Drop-in Bedliner cutouts mount behind access panels?

[Canuck in MI]

Hey gang. I stripped down my Mav '22 to '23 rollover order fearing continued delays and figured I could attempt the D.I..B.L. install myself.

One Q ahead of my installs for those who have done your own or even for those that got the factory install, is it possible to cutout the access panels so that the bed liner wall tucks behind the access panels for a cleaner look?

Alternatively, wondering if a thin foam gasket mounted behind the access panel before re-installing might help with sealing and cleaning up the cut lines.

Looking at many photos, it's hard to tell but in one of the DYI videos, I noticed his cut out was visible and not 100% straight making it look less than a professional look.

I have the XLT trim and so I am also on the fence as to whether I cut out the 12v accessory doors. I don't have a current plan to use them and probably simple enough to trim them out in the future should I need access.

Any thoughts before I proceed with my install would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Marc

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[BLUE1870]

This should help.
2022 Ford Maverick: Factory Drop-In Bedliner DIY Installation

 

[1fifty]

I cut my own out and they came out great - drilled holes at the corners of the cut outs, ran a tape line strait edge as a guide at the outside edges of the drilled holes and used a cut off wheel. I did hit the cut edges with a heat gun to take away the sharp look and feel of the edges. Almost zero chance a dealer tech would have done the install as good as my own.

 

[Canuck in MI]

Thanks Gang! After more investigation and now that I have the kit in hand, I have a better idea of what I'm faced with.

Thanks to 1fifty for the tip on the cut off wheel and straight edge.

The video linked by Blue1870 -in fact, I saw it before and that's what led me to ask the question.

In that great instructional video that Sam Haymart put together, he used a jigsaw for his cutout but his cutout in my opinion came out pretty rough and uneven. It doesn't quite look finished. Sorry.

I have yet to see a factory installed DIBL but if it came to me with rough uneven cuts, I would request the dealer file as a defect and get it redone.

I don't think I can tuck the bedliner behind the access panel frame since they would end up on the raised section of the frame in the liner wall.

So I think I'll attempt a very slow cut with either a cutoff wheel or a finer jigsaw blade though I'm also going to experiment with a large Olfa Utility knife to see if I can cut through the middle of my cutout. A sharp razor blade should leave a pretty clean edge - maybe even possible to score it first and then use a cutoff wheel.

Worse case, I'll get edge trim to cover the cut edge if it doesn't come out clean. I know this is probably way overboard and nobody would notice but I would - everytime I look at the access panels. LOL.. THANKS! Will update when I complete the project.

 

[Canuck in MI]

This falls into the WTF category... I am so frustrated w Ford's lack of attention to detail and quality lately. Will spare u the details of a previous Ford accessory order for Mach E GT wheels which came in damaged. Re ordered and they took over 2 months to refund my return.. 12 calls to the group before I finally got my $1,400 refund..

OK. So I definitely received a new kit but I am scratching my head as to why the cutouts for the front floor tie downs are so big and different in shape from my hardware. Followed instructions to a T for the black square stickers, re positioning them to match the instructions. Nowhere near close to lining up with the far too big cutout. Did I get a bad floor liner?

Why didn't they just give us 2 oversized rectangular stickers to properly cover the opening? Probably a cost thing I can only imagine...

So now, after spending $400 on a kit, I guess I will need to buy some black gorilla tape to fix the deficiency?

What did u guys do? Even if I reposition the stickers, I will still have the bed color visible in the middle of the backet since I have to move the stickers further apart.

It sure doesn't look as clean as the stock photo which also shows a rounded tie down. Not rectangular as you would expect from the cutout.

 

[1fifty]

Ford does not make these fwiw and compared to drop in bed liners I have owned and seen over the decades I am really impressed with the fit and design of this mutli-piece liner for the Maverick.

 

[icegradner]

I have yet to see a factory installed DIBL but if it came to me with rough uneven cuts, I would request the dealer file as a defect and get it redone.

