New Product: LINE-X Xtra

[DFriedson]

YIPEE! I finished the Dupont training course for LINE-X dealers. So, here we go... .



Xtra makes the liner a darker black, glossy, and will not fade, guaranteed. Xtra contains Dupont Kevlar Mico Pulp, which makes the liner stronger, more durable, more chemical resistant, stain resistant, and scratch resistant. Xtra is applied like a topcoat but migrates into the liner. Xtra does not affect the unique LINE-X texture (as a regular paint would do by causing "puddling"). Xtra is included in the LINE-X written nationwide lifetime warranty. Xtra works best when applied to a freshly sprayed bedliner, but can be applied to an already existing LINE-X bedliner. Existing liners need to be thoughly cleaned before Xtra can be applied. Black Xtra is available right now, colors will be available in a couple of months or so. At the training course, we sprayed a LINE-X liner and the Dupont rep sprayed in Xtra. After the Xtra dried (about 10 minutes), we took the truck outside in the sun to see what it looked like. I then asked the Dupont rep, "Will this bedliner always look just like this?" His enthusiastic reply was, "YES". I about peed in my pants. The liner was BEAUTIFUL. For those who already have LINE-X: Remember what it looked like when it was brand new; it had that sparkle in the texture? OK, picture that, a darker black, and glossy.



LINE-X will begin rolling out the advertising stuff and will post info in the LINE-X website about the end of this August.



On another note, the Dupont rep told us something that was very interesting. They found during their research that LINE-X had actually penetrated the OEM paint in some areas! That my friends is SUPER adhesion.



Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[MABurns]

OK, since you asked if I have a question. How much material (gallons) does it take to do a typical application--assuming long bed over the rail..... what two-three gallons?



How much does that stuff cost, $5-10 dollars a gallon?



Why does it cost $4-500 dollars then, granted there is labor involved but only a few hours.



Ok I'll ask another. How much more does the "xtra" gonna cost?

 

[ChrisTucker]

Why does it cost $4-500 dollars then, granted there is labor involved but only a few hours.

Because to buy into the Franchise, it cost almost $90k by the time you get the equiptment and material you need to start. A friend and I looked into it last year.

 

[DFriedson]

All bedliner products are not the same. Herculiner (solvent based polyurethane) or Rhino (100% polyurethane) are not the same as LINE-X (polyurethane and polyurea). LINE-X's raw materials come from BASF Corp. which is absolute top notch. Some bedliner companies buy raw materials from countries I can't pronounce and they arrive in unmarked 55 gallon drums (I've seen them. ) You can buy a $39. 95 paint job for your truck or you can buy a $3,000 paint job for your truck. The same goes for bedliners.



A short bed truck uses about 6 gallons of product.

 

[MABurns]

You can buy a $39. 95 paint job for your truck or you can buy a $3,000 paint job for your truck. The same goes for bedliners.



A short bed truck uses about 6 gallons of product.

I also recall a time when companies like BASF, PPG, DuPont, and Akzo Nobel, where all under investigation by the anti trust division of the Justice Department for anticompetitive practices.



I will never say that a company can't charge a fair price for a good product and obviously there are some products that are better than others.



And as far as franchise costs go... . McDonalds franchise owners don't charge $99 for Big Mac meal and try and turn a profit the first year... ..... what is the sign up to now, something like 200 billion served.



I think if a spray in bed liner was more affordable more people would get them, and companies like Line-X would apply more and make more money.



Just a thought... .....

 

[DFriedson]

You're comparing a couple of pieces of bread and about 3 ounces of meat to 6 gallons of a petroleum product. Also, when you buy that burger, you're also buying fries and a drink. That drink costs the owner about 4 cents. I guarantee you that the profit margin on that happy meal is WAY higher than a LINE-X truck bedliner. I'm not trying to argue with you, but come on..... for some reason you think bedliners should be cheap. They are not cheap products. Your talking 6 gallons of a petroleum product, 2. 5 to 3 hours direct labor for 2 people, materials (tape, paper, wire tape, methonal, paper towels, etc. ), and overhead and charging about $400 to $500. That's a good deal.

