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Moisture under the rubber!

A

AvDoc

Full Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2003
Messages
66
Location
Garden City, MI
I was cleaning the AV and lifted the rubber mat on the bed just to see. There was a thin film of water under the mat! The condensation was thoughout the length and width of the mat. Nothing heavy but I can see an avenue for rust if any of the paint is chipped. Has anyone else seen this and how can I keep this away?
 
I've had this same thing happen.
My doctor tells me that it's perfectly normal.
And, is exactly what SHOULD happen give the right conditions.
He said, "Just make sure that you dry it off every once in a while. Wouldn't want anything to get rusty now would we."
;D ;) >:D

Rob
 
As GM says this is normal....I hate it
 
I wonder if there is anything that can be done to prevent it.
Click to expand...
Move to Arizona? :p

Just try to keep it clean under there. In Florida, mine is ALWAYS wet.

Rich
 
What about having a product like Line-x or Rhino lining put on.

You would have to put the rubber liner back, as the manual says its an integral part of the water management system.

It should prevent any rust, and any possible wear through of the paint under there though?

What do you guys think?

Brian
 
I'm no engineer (well, not officially anyway) but I can't see how the rubber mat is an INTEGRAL part of the water management system. I've been wrong before though (once or twice ;))

OK, duh I just thought about it some more...integral in that you'd have to set stuff down in a puddle if the mat weren't there...d'oh! :2:
 
RichUF said:
I'm no engineer (well, not officially anyway) but I can't see how the rubber mat is an INTEGRAL part of the water management system. I've been wrong before though (once or twice ;))

OK, duh I just thought about it some more...integral in that you'd have to set stuff down in a puddle if the mat weren't there...d'oh! :2:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am assuming that is what they mean....they make refernece to 2 inches of the rubber mat (the section with "fins") as protecting cargo on the mat from getting wet, assuming there was a heavy rainstorm, carwash, etc....

I doubt a whole lot of engineering went into the design, but I would guess that the rubber mat would help keep cargo dry, while the Line-X, etc would protect the actual paint of the bed....basically would work as "designed", but with a little more protection for whats under the mat.....

Brian
 
Water does not cause rust. The impurities in water are what start the rust process. Condensation should be almost pure water and should not cause rust. Just make sure that if you are hauling any bulk salt or iron oxide, that you clean it out


 
Castle_Rock_AV said:
Water does not cause rust. The impurities in water are what start the rust process. Condensation should be almost pure water and should not cause rust. Just make sure that if you are hauling any bulk salt or iron oxide, that you clean it out
Click to expand...

Yes, but the Avalanche is not watertight, so rain, melting snow, carwashes, etc will let some water into the bed area. That water will have impurities in it.....

Brian
 
I think the manual covers this....and states water under matt is normal.....
 
I had some "moisture"...H2O under my mat with the inevitable impurities, I started seeing the water have a rust color to it...so, I painted on the Rhino coating, very lightly after a thorough cleaning.

Now, no more problems and the mat is optional.
 
ygmn said:
I think the manual covers this....and states water under matt is normal.....
Click to expand...

That's also why the manual recommends that you remove the mat 1 a month and air dry to prevet rust.
 
Line-X would help with wear-through or rust. But you have to be careful how/where they put it on and how the mask off the areas around where you don't want it. I checked two Line-X places and the first one wanted about triple what some on here have paid because of the extra masking work needed compared to a regular truck. The other place had never done one before and wasn't sure how it would work out around the drain holes. I didn't want to be his guinea pig truck. I'd really like to remove the protec pieces on the sides of the bed inside and have them Line-X right on up the sides and on the inside of the tailgate as well, but they also said that it won't stick to plastic. I need to find a better Line-X shop I think.
 
That darn mat is heavy! So, since I am too lazy to pull it out once a month, I put a double coat of NuFinish on the painted floor area to give a little protection and then put the mat back in. It might not really need it, but I think it helps. :)
 
get it Line-Xed. that's what i did. i do not regret it. i still have the mat, but i no longer use it. if you dry out the back of the bed the condensation will come right back. my guess is the water drain on the right rear corner is allowiing the hot exhaust condensation to enter the sealed compartment causing it to sweat under the mat. i thought it was maybe the cargo covers causing the problem. after realizing that there is no condensation on the sides of the bed i have to believe it is coming from the exhaust.
the Line-X has been wonderful so far. only cost me $150. i have been so happy with it i am thinking about getting the trnk and floorboards of my '68 Pontiac sprayed with it to prevent rust. possibly the frame as well. not sure yet. anyone having problems with moisture should consider it.
 
I will keep mine stock until I see a problem then I will look at line X or just paint...till then it does not bother me.....

 
First time I discovered this was a few months ago. When I pulled the mat out, the smell made me gag. Evidently the previous owner never did the monthly maintenance on this, and the water began to mildew. Smelled like a frat-house bathroom.

I discovered an easier solution than pulling the mat out to clean/dry it. Simply remove the tonneau panels, roll the mat to one side, and weigh it down. Park it in the sun, and once that side dries, roll the mat back out, and roll up the other side. It's a whole lot easier than lugging the mat around.
 
I'm planning to get the rhino liner installed in mine. I just bought it a week ago and it's already got a fair amount of moisture under the mat. I had rhino liner in my Dodge ram for 5 years and never had any problems with it.

Also, the rhino liner is non-slip, but not so much as the rubber mat. There are times when I WANT to slide something into my truck and that rubber mat just wont let it happen at all.

Mike
 
I have a cargopro bedslide. Maybe I can just remove the mat and store it? I like the way the mat looks under the cargopro but I'd rather avoid rust and mildew problems if possible...

SEVENX
 
RichUF said:
I'm no engineer (well, not officially anyway) but I can't see how the rubber mat is an INTEGRAL part of the water management system...
Click to expand...

The mat helps create a gap for all the water that might get into the bed (with panels on or off) to flow to the drains. It is also much easier on the knees when crawling around getting stuff out of the bed. The mat also helps protect the bottom of the bed from paint scrathes which would allow the moisture to get under the paint and expose the bare metal to start the rusting process.
 
SEVENX said:
I have a cargopro bedslide. Maybe I can just remove the mat and store it? I like the way the mat looks under the cargopro but I'd rather avoid rust and mildew problems if possible...

SEVENX
Click to expand...
Do you think that the bedslide would still fit the same without the mat? Seems that it would be lower by the thickness of the mat at least. It might hit the end of the tailgate when extended. Also be careful that you have something under the "feet" that will cushion it and keep it from digging into the bed or rhino liner or whatever is below.
 
TXAVy Wrote:
Do you think that the bedslide would still fit the same without the mat? Seems that it would be lower by the thickness of the mat at least. It might hit the end of the tailgate when extended. Also be careful that you have something under the "feet" that will cushion it and keep it from digging into the bed or rhino liner or whatever is below.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the cargopro frame is bolted to the sides of the truck bed at the folding tie downs. I don't think that the frame actually is sitting on the bed. I'll give it a look see and get back to you...

SEVENX

 
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