Ram Offers Spray-On Bedliner as Factory Option
Posted by PickupTrucks.com Staff | April 14, 2010
By Mark Williams
In an attempt to give dealers an additional selling point over the major competitors, Ram announced it will offer a spray-on bedliner as a factory option for a suggested retail price of $450.
Fred Diaz, Ram Truck Brand’s president and CEO, made a few puzzling comments regarding the new factory option. “Creating a stand-alone brand for Ram trucks has allowed us to concentrate on how customers are using their trucks and what new features they’d like to see. … Spray-on bedliners are very popular with pickup truck owners, and we felt this factory-installed, factory-warranteed option would be a welcome response to our customers. We’ve taken our new lineup of award-winning Ram trucks and made them even better.”
We should probably note that Chrysler was doing a pretty good job of concentrating on how Ram customers were using their pickups before Fiat decided to break apart the Ram brand from the rest of Dodge. Likewise, Dodge has probably always known pickup truck owners were concerned with protecting their investment, both inside the bed and out.
Nonetheless, the extra option will likely appeal to those interested in preventing damage to the inside of their Ram bed. Bedliners — a longtime staple in the pickup truck aftermarket and also sold through most Ram dealerships — have a tendency to not fit as snugly as some would like and can rub paint off the truck at the points of contact under the liner. If moisture or debris works its way under the bed shell, rust can start to eat through the bed without the owner knowing. Drop-in liners are usually less expensive and less labor intensive as spray-on liners.
Spray-on liners have their own issues as well. Making sure the liquid material is mixed properly will determine how well it adheres to the walls of the truck, not to mention how long it will continue to look good and protect the vehicle from dents or scratches. Some spray-on liners also tend to fade a bit if left in direct sunlight for too long. However, we’ve been told the Chrysler group has done extensive testing with various ultraviolet stabilizers to minimize fade. It’s worth noting that many of the current spray-on bedliner shops also offer a limited warranty.
The new factory option will come with a warranty for three years and 36,000 miles and will be offered across the lineup of all 1500, 2500, and 3500 Rams. All cab configurations will be covered (regular, quad, crew and mega) and all bed lengths (5-foot, 7-inch; 6-foot, 4-inch; and 8-foot).
No surprise here that product planning experts believe this could become the most popular Ram option across the lineup. Although Ram hasn’t identified it as such yet, it wouldn’t surprise us at all if at some point Ram calls the spray-on bedliner a fuel economy benefit because it typically saves about 10 pounds compared with a drop-in liner. We’ll see.
Comments
good thing....i dont really like the plastic liner in my 2006 ram 1500.
also they should spray the frame and all the underbody with something like this "spray on liner" to protect from rust.
With regards to this being a selling point over the competition, you could have mentioned that Ford added this option 2 years ago...
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/news/ford/superduty/liner/page1.html
No one is going to buy a Ram over a Ford or GM simply because it has a factory bed-liner...
Having been a Line-X fan for years this is GREAT news! DuPont makes the chemical that goes into the spray that keeps the liner shiny and it works great. I have it on a ATV trailer and cannot say enough good thing about it. Hope Chrysler uses something similar to or just like Line-X!
Good News. IMO every truck should come with this standard.
You're right Quagmire, People will buy one truck over the competition because it is the truck that fits what they're looking for.
The added option for the spray in liner is nice & at $450 its really not that bad of a price. My LineX cost me around $420 and I had to drive out of my way and spend a Saturday getting it done. The extra charge is worth the convienence of having it done on delivery.
As mentioned, this should be standard.
Are those hubcaps on the Ram?
Considering the price of a new pickup - it should be standard. Make "delete" an option.
LOL the Titan had this option since 2004. IIRC it was a package that included the sprayed in liner, Utilitrac system, bed divider, bed extender, 12V outlet and the side cargo compartment and bed illumination. It was priced around $900 when I bought mine in 2005.
It should not be standard. 1) They aren't going to give you a $400 liner for free. They are just going to pass the cost onto you. 2) Not everyone wants this. Let the consumer decide if he wants it or not. Read my lips. No new cost increases!
J, if they make it standard it will not cost $400. Cost will drop with the more they sell. It becomes just another stop on the asembly line. What reason would someone NOT want a sprayed in liner? There are really no drawbacks if it is done right. I have yet to meet with someone who is not happy with a well applied spray in. You can still drill through it to mount stuff and they are not as slippery as a drop in yet have a little more friction than painted metal.