 

[ChrisTucker]

And as far as franchise costs go... . McDonalds franchise owners don't charge $99 for Big Mac meal and try and turn a profit the first year... ..... what is the sign up to now, something like 200 billion served.

Actually, when we broke it down, the end profit was about $100-150 per bed. The chemical products were about $300 + per bed. And there is not enough people around here willing to do Line X to risk a $90k investment. There have been 3 LineX outfits in my state alone that have gone belly-up. You would have to do 7-10 beds a day, 6 days a week to get a decent return on your investment. There is not 500 people a day walking into your shop Like Mc Donalds. There just insn't high enough demand around here.

 

[MABurns]

The chemical products were about $300 + per bed.

Then it would appear that the companies that make this wonder product is making a lot of money at the expense of their dealers!!!

There just insn't high enough demand around here.

There would be a lot more if it cost $200 less!!



I think my argument is still valid, it would be better to make 1/2 the profit margin if you could sell 4-5 times more volume!! That is simple accounting.

 

[Matt400]

Why does it cost $4-500 dollars then, granted there is labor involved but only a few hours.

I am not in the bedliner business however I would bet its based on a cost to do business factor with such things as:

Franchise fees, equipment, shop rent space, employee wages/taxes/insurance, utilities and other costs to keep the door open.

 

[DFriedson]

Everyone keeps mentioning franchise fees. There is a one time charge, that's it. There are no royalties like MD's.

 

[Matt400]

Thats fine. . ok then its a start up fee that must be factored into the cost, if its not factored in then thats just poor business IMO and the reason many business go under.

 

[ChrisTucker]

Ok, here's how it works- You have to purchase the Franchise rights from Line X for a one time payment of $85,000. But you must first meet their requirements Of a shop size of roughly 1500 sq ft. then you have to have a compressor with a cfm of about 22 fpm. then you have to have enough electrical service to run the heater that liquifys the product. Then you have to buy the Materials which can only be purchased from Line-x. Now that you have the shop, compressor, and enough room in the elec, panel, you have to purchase the spray applicator/pump from them. So guess what, that all ads up to $90k. (we have the shop , compressor and panel room). Now you order the material in the 55 gal drums and you have to pay for that in advance. (they don't give you any with the purchase) at a price of about $1500 a barrel which is enough to get roughly 5-7 trucks done. Now you have to pay for advertising, insurance, electric and payroll unless you want to spend half the day lying in a truck bed sanding and tapeing. The closest Line x installer to my area is Philly which is about 60 mi away. He charges $650 for over the rail liners. If you want to contact Linex and get them to lighten up on material cost and franchise price, I think there would be allot more interest :-laf

Keep in mind that this info is a year old and they dont give you the prices of material and equiptment in the package. You have to call and ask them.

 

[DaveK98]

FYI: I had DFriedson do the line-x and color match process on my truck.



They spent about 11 man hours (3 guys working) working on my truck. I was there the entire time and watched the process.



My brother had a different guy put down a rhino type material. His is pealing off the bed and the bed paint looks brand new. When Dfiredson's shop did my truck they sanded the bed down almost past the primer. I know that it is stuck to my truck.



Was it cheap? No but the job was done very well and if I ever get another truck I will be back no doubt... .

 

[DFriedson]

I'll insert my comments in brackets []:

Ok, here's how it works- You have to purchase the Franchise rights from Line X for a one time payment of $85,000 [Incorrect, the franchise fee, equipment, and first set of chemicals is about $20K less than your number. ]. But you must first meet their requirements Of a shop size of roughly 1500 sq ft. then you have to have a compressor with a cfm of about 22 fpm [Already included in the amount above]. then you have to have enough electrical service to run the heater that liquifys the product [Incorrect, there is no machine that liquifys the product and yes, electrical service is usually available in commercial buildings. ]. Then you have to buy the Materials which can only be purchased from Line-x [Yes, that makes scense). Now that you have the shop, compressor, and enough room in the elec, panel, you have to purchase the spray applicator/pump from them [Incorrect, it's already included in the package]. So guess what, that all ads up to $90k. (we have the shop , compressor and panel room). Now you order the material in the 55 gal drums and you have to pay for that in advance [Incorrect, terms are 2/10 net 30]. (they don't give you any with the purchase) [Incorrect again, one set of chemicals, about 19 trucks, is included with the package] at a price of about $1500 a barrel which is enough to get roughly 5-7 trucks done [Incorrect, one set of chemicals yields about 19 trucks] . Now you have to pay for advertising, insurance, electric and payroll unless you want to spend half the day lying in a truck bed sanding and tapeing. The closest Line x installer to my area is Philly which is about 60 mi away. He charges $650 for over the rail liners. If you want to contact Linex and get them to lighten up on material cost and franchise price, I think there would be allot more interest :-laf

