Bedliners can be sprayed on, rolled on or dropped in, all for a custom fit, all to protect a truck bed and, oftentimes, to better protect and help stabilize items placed on the bed.

Spray-type systems can offer such versatility (depending on the type) as custom colors or applying the compound to other vehicles or even vehicle areas, or to other surfaces such as trailers, marine craft, boat ramps, swimming pool walkways, even animal enclosures or shed roofs.

With an improving but still somewhat diminished market for automotive accessories, some restylers are looking to attract new customers and increase service sales to existing ones. In fact, the most important word for 2010 may turn out to be diversification, and auto reconditioning services — including auto glass repair, paintless dent repair, leather restoration and upholstery cleaning — present great opportunities for restylers to broaden their horizons and grow revenue in 2010.

Restyling looked at these four reconditioning areas as complementary services to what today’s restylers can provide their customers and presents each herein overview for your consideration.

1. Paintless Dent Repair

Multiproduct manufacturer Kemflo International Co. Inc., Pingtung, Taiwan, has purchased Beaverton, Ore.–based Yakima. Yakima, formerly owned by Arcapita, an international investment firm, will become a subsidiary of Kemflo. It will operate as an independent subsidiary with existing operations, product, marketing, sales, customer management and administrative functions remaining in Beaverton, Ore. Kemflo has been a supply chain partner of Yakima products for the past nine years.

Kemflo plans to maintain Yakima’s current workforce and operational footprint, including its Oregon headquarters, manufacturing facilities in Mexico and its network of sales agencies across North America and in other countries.

Cover me, quick.

It’s a harsh world out there. Stones and other small debris get spun up by road-running tires and stormy winds. Chemicals or sand spread on snowy or pre-snowy roadways eat at vehicle surfaces. The sun’s UV rays, even in winter, bother interiors, bother drivers and their passengers.

So, it’s nice to have some friends in the protection business.

Today’s window and paint protection films are even better at what they do than even a few years ago. Take, for example, the technology in upper-end high-performance window films that are void of the characteristics that would bother the many added electronic communication devices people have added into their vehicles, such as Bluetooth and GPS devices. Or the PPFs that make application even easier because of their movability and conformability.

Cover me, quick.

It’s a harsh world out there. Stones and other small debris get spun up by road-running tires and stormy winds. Chemicals or sand spread on snowy or pre-snowy roadways eat at vehicle surfaces. The sun’s UV rays, even in winter, bother interiors, bother drivers and their passengers.

So, it’s nice to have some friends in the protection business.

Today’s window and paint protection films are even better at what they do than even a few years ago. Take, for example, the technology in upper-end high-performance window films that are void of the characteristics that would bother the many added electronic communication devices people have added into their vehicles, such as Bluetooth and GPS devices. Or the PPFs that make application even easier because of their movability and conformability.

Human beings are tactile creatures - we like and pick things up. This is well-known by marketing companies, who have created displays of all types to allow customers to see, feel and play with examples of the products they want.

When customers can pick up and inspect a product, feel its finish and texture, or open and close a miniature version of a tonneau cover or other larger product, it allows them visualize it on their own vehicle. It's universal - salespeople in clothing stores know to encourage customers to try things on, and for the same reasons. Stereo sellers have display units not only so shoppers can hear the sound quality, but also so customers can see and feel the controls. It gives them a somewhat premature feeling of ownership.

Bedliner systems, coatings and equipment —  spray-on, drop-in, roll-on, etc. — were created to protect truck beds and give them longer life, as well as protect the sundry items people place, lay, set, shove or throw into the beds. Like any safeguard, each has its benefits based on driver preference. Following are some of the bedlining systems to consider as you show your clients what might best be suited to their own purposes.

You can argue that the most important part of a pickup is its cab or its running gear—and certainly you aren’t going anywhere without those—but what makes a pickup a pickup is its bed. Whether a truck sees heavy-duty hauling or is simply a daily driver, there’s not one out there that can’t benefit from some protection for its bed.

Skis, lumber, luggage or roses for the garden can take their toll on the paint in a pickup’s bed. Cargo causes scratches and dings, dents and scrapes, and trucks from the latest and greatest to Ol’ Reliable can benefit from having that damage covered up or prevented outright.

Restylers can find that protection in all configurations, including drop-in and spray-on liners, as well as carpets and mats. If your shop caters to the truck crowd or would like to, bedliners are a valuable product to offer.