Keith, LOL..Dodge had 12 volt outlets in the 90's..Nissan is pissed they are no longer getting a version of the Ram !!
Frank,Ford,GM has center caps on its Dually trucks as well,whats your point ? Please,educate yourself before such an uneducated comment ..
@ Dodge I believe Frank is talking about the whole rim not the center cap. All trucks have center caps.
@ Frank I believe those are the rims but I could be wrong. Anyone else know?
Here are a few of my reasons:
1) People who haul big, bulky or heavy cargo like being able to slide objects against a smooth hard surface. This is not a negative.
2) Spray-on liners will be scratched and guaged if you slide heavy cargo across them. It also exposes the cargo to being scratched and dented due to the rough surface of the liner and the bed bolts being exposed
3) Spray-on liners do not help protect the bed from dents from heavy cargo.
4) Cost. Some people might like the spray-on more, that is fine. There are pros and cons to each. Just don't ram the extra cost down our throats for something many people don't need, want or desire.
Keith as a nissan titan owner and nissan fan i can tell you I am jumping for joy that nissan isn't getting the ram. Most titan owners feel the same .Now i will continue to buy titans as long as nissan makes them.
I hope they start making the spray on bed liner standard. These trucks are WAY too much money as they are. It will be nice to pocket some change. Obama should enact a law on all pickuptrucks to include a free government bedliner. Liberals, Are you with me?
@J
1. If cargo can slide in easy it also slides around while moving! Not Good
2. Cargo should be lifted into a bed not slid and no bed liner will not dent your cargo if properly secured!
3. Your third statement can be argued but fact is that a good liner like Line-X adds like a second layer of sheet metal thus making you bedsides stronger! Ever seen what a 55gal drum does to a bed side when it tips over full of something?
4. This is why you have a delete or add option!
Keep on Ram,after my Dakota,I swore off.Your trucks are really starting to appeal to me again,I also like Titan-the other trucks are fine-but I simply dont think I can get the deal on a GM,FORD OR TOYOTA that I like,so it may be a coin toss between the Ram or Titan(maybe no contest if the 5.0 Cummins becomes avialible)-Kevin
I know you are a Line X fan but please do not tell me what I need. Let me educate you.
"1. If cargo can slide in easy it also slides around while moving! Not Good"
Cargo can move around while moving regardless and that is why you secure it. Other times it won't move or won't matter if it does.
"2. Cargo should be lifted into a bed not slid and no bed liner will not dent your cargo if properly secured!"
I don't know too many people that lift everything, specially heavy cargo, into their beds and never touch the bed. Even if you did "lift" everything, you still have the problem with scratches and dents.
"3. Your third statement can be argued but fact is that a good liner like Line-X adds like a second layer of sheet metal thus making you bedsides stronger!"
But will not provide dent protection against heavy cargo.
It's about time. Welcome to the 1990's, Ram!!!!!!! It's been a long time coming.
J,
If they make it a standard option, they can charge less because the company will be taking in more money and will put the greedy Line X dealerships out of business. If you do not want the spray on standard option, there will be an add or delete option. You get to keep your coverage. Nobody will tell you what bed to have. You can go with the standard single payer option or keep your current coverage.
Love the Line-X product. Yes it should come standard, it will keep truck bed looking better and make it much stronger.
I love the idea. Price is good too. Only downside to this type of product is that I have heard of is that they are flammable when exposed to extreme heat like welding or a cutting torch. We were always warned to grind bolts near Line-x, never use a torch on them.
J - A bedliner can be installed over the spray in and that would also prevent the drop in from scuffing the crap out of the painted bed surface. Win Win. FWIW I have no dents and would be curious about other spray in users experiences with dents.
Dodge - I refer to a 12V outlet in the bed. If Dodge offered this on the Ram in the 90's it was certainly not well advertised or received as I have never seen nor heard of one.
I notice that many people here are saying that they love their Line-X and Dodge should make it standard in their trucks. I have been working for a Line-X franchise for 8 years and love everyones enthusiasm for our product, but would like to point a few things out. 1. the factory spray is NOT the same product, we do not have a contract with Chrysler.2. To assume that all sprays are the same is to assume that your Dodge and a Ford or Chevy or Toyota are all the same because they are trucks. 3.We offer colors and a nationwide lifetime warranty. 4. You do get the same amount of dent resistant with Line-X as with a drop in liner.