I have it from the factory, I'll post a picture tomorrow, too dark now. Cannot say it's perfect, don't recall any super rough edges though, never looked close enough or really cared to be honest.

 

[Canuck in MI]

OK - I improvised and made a slight modification to the install which I think - looks much better. I re-purposed 2 stickers to completely cover the gaps left at the floor tie-downs.

Before pulling the floor up, I stuck some masking tape in the hole and traced the outline. This gave me the exact spot to re-position the stickers.

With stickers 3-up and overlayed on one another, it's enough to fill the gap. The intructions called for making a square cutout to the top rear tie downs and then using some plastic spacer washers behind the tie downs. Makes no sense - a cleaner look is to drill holes just large enough for the bolts and flush mount the tie downs to the outside of the bed liner. Saves 4 stickers in total.

Since I have the side tie down rails, I don't have a top mounted tie down in the front, saving another 4 stickers.

What I found worked well to cutout the passenger side bin and driver side power center on the rear sidewalls is a combination of a dril to start at the corners, a jigsaw with a thin metal (21 tooth count) blade and a rotary tool w a cut off wheel to clean up the cuts and finish where there is not enough space for the jigsaw base to pass.

I used a silver sharpie and ruler to mark the cut lines after I drilled the corners at the marks indicated on the panel.

I have a small Milwaukee M12 Tile saw w 3" blade. I thought it would be ideal as I freehand cut it, but the blade spins pretty fast and wasn't much easier to straight cut. A jigsaw at a slower speed was easier to straight cut -except you can only do 2 of the 4 sides since there is an elevated ridge obstructing the jigsaw base.

Once I did my rough cutout, I ran some green masking tape from one corner to the other which gave me a nice straight line and then cleaned up the rough jigsaw or cut off wheel cut. It's not perfect, but it does provide a smoother edge and if you take your time, it's pretty close to straight.

It wasn't a super complicated project, but you do need a few tools -especially if you have to cutout the side panels and some patience putting it all together. The sticker thing really threw me for a loop early on, but hopefully these details will help the next person out.

I am happy how it all turned out. I also installed a Truxedo Sentry CT cover - pretty impressed with the quality and that was super easy to install - probably 30 minutes.

 

[icegradner]

Just for reference, this is what it looks like from the factory.

 

[Canuck in MI]

Just for reference, this is what it looks like from the factory.

Outstanding! Thanks for the follow-up icegradner. It's definitely a cleaner job than what can be done at home.

They must either have different stock for the XLT models with the cutouts already in place or maybe a jig +router to cleanly and quickly cut them out. I was looking at my small portable router as an option, but you'd need a bit extension and custom jig w platform to quickly zip those out. That would be the right tool with a jig to follow the cutout contour and get nicely rounded edges.

I see they trimmed right to the edges of the raised frame.

 

[Bigbill27]

Hey gang. I stripped down my Mav '22 to '23 rollover order fearing continued delays and figured I could attempt the D.I..B.L. install myself.

One Q ahead of my installs for those who have done your own or even for those that got the factory install, is it possible to cutout the access panels so that the bed liner wall tucks behind the access panels for a cleaner look?

Alternatively, wondering if a thin foam gasket mounted behind the access panel before re-installing might help with sealing and cleaning up the cut lines.

Looking at many photos, it's hard to tell but in one of the DYI videos, I noticed his cut out was visible and not 100% straight making it look less than a professional look.

I have the XLT trim and so I am also on the fence as to whether I cut out the 12v accessory doors. I don't have a current plan to use them and probably simple enough to trim them out in the future should I need access.

Any thoughts before I proceed with my install would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Marc

Just be careful to make as straight a cut as possible. Even the professional install is not perfect fit because it’s a cover and not flush with the walls like spraying. All the cutouts are marked on the back of the panels so it’s easy to accurately make cutouts. Also, don’t use hole saw for screw holes. Use a step bit. Much cleaner.

