A RHINO REVIEW

When writer Nick Anis purchased a 1998 Ford Ranger 4x4 pickup truck with high mileage, he decided to go all out and completely revamp it.  The first thing he did was get a custom paint job; that’s when the master painter there recommended Anis get a spray-on liner for his truck bed, and he highly recommended Rhino Linings.

Anis at first opted for a drop-in bedliner, but he soon found that it made annoying noises, and, not only that, it started to warp and fade, even though it was still brand new!  This prompted him to research spray-on truck bed linings.  He decided to go with Rhino because it was an established company; plus price, reliability, durability, and a lifetime warranty all factored into the equation.  Anis decided to get the spray-on liner at Rhino Linings of Corona & Norco in California.  And after the experience, he had nothing but praise for his spray-on Rhino bedliner: "Rhino Linings coating is about the nicest option you can add to your vehicle," Anis said.

For the complete story and review, go to http://www.travel-watch.com/rhinolinings.htm

Phil Moorman, who once owned Rhino Linings of Corona & Norco, sold the dealership to current co-owners Gary West and Randy Pickering in 2004. At first, West did not want to buy the dealership, but Pickering talked him into it.  West said it was "divine providence" which prompted him to go into the business.   And it must be so, for the dealership was 2010 Dealer of the Year, and its vying for that position again this year.  

With the economy the way it is, Mr. West says he does about ¾ less truck bed spray-on linings than he used to, i.e. when they averaged about 23 or 24 truck beds a week.  But the shift of their business has branched off in interesting ways, specifically in commercial and residential applications.

One of Rhino Linings of Corona and Norco’s contracts is with Vantage Vehicle International, Inc., which makes electric-powered trucks used in the armed forces, theme parks, and oil refineries.  "They are the green market," says West.

"One of our largest clients is ERA Energy," he added.  "Right off the coast of Huntington Beach is a platform on which we’ve applied our product so there is no more leaking [of oil] into the ocean, to meet BLM and EPA requirements."

In addition, Rhino Linings of Corona & Norco is finishing up a job for Mercury Insurance, which includes spraying the floor of its warehouse area.

Residential applications include everything from man-made creeks to koi ponds, to decks and garages, anywhere a water leak could happen.

West attests that he does everything he can to achieve customer satisfaction, but sometimes it’s just not possible.  "I’m not the kind of business owner that says the customer is always right.  I will go out of my way to keep the customer happy, though."  Sometimes we just can’t work miracles", says West, referring to a customer who wanted a perfectly matched spray-on truck bed liner for an older truck with a sun-bleached paint job.

And West says that he’s fired employees that took shortcuts resulting in damage to a customer’s vehicle, noting an instance where a short-cut caused micro-scratches and, as a result, many man-hours to fix.

West takes pride in the line of Rhino Linings products: Tuff Grip, which keeps cargo in place, Hard Line for impact resistance, and Solar Max, for colorfastness, to name a few.  He also lauds the nationwide lifetime guarantee of the product.

"Rhino has a wonderful product," says West.