Do OEM plastic bed liners cause rust?

My 2004 DC has an OEM plastic bed liner. The liner is in good shape but I am worried that moisture which get trapped beneath the liner will cause rust. Should I remove the liner and get have spray in bed liner installed?

 

^Can you lift up the liner and take a look? If it hasn't rusted by now after two decades, it will probably be OK until gas pumps disappear.

 

That is a good point. I have not looked under it. It is pretty stiff and I might wait until it warms up a bit before I try to bend it too much.

 

Yes, they trap water between the liner and the bed.

 

In several ways… dirt will eventually get in there and act as a grinding paste to remove the paint and primer, water will get trapped, and if you live someplace where corrosive salt is a problem that will get trapped too. Drop in bedliners causing rust are the main reason that just about all of the truck manufacturers have switch to polymer beds or spray liners.

 

All I can tell you is what I have seen from personal experience. I pulled the OEM liner on my 96 taco in 2022 and did a DIY spray in liner. I didn't find much wear and tear after 25 years of use, and after always being parked outside in the elements. Maybe it helps to live outside the rust belt and not getting salted roads every winter.





And she lived hard the 7 years as a farm truck before I decided to restore her. I don't intend to treat her like that anymore.

 

I can't trust anybody who photoshops extra door handles onto Chevy trucks, just sayin'

 

I like the final result! Which bedliner did you use?

 

That’s a work truck. Prudence.

 

I used bully liner. It’s ok for my purposes but if I had it to do over again I would have likely gotten a linex and put plastic rail and tail gate caps. The reason I didn’t is because they would not guarantee the string tape wouldn’t pull the clear coat on the repainted truck. I’d just had it repainted about 2 months prior. I was adamant I wanted over the rail so I did it myself. The bully liner will gouge if you hit it hard with a sharp metal edge. The good thing is it’s easy to touch up. I put 6 coats on, prob 3/8” or more. Can add to it if needed in the future. Holding up fine so far two years in.

 

My truck had a drop in liner and underneath was beat up pretty heavily from the previous owner. I jumped the gun and got line-x and it was one of the best things I did.