Keep in mind that this info is a year old and they dont give you the prices of material and equiptment in the package. You have to call and ask them.

I had to step in, you're really are not familiar with the correct information. It's not a secret, a lot of the information is available to the public at www.goline-x.com Click on the franchise info. Other interesting info: LINE-X is the only bedliner franchise that appears on the SBA's automatic approval list. (The loan is not automatic, the business franchise is automatically accepted). Check out Entrepeneur Magazine's ranking of LINE-X: http://www.entrepreneur.com/franzone/details/0,5885,12-12---282532-3,00.html?section=rankings



DaveK98: THANKS FOR THE GOOD WORD! We pride ourselves on being the best. I have a customer coming from Arkansas to my shop (in Texas) tomorrow. The distance record though is held by California. Yep, I had a customer (he breeds horses for movie stars) who flew in from California, bought a truck in Dallas, drove it to my shop in Ft. Worth for LINE-X, the drove back to CA

 

[MABurns]

So based on your facts, I can infer that it takes a little less than 4 gallons per truck (19 trucks per 75 gallon drum) and at $1500/drum*** assuming that price is accurate**** is $20 a gallon?



I was told two differerent products mixed together so maybe we are talking 2 drums mixed together for the "kit".....

 

[DaveK98]

And I thought I was nuts for driving from Houston to Dallas... .



Last I checked nobody forced me to get my truck bed-lined and the price was all upfront.



Even the Herculiner product is $90 bucks at the store... ... .

 

[MABurns]

I know it is a good product.



I know you often get what you pay for.



Please don't take offense If I question what I am getting for MY money.



In todays day and age it is not often that a person walks in off the street and pays MSRP for a truck on a dealers lot. They do research, compare prices, figure out what true dealer invoice price is, pay a little above that for the dealer to stay in business, and all are happy.



I am doing the same thing for an aftermarket product. And from what I see there is some merit to my opinion that the price is being held high by patents and trademarks.



Last I checked, wehave been afforded the right (and ability)to do some research before we buy. Isn't it great?

 

[DFriedson]

Two products mix together from two 55 gallon drums. The drums (one resin, one isocyanate) do not have the same price.



It looks like you really haven't been "researching", you've been "fishing" for answers. If you had spent 30 minutes "researching" you would have known that 99% of the truck bedliner brand products come in 55 gallon drums. Plus, you've really been off base with your information. No flames, really, but your conclusion about pricing is definately not based on "research". But, it doesn't bother me, you can believe whatever you want to believe.



LINE-X dealers will offer occasional discounts, say for auto shows, internet forum members, etc. Otherwise, we don't need to discount. If you want a quality product backed by a great warranty, get LINE-X. Now, you go right ahead buy another brand and save yourself $30 to $40. In 6 months, let's compare our bedliners.



Military bullet proof ceramic/titanium plates that are inside their vests are coated with LINE-X. There are over 50,000 in use in Iraq and Afghanistan. To bad you were not available to tell the military that they are just paying for the LINE-X name. This plate stopped a sniper's bullet from killing this soldier:



#ad

 

[MABurns]

YIPEE! I finished the Dupont training course for LINE-X dealers.



Let me know if you have any questions!

You opened yourself up and asked if anyone had a question.



Call it "fishing" if you like. But I am in no way sneaking around here, I asked a simple question. Since I didn't get an answer I will assume it is a trade secret.



Matter is closed, sorry for asking.

 

[DFriedson]

I don't mind you or anyone asking questions. But, the subject matter diverged to that the price is overly inflated due to your mis-information. That's when I felt the need to step in. No big deal.



Questions? Ask away!