Also, we are not a "greedy" dealership as one person stated, we are owned by a husband and wife and there are 2 of us for a staff. Period. We offer the highest quality protective coating on the market with exceptional staff experience and yes, that is reflected in the price. You get what you pay for. By supporting Chrysler in the idea of a factory spray, you are putting local business at risk for shutting down.
yay! I would've got this done when I factory ordered mine back in 2006. Instead I spent 499 bucks to get a Line-X one. I had to go out of my way on a Saturday to get it done but I love it. I can't understand why some people spend 60 grand on a great truck just to treat the bed like crap. Trucks are for work but 60 grand or so is a lot of money to be treating the bed like sh*t. In my mind, you should at least protect it if for that price instead of letting it rust.
I would still rather buy after market spray in bedliners. As shedoozer said they come with lifetime warranty. The other difference would probably be if its your fault, such as dropping a fifth wheel hitch, aftermarkets cover it Dodge may not.
@Dodge,
Ha! You have a soft spot for Dodge in you're heart. Freekin relax.
If you educate yourself and re-read my post you will see it's a question and not a comment.
You freekin TOOL!
Here's the flaw of making this standard... if the material is unavailable from the supplier for any length of time (materials supply issue, strike at supplier, etc.), does the truck manufacturer stop making trucks? Or do they ship the trucks without it and risk the wrath of people complaining that "it's supposed to be standard"? The full-size pickup is the largest selling vehicle for Chrysler, Ford, and GM - they can not afford to shut down production for a feature that not everyone may actually want.
Good idea, but would it be color matched with the rest of the body? They are some aftermarket companies, that offer that solution too...
Ford had a lot of trouble with their spray-in bed liner not adhering to the paint. The option was on hold several times during the first year it was offered. I assume the problems have been corrected. It seems to me that the factory spray-in bedliners from Ford and Nissan are substantially thinner than a typical Line-X or Rhino job. I would not be surprised if GM had this option soon.
The reason that the truck manufacturers do not make spray in bed liners standard on their trucks is due to the government issued "CAFE" standards overseen by the NHTSA, which is used to monitor fuel economy in the U.S. Basically the more a vehicle weighs, the more fuel it burns which increases oil production so the manufacturers are given production volume limits. This is why vehicle manufacturers are always trying to produce lighter vehicles, so they can produce more of them.
This is why a very minimal percentage of trucks are sprayed at the factory level and are sprayed very thin compared to Rhino Linings or Line-x.
Roadtrip yea thats a question, but that can be said for any part on the truck that comes from a supplier which is like 90% of the parts and raw materials.
5 years and counting and the factory spray in liner my Titan has is still going strong. Lots of mulch shoveled out and a bunch of building scrap dump runs not even mentioning all the other stuff shuttled back there. Some scuffing, but no damage.
"We should probably note that Chrysler was doing a pretty good job of concentrating on how Ram customers were using their pickups before Fiat decided to break apart the Ram brand from the rest of Dodge."
Amen Dave. Although I like it, it needs some more pickup truck models to join the Ram.
Guys, I believe those are the wheels. However, I have seen some chrome "wheel simulator" wheel covers to mask those ugly gray steel wheels! [blows raspberry] "Just for Men" wheel covers can mask gray wheels just fine - naturally!
Well try a Bedrug and you will be sold for life. I have had everything in mine, dirt, mulch, wet drywall, boards with nails. And my knees feel great crawling in to get things from the front. I do have a topper on my rig.
PS I just vacuum or get the hose to clean.
I have one question. Who will repair this no name liner when it lifts, bubbles, fades or tears? I don't think the Dodge Dealer have expertise to do this. Stick with the Professionals at Line-X
I have a Vortex Spray in bedliner in my truck. It's been in for 2 years and I Love it! I just bought a smaller truck (ranger) and I'm going to have it sprayed with Vortex also. They have a lifetime warranty as well. I would rather have a independent liner dealer spray mine over a factory installed option.
In regards to Dave, not sure why you say Line-X dealerships are greedy. Many of them are hard working individuals with a family and are contributing to the economy by providing jobs in their communities.
Something you all should consider is there is only a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty on a factory bedliner. Line-X offers a lifetime warranty nationwide. Another thing to consider is how you would replace that factory liner if you were in an accident or if you damaged it somehow. Someone will have to pay to have it stripped out and replaced. After that warranty is up the cost of that is on the consumer.
It may look like Line-X but it isn't Line-X and there is a difference.
WHAT ABOUT REPAIR OF THESE BEDLINER WHEN A PANEL IS REPLACED
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