New Truck?

[tfbomke]

A little off z topic, but a car question.

I just bought a 2006 Toyota Tundra. The dealer suggested an option of a clearcoat seal to protect the paint. They say the truck will never need to be waxed and the paintjob will never fade. They also treat the underside of the vehicle for protection and road noise reduction. It aint cheap, around $600. Is it worth it?

[tttz]

I've seen advertisements for Crystal Guard or 5 Star Shine type products that claim to eliminate the need for waxing. they are also supposed to make washing easier/quicker. Search Google for those names and you should be able to find their websites. i haven't tried any of these types of products personally, so i can't speak to how well they work or not. But i figure you may be able to get similar results for your truck for less than $600.

good luck and if you do get the either the dealer option or "aftermarket" paint protection, please report back your results.

-Ty

[CoastGuardZ]

I can tell you that I worked at a dealer for awhile, and we sold the same song and dance of a "no need to ever wax sealant". It was crap, all front-end profit for the dealership. Just a sealer/wax that was applied by our detail shop. As far as making washing easier, any wax will do that. Better off buying a quality polish and wax, something like Mothers products. The undercoating isn't a bad thing, although you may be able to have it done elsewhere for a better deal. Car companies cut corners when possible so they often scrimp on any undercoating if at all. If they salt the roads in the winter up there you may want to go with it, the older 'yotas were notorious for the beds rotting out.

anyway that's my $.02

[tfbomke]

No salt on the roads here in Washington state, which is nice. Sounds like the wax sealer is a scam, thanks Coastguardz.

To combat rust/scratches/wear and tear in the bed of my truck, I am definitely going to invest in this product.

http://www.linexnw.com/

Will let you all know how it goes when I get it done.

[hls30.com]

Unless the treatment comes with a no questions asked garantee/full refund if it does not work, they are counting on your trading/selling the car before a problem shows up.

Will

[CoastGuardZ]

The bedliner bit is personal thing. On my last pick-up, a Frontier, I researched the drop-in's, Rhino liner and LineX and after nearly two years I went with a Pendaliner SR Drop In. You see with the spray in's they utterly destroy the original finish just to get the spray to adhere. Also the spray ins do not flex, the bed and wheel wells do, which is permanent damage, where as the plastic ones do give a flex a little. Two major events led me to my decission... 1) My motorcycle with the kickstand down flexed the bed liner in my previous truck, I did the same thing unintentionally with the Frontier and it left a small dent... at that time with no bedliner... not a big deal. 2) while transporting a L28 block and 5 spd tranny, an unavoidable abrubt maneuver caused the block to tip over and roll a bit, denting both wheel wells and leaving a couple of dents and gouges in the bed floor. A drop in would've most likely absorbed most of that energy a not have left as much permanent damage, a spray in would've most likely have left noticeable dents and may have required some repair. The spray ins are only as good as the guy installing them and they cost considerably more, although they tend to look very nice. The place a bought my Pendaliner from also did spray ins, the owner told me that if you use your truck's bed occasionally the spray in was the way to go, but if you beat the hell out of it go with drop in.

It is quite the personally decision and opinion, either way you'll still have a reliable good looking (even if it is a 'yota :devious: ) truck. But if you're interested at all check out Penda's website... and watch the video...

http://www.pendacorp.com/truck/bedliner/pendaliner/

Nate

[Fun_in_my_z]

The drop in ones trap moister in their to tho. My uncle had one in his truck for 13 years. He pulled it out and the bottom of the bed was rusted bad enough to not have any paint left.

[240ZX]

Here's a suggestion and its been working for me the past 3 years. Take that new truck and do the following....clay it, apply a really good wax job, and then, each time you wash the truck, just apply one of the available detailing sprays. After following this procedure for the last 3 years (excluding the first time clay and wax), my truck's paint still looks new and shinny. It takes me about 15 minutes to wipe her down with the detailing spray and buff it to a nice sheen. Haven't waxed it since!!!

[CoastGuardZ]

Note on the drop in... Quality does matter. I've pulled and helped pull a few and the penda's and duraliners seem to be well ventilated to not trap moisture like some of the el' cheapo models. The worst I've seen from them was scuffed/sanded and rubbed paint, which is no worse than they do to the bed for prep to install of the spray in's. The penda I pulled from my first truck an '88 fullsize chevy had been in for 10 years and had only rubbed the shinyness from most of the paint. Then again - it's all personal preference.