 

[Canuck in MI]

Just be careful to make as straight a cut as possible. Even the professional install is not perfect fit because it’s a cover and not flush with the walls like spraying. All the cutouts are marked on the back of the panels so it’s easy to accurately make cutouts. Also, don’t use hole saw for screw holes. Use a step bit. Much cleaner.

Thanks! I finished the project yesterday and posted some pics. The Step-bit is definitely the way to go over a hole saw. I forgot to mention that in my tools and install feedback. It cut through the plastic"like butta.." and made a real nice hole. I had one hole I needed to slightly enlarge since for some reason the hole was not completely centered and the washer didn't fit. Step bit is a piece of cake to widen.

 

[BradnChristine]

Thanks! I finished the project yesterday and posted some pics. The Step-bit is definitely the way to go over a hole saw. I forgot to mention that in my tools and install feedback. It cut through the plastic"like butta.." and made a real nice hole. I had one hole I needed to slightly enlarge since for some reason the hole was not completely centered and the washer didn't fit. Step bit is a piece of cake to widen.

Thanks for taking the time to share info. I'm waiting for my Ford Points to show up and then will be ordering my DIBL. I'd have grabbed a hole saw, had you not warned me the step bit was easier.

 

[Canuck in MI]

I ordered mine on points as well. Another tip on that.

When u go to order w points, the site makes u think you need to give up 83,000 points, but that's if u blindly buy at full price.

Use whatever promo they are currently running to drop the price first. Currently, it's 15% off w GET15 promo code which expires 3/31/23. They do from time to time go as high as 20% off so if u wait until closer to end of month, u might luck out and catch it at 20%.

Having said that, nothing says they don't offer a worse discount next month...

So once you use the promo code and go to the checkout, there is an option to apply points to the payment and you can use a combo of points and cash.

This is where the magic hits. You will see that the points required will now be less since the points have a direct $ value. Take your calculator out and see how many points to get the order to $0 and then you will use even fewer points since your tax due will be $0. That's what I did.

My total cost was 70,550 points ($352.75 cost @15% off) and had it shipped to my local dealer so there was no additional shipping cost and no sales tax in MI since my order was $0.00.

The liner ships in a square box that fit no problem in the back of a 21 Ford Escape. The floor liner will be folded so flip it upside down and set it in the sun and it will flatten enough to where u can install it.

Good luck!

 

[BradnChristine]

I ordered mine on points as well. Another tip on that.

When u go to order w points, the site makes u think you need to give up 83,000 points, but that's if u blindly buy at full price.

Use whatever promo they are currently running to drop the price first. Currently, it's 15% off w GET15 promo code which expires 3/31/23. They do from time to time go as high as 20% off so if u wait until closer to end of month, u might luck out and catch it at 20%.

Having said that, nothing says they don't offer a worse discount next month...

So once you use the promo code and go to the checkout, there is an option to apply points to the payment and you can use a combo of points and cash.

This is where the magic hits. You will see that the points required will now be less since the points have a direct $ value. Take your calculator out and see how many points to get the order to $0 and then you will use even fewer points since your tax due will be $0. That's what I did.

My total cost was 70,550 points ($352.75 cost @15% off) and had it shipped to my local dealer so there was no additional shipping cost and no sales tax in MI since my order was $0.00.

The liner ships in a square box that fit no problem in the back of a 21 Ford Escape. The floor liner will be folded so flip it upside down and set it in the sun and it will flatten enough to where u can install it.

Good luck!

Thanks. I ordered the Floor Trays with the 24,000 pts I had accumulated with the Ford Visa (lotsa great benefits with that) and so I'll only have the 42,000 to use. And yes, I did use the 15% off code. I also bought a couple of hoodies from the Ford accessories website with the $100 gift card one of the chat people gave me during my long wait. They even gave me a veteran's discount as well via ID.Me!

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