Today, almost every homestead owns a motor vehicle. These machines have nearly turned into a basic need owing to the busy lifestyles. Imagine life without cars. It sounds virtually impossible. Cars, especially the trucks, are essential when it comes to running daily errands. They are a considerable investment. Hence, they deserve the same care as a baby.
Maintaining a car is vital as it saves the owner a lot of money that could be lost through repairs. The trucks, for example, are designed to handle heavy tasks. Thus, they are subject to lots of abuse. Say, for example, the truck bed. If not protected, it can make your truck look awful. Besides, it can make the truck’s resale value deteriorate which isn’t ok. Installing a bed liner is the first step towards protecting your truck’s bed. However, the installation doesn’t mean the end of responsibilities.
Without saying much, here are ways on how you can protect and maintain your truck bed liner.
1. Avoid dragging items
The primary purpose of a truck bed liner is to protect the truck’s bed. It prevents the metal from getting dents and scratches. As stated earlier, trucks are designed to handle heavier loads. Therefore, many are times your truck bed may be at risk from dragging. Dragging an item over the coating may feel easy because it’s usually slippery in a way. However, the same process can scratch the liner leaving your truck bed exposed.
Professionals always insist that one should take time to ensure that the items being brought on-board won’t damage the liner. You can do so by lifting the objects and placing them in the right position rather than dragging. Some materials, especially metallic ones, can result in deep scratches to the liner. Therefore, it’s advisable to even call for assistance where necessary rather than dragging the load. Remember, installing a new bed liner requires some money. Thus, you should allow it to serve you long enough.
2. Secure your cargo
Lifting the cargo instead of dragging is essential. However, it doesn’t mean the work is done. Loading the baggage on your truck means that you have to take it somewhere. This is usually the tricky part. Some people argue that the cargo doesn’t necessarily require securing, especially the heavy loads. The truth is, they also do need to be held in position.
Securing the cargo is crucial. A free load can cause severe damage to your bed liner and the bed itself. You may argue that you’re driving for a short distance. But, remember there are forces of nature which you can’t avoid. It’s therefore advisable to ensure that your cargo is secured in position before starting your truck.
The trick ensures that your load doesn’t shift around while driving. These shifts may pull up your bed liner and hence exposing your truck bed. Besides, securing the pack is a safety precaution. You’ve heard of loads coming off a truck and causing severe accidents on the road. Don’t be a victim. Ensure that your load is strapped right.
3. Clean the spills
As stated earlier, trucks are designed to handle different types of cargoes, even the toxic kind. Hence, spills are common like water and chemicals, for example. The chemical spills can be dangerous to the liner. The spill can eat away the coating thus shortening its lifetime. Therefore, when dealing with any chemical, it’s advisable to have a rug in handy to clean the spills. The cleaning should be done immediately to avoid putting your truck liner at more risk.
Water spills may seem safe, but is also a risk if left to rest for long. If ignored, the water may find its way into the truck bed. The worst thing is that you may not realize such leaks until the bed starts to rust. Therefore, it should be wiped immediately to avoid risking your precious truck.
4. Cover the truck bed
Many are times you’ve come across a car with a covered bed. The first thought is usually that the cover is there to make the truck look fancy. Well, that may also be a function, but it’s not the primary duty. Covering a truck bed helps in protecting both the bed and the liner from external elements. Remember, an open truck bed is exposed to many aspects, and that may bring harm to your bed liner and the bed itself.
Therefore, you can get a Tonneau cover, for example, and use it on your truck. The shelter usually comes in different materials. Some are soft, and others are hard while others are made of fiberglass. Tonneau covers are designed to lie flat on top of the truck bed. Therefore, they might not be suitable for individuals who carry large cargoes often.
Luckily, there are truck caps also. Trucker caps are designed in the same material as the Tonneau covers. The only difference is that they rise above the truck bed. The design allows one to load even big cargos. Many truck owners prefer matching the cap with the truck’s height to give it a fancy look. But, you can let it go higher based on your car usage.
5. Repair the bed liner
Many times, truck owners assume that installing a bed liner is the end of everything. Well, it’s supposed to serve one for some time. However, it’s prone to scratches. Therefore, you must take your time to ensure that the repairs or replacements are done on time. For the replacements, especially, you can choose to go with a spray-in or drop-in liner.
Drop-in liners are the most common as they are cheap. However, cheap is always expensive. Installing these liners means that you will be visiting the auto-repair shop now and then since they are less durable. But, they are easy to install. A shallow dive at digmyride.com, you will find an article titled spray on bedliner FAQ. This article answers every question often asked about truck bed liner.
Many people are always asking why they should go with the spray-in liners. Well, according to the blog, the spray-in liners may be expensive, but worth the investment. They take time to install. But, they guarantee a long period of service. The fact that they don’t crack easily makes them a suitable option.
Today, owning a car is almost turning into a basic need. The trucks, especially, help one carry out the heavy tasks. Therefore, they are a significant investment. Hence, they require proper care. Failing to take care of your truck means losing your money to the repair shops not forgetting a downfall in the resale value. The truck bed is one part of the vehicle that can cost you much if not maintained. In this article, there are five ways on how you can preserve and protect your truck bed liner. Protecting it saves your truck bed from damages. Read through the tips to understand how they can help you save money.
