The Verdict
is in!
The interior process took Maxair two days, which included an
extra couple of hours to change over their equipment from the
more typical black to my special tan application. They also
removed my tail light wiring harness and throttle pedal to make
sure to get the best application. During the process the Jeep
was totally taken apart, and was in the Maxair Rhino Linings
shop for over a week for the total application.
I was a
bit concerned at first. Like most Jeep owners that are use to
doing things themselves, I was not totally comfortable leaving
my Jeep with someone. What if it looked bad? What if this? What
if that? How do you fix a mistake? After all, the Rhino Lining
is a permanent install.
When I went
to pick the Jeep up I was very pleasantly surprised. Rob is
a true artist, and the Jeep looked perfect. The color-match
of the interior is exact. You almost have to reach out and touch
it to see that it is Rhino Lining and not the factory carpet.
This will allow me to take my carpet out in the summer time
while retaining a factory look. The texture that I chose is
smooth to the touch, but still supplies plenty of traction.
The texture itself can be controlled by the person spraying,
and I could have asked for a rougher texture. Maxair did an
awesome job on the application. The Rhino lining fits every
curve of the interior perfectly. The interior looks better with
just the Rhino liner in it than with the factory carpet, and
definitely better than the bare metal floor did.
Maxair made
sure that I could reinstall all of the interior pieces with
no problem. They cut out and ran a tap down all of the original
bolt holes to make reassembly of the Jeep a snap. I took the
Jeep home and within a few hours had the whole interior back
in, minus the carpet, of course.
I threw
a couple of tools around the Jeep to check for durability as
I was putting things back together and could not even scratch
the stuff.
The first
test drive was amazing. The Rhino lining is the best stereo
upgrade I have done yet. It keeps out more noise and vibration
than the carpet ever did. It is now very easy for the backseat
passenger to hear the front seat passengers on the highway.
The tan
interior does show dirt, but it also wipes right off with a
little soap and water. The light color should be great in the
summer with a dog in the back of the Jeep.
The Exterior!
This was one of my main concerns, but the whole outside of the
Jeep turned out very cool! The bra looks good, as do the bumpers,
rockers and flares. We have put several thousand miles on the
Jeep since the Rhino application was done and there are no signs
of rock chips. As I mentioned, I had taken the Jeep straight
out to the trail for some testing and was able to scrape the
Rhino off on some sharp rocks. However, it is much more durable
than paint or powder coating would be. Brushes with trees and
other trail obstacles that would have scratched our paint or
flares have not even left a mark on the Rhino lining. I have
managed to flex the Sahara flares quite a bit and have not experienced
any signs of peeling or bubbling. If I do I will keep you posted
in the boards.
Final
Words
The Jeep looks great inside and out. When I started to take
the Jeep apart for the project I was very surprised at how much
the interior of the Jeep had worn under the carpet. I had big
scratches and whole areas where the paint had been worn off
by the carpet. I was also surprised at how dirty and musty my
carpet had become. I spent almost an entire afternoon cleaning
the carpet to put back in. I plan on running with it in the
winter months for added warmth and sound control, but it will
come out when the hardtop comes off in the spring and get stored
inside to keep it nice.
The Rhino
lining has giving us a very durable, good looking, no fuss interior
for the summer months. Being cool and easy to wash out is a
big plus, as well. The new interior is so durable that I felt
it would be a shame to reinstall the factory plastic console
and glove box. It was only fitting to upgrade these to the durability
of Tuffy Security Products.
The exterior
of the Jeep is great. The Jeep has regained its factory-fresh
appearance with a little bit of added flare and no more rock
chips or scratches from tree branches or shoes on the bumpers
or rockers. Since the Rhino sprayed-on polyurethane lining is
very resistant to chemicals, too, it should fight off anything
they spray on our Colorado roads and spills from trail fixes.
This is one of the best all around upgrades we have done yet!