls and your caught they jerk your franchise.

The imitators have no one to hold them accountable for their work like the Line-X franchisee. So therefore you are probably going to get what you pay for when you buy a liner from Line-X. A thick high quality product.

So I know I am not getting rich and I charge $469 for a full size under the rail. So if this guy you are talking about is able to make enough money to keep his shop open charging $350. I will bet my life that it's sprayed thin.

Even if they are buying the material $500 cheaper than us. That's only $27 difference in material cost per truck. So how do you think they are able to charge hundreds of dollars less and still stay profitable. My digital depth gauge is my biggest selling tool when it comes to my competition. I bust their ***** every week spraying thin. That's why I have a 68% market share in my area and I am the most expensive bedliner in a 1200 sq. mile area. You get what you paid for at my shop and we stand behind it. I tell everyone that calls my shop that I am the most expensive and then I tell them why. Most people schedule after I tell them why our bedliner is more than everyone elses. People, even if it's cheap, don't like to be ripped off.

One trick the "Thin Sprayers" like to do is spray it somewhat thick on the areas where you can see the thickness. Back by the tailgate and the Over The Rail. But everywhere else they spray it paper thin hoping that you will never damage the bedliner.

By the way I also don't charge for minor repairs. But the piece of paper than Line-X hands it's customers has no equal in the business.

THEY ARE SPRAYING THIN!!

Scott Melchi
www.tristatelinex.com

 

Man...you line-X guys are so defensive! And I never said the guy quoted me $350. He quoted $445, and the local line-x guy quoted $495. For the same liner I would rather pay $445...