Review of Rhino Lining on rocker panels and fender flares

Hey folks! I didn't see any reviews of this sort, so I thought I'd share my experience. December 2011 I decided I liked the look of some trucks I've seen around the internet that had their fender flares and rocker panels finished with something similar to Rhino Lining (Line-X, Herculiner, etc.). I thought about doing the work myself, but I wasn't too comfortable risking it and doing a bad job.

Thus, I went on to get it professionally done. I talked to one of the guys and told him what I wanted, and he quoted me about $550. The price was a bit steep, but I felt it was fair enough considering they were professionals. They guy also mentioned that they do not offer a warranty if the liner is applied anywhere but the bed. I didn't think much of that; My dad had his truck bed done 6 years ago at the time, and it was still in good condition. So I didn't think the area of spray mattered.

A few days later, I went to pick up my truck. The truck came out just the way I asked, and paid the $600. Here's a pic of it the same day:



And here is a more recent one:



When I made it home, I realized that they removed the rubber trim between the fender and the flares. It's not a big deal, but the clips are noticeable at times. The lining looks pretty good from a distance, but if you're like me, the smaller details will bother you. Just about a month later, I noticed the Rhino Lining was peeling a little bit on the rocker panels. Here are some close-ups; they are more recent photos, but they look just about the same as when I noticed the pealing:


Above are the clips that help hold the flare onto the fender. They are visible on all four flares.


Minor pealing at the corner of the door.


More noticeable pealing. The yellowish stuff is from me trying to fix it. It obviously didn't work.


More pealing around the rear flare-bumper area.


More pealing on the passenger side, but not as bad as the driver's side.

The verdict: I like the look of the lining, but for 600 bucks, I would've expected it not to peal for at least a few more years, not a month after getting the work done. So, I would not recommend it for this type of use. However, I would recommend for use in the truck bed, as it does last about 5 years.

I'm not sure what the reason for it to peal is, but it could be that they didn't sand the upper regions enough, therefore causing it to peal prematurely. Also, I've heard that a chemical in the soaps usually found at car washes can cause the adhesive to deteriorate.

But this is all just my experience. Maybe some of you guys have had better luck with the same or different brand, which I'd like to hear about. In the next few years when it finally starts to fall apart, I think I will paint it on myself using something like Rustoleum's truck bed liner. I think the end result will be better all in all. Thanks for reading

 

I'd be taking it back and asking if this is a good representation of their shop's work because you are about to do some free advertising for them.

 

Yeah i would take it back. I did it myself with rattle cans and it looks better than that.

 

Doesnt the in-bed stuff have a lifetime warranty? I would imagine outside the bed where less things are being dragged across it, it would last a little longer than a year. I would definitely bring it to the shops attention, and see what they can do for you.

 

I would bring it back and ask their opinion. Give them the opportunity to make it right, even if not officially covered by their warranty.

For comparison, I just sold my old Jeep that had the front bumper, flares, sliders, tub and front of the hood all rhino lined back in 2002 or so. The rhino lining along the lip of the tub and the top of the hood, which have similar edges to where yours are peeling, did not have that problem at all. That's not to say the rhino lining was in perfect condition, there were pieces gouged out on the bumper and sliders from rockcrawling, but I had no issues with peeling like you're seeing.

I wasn't the original owner of that Jeep, bought it from a guy that wrote articles for Rockcrawler.com back in the day. But, he fortunately wrote an article on his experience with rhino lining the jeep. Lots of good info in there, and should also give you a gauge on what a good experience should be like.

It's not mentioned in the article, but I do recall the it being mentioned that they ended up having to add a flex agent to the Rhino Lining on the flares, to get it to stick well. Don't recall exactly what he said the issue was. The only upkeep I had to do with it was apply some Rhino Shine once or twice to rejuvenate the glossy black.

 

Yea good point. I guess I do have an argument, especially since it should last longer than 2 years.

When this stuff starts to look worse, I'll definitely do it myself. Much cheaper and will most likely come out better.

Not sure about the lifetime warranty, but it's probably right. Yea I thought it'd hold up much better since it's not getting any rough treatment. I will definitely go and argue my side, see if they can do anything to fix it.

Definitely going to take it back. I sure hope they can do something about it. Thanks for the great info! I'll check out that link. Do you know if the guy went back later on to get the flex agent?

 

i don't know the details, just remembering from a conversation from years ago. I was under the impression that the flex agent had to be added to the rhino lining before spraying it on.

 

Well if that's the case, I doubt they're gonna redo it all for free. But maybe I'm wrong. It still won't hurt to go and see if they'll do anything.

 

Looks like they did zero prep work, other then taping and spraying. I'd be PISSED.

They need to sand the clear, etc.. or its not going to adhere properly.

 

Here in KC we have a Line-X place. (Probably the same as rhino liner). They guarantee anything for life. They even had a Toyota Tundra completely Line-X'd as one of their "show" vehicles. I agree with the above statement. It looks like no prep work was done. The 2nd pic with your wheels and tires i thought it looked great, really great. But those close ups are bad man for $600. Sorry bout that. Hope they make it right.

 

That's nasty... Plasti dip would of lasted longer, hope they aren't stubborn about it. Good luck!

 

That's what I'm thinking. You'd think they could do better prep work than that. I'll have to ask their opinion and see what they say about their quality of work.

I wish I looked up the Line-X warranty policies before I got this done. Sounds like a safer company to go through. We don't have a Line-X here, but it would've been well worth a few hour trip for some reassurance. I think I've seen that Tundra around the internet. It looks awesome! I bet the price is steep to get something like that done. Thanks!

I'm sure plasti dip would. Never used it, but I've heard good things about it. I sure hope they aren't stubborn either. Thanks!

 

Local body shop "repainted" portion of my jeep with zero prep. Paint fell off when you ran your finger over it lightly. as an added bonus they also painted the windows and rubber surround. This was Car Crafters in ABQ NM which is reviewed fairly high online. It is not very difficult to paint a vehicle. I used Herculiner on my Jeep Cherokee 15 years back and it still looks good. For a professional shop that work is embarrassing.

 

Wow! That paint job sounds like a cruel joke. Either someone didn't know what they were doing or someone had it out to get you. That's just terrible. Paint really isn't hard, but at the time I wasn't too comfortable slapping some paint on myself. It's sad when you can do something better than a professional company. I've checked out that Herculiner and it looks like some good stuff. Good price for it, too.