Sturdiest vehicle finish?

[Kevin B.]

I'm vain enough to not like the sagebrush pinstriping I get on my truck and lazy enough to not like doing anything about it. I've been thinking a bedliner is in my future (probably the Als Liner with flattener?), but today I heard about Dupont Imron which is supposedly the industrial grade paint they use on heavy equipment. Anyone have direct experience with it?

 

[N-Smooth]

Pinstripes look better than bed liner paint jobs. Tell me I’m wrong.

 

[Kevin B.]

Pinstripes look better than bed liner paint jobs. Tell me I’m wrong.

I feel like the flattener would make it look a lot less bedlinerish.

 

[Tonkaman]

I was rewatching some XO this weekend and Clay was talking about ceramic coating He claimed the coating was harder than clear coat and that it had been working really well for tight roads.

Not sure if it’s just snake oil, but an interesting option if it’s true

 

[Hickey]

AR plate. It works for implements and buckets.

 

[mbryson]

I have yet to see a bedliner paint job vehicle I would buy secondhand. I vote imron for sure

 

[J-mobzz]

I’ve used imron on a CJ back in like 2004. Never really tested it out for durability but it’s expensive and requires the same level of prep as a classic paint job. It would be a very expensive task to spray your excursion properly.

I recently did the equivalent of raptor liner from tcp global on my Eagle in a charcoal metallic. Easy prep with a DA and 80 grit. I don’t hate it but don’t love it either. It turned out great for the $400 I have into it.

 

[J-mobzz]

What about a wrap? I wonder how well they handle bushes and trees. Still expensive but way cheaper than Imron.

 

[frieed]

Man up and wear your scars proudly...

 

[Kevin B.]

What about a wrap? I wonder how well they handle bushes and trees. Still expensive but way cheaper than Imron.

I bet they tear pretty easy.

 

[Greg]

Ceramic Coating is all the rage among the owners of new Gladiators/Jeeps. It's not cheap to have it done, I had an estimate done and the base package is $700 from a local detailing shop, with a high of $2100 for the 'full' package.... whatever that was. The guys that have done it say it makes the paint much more scratch resistant. You can buy kits and do it yourself, but I don't know how it compares. I'd like to have my Gladiator Ceramic Coated.

If you want to DIY paint the entire vehicle, I used Zolatone many years ago.... a few members on here will remember it. I painted 2 different vehicles with it and I think it's awesome. If you dent the vehicle, Zolatone will actually expand rather than crack & flake off. I tested it out and it held up well! Here's an OLD thread- https://www.rme4x4.com/threads/my-truck-finally-one-color.809/

PLEASE don't coat a vehicle with bedliner.... it doesn't age well! I local friend had his Maroon Dodge color matched with bedliner and now it looks like a giant raisin. Over time, the bedliner looses color and washes out.

 

[DAA]

I bet they tear pretty easy.

Don't know about regular vehicle wraps. But my buddy puts this wreck wrap stuff on his truck and it does an amazing job of keeping his paint looking good. We take it through all kinds of scratchy stuff.

Bed liner just looks like matted hairy swamp ass as soon as it's dry and just gets worse fast from there. Few years in it looks like infected boils on hairy matted swamp ass. Paint with honest desert Von Dutch looks way better.

- DAA

 

[Kevin B.]

infected boils on hairy matted swamp ass

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

[Cody]

Don't know about regular vehicle wraps. But my buddy puts this wreck wrap stuff on his truck and it does an amazing job of keeping his paint looking good. We take it through all kinds of scratchy stuff.

Bed liner just looks like matted hairy swamp ass as soon as it's dry and just gets worse fast from there. Few years in it looks like infected boils on hairy matted swamp ass. Paint with honest desert Von Dutch looks way better.

- DAA

So he just puts it on whenever he goes out?

I vote polyester.

 

[Kevin B.]

... my buddy puts this wreck wrap stuff on his truck...

You must have missed the part where I'm vain AND lazy. That's a complete nonstarter for me.

 

[DAA]

Just leave it on. Way cheaper than bed liner and much better looking.

- DAA

 

[Gravy]

Don't know about regular vehicle wraps. But my buddy puts this wreck wrap stuff on his truck and it does an amazing job of keeping his paint looking good. We take it through all kinds of scratchy stuff.

Bed liner just looks like matted hairy swamp ass as soon as it's dry and just gets worse fast from there. Few years in it looks like infected boils on hairy matted swamp ass. Paint with honest desert Von Dutch looks way better.

- DAA

This looks like a used condom....
Better to just embrace the scratches