How to remove plastic bedliner?

[Donald R. Hutchins]

Just purchased a new Tacoma (2002) with the plastic dropin liner.

Did not want the liner, but dealer included for free (had a hard time
finding the mix of features I wanted, and once located, the liner was
already in place).

To remove this liner, it appears that the six plastic tabs must be
popped out to get to some sort of plastic bracket that is behind the
liner. Is this true? Do these plastic tabs or whatever just pull out?
They seem very secure, and I do not want to break them (I intend to sell
the liner).

Thanks in advance to anyone experienced with removing these "perma
guard" plastic over the rail liners.

[Rocco]

If its under the rail..just slide your hand under the middle of it and "POP"
it up and lift out.. if its over the rail.. pull or unscrew the caps...then
lift right out....
"Donald R. Hutchins" <drhutchi...@onebox.com> wrote in message
news:3BEDE723...@onebox.com...

[Donald R. Hutchins]

Thanks for the tip, Rocco.

It is indeed the over-the-rail type of liner. A couple of peers have echoed
your suggestion, that is... just pull out the tabs and find the screws behind...
remove screws, etc.

Problem is, these 'tabs' are so very secure... they seem very well 'connected'
to the small plastic bracket assembly that fits under the lip of the bed... I
fear that if I pull the tab much harder, I will certainly break something.

I'll keep at it -- perhaps I am just being a bit too cautious...

Thanks again for the comments.

--Don

[Kurt Kordes]

The factory liner I have uses a screw and a cam with a nut. When you tighten the
screw, the cam rotates under the lip. to remove it, just remove the screw, the
cam/nut will drop inside, and you can lift the liner right out.

[Donald R. Hutchins]

Thanks, Kurt...

Actually, I did finally resolve this issue. I took my truck to a local Toyota service
center, and although their mechanics didn't know how to remove the liner either, their
parts department did have the replacement hardware, which allowed me to hookup with
the real manufacturer of the liner.

My "Perma Guard" liner (2002 Tacoma) was port-installed by Toyota, and apparently
manufactured by Colonel's Truck Accessories (out of New Mexico). Their web site is
http://www.zianet.com/thecolonels/.

The six plastic tabs that hold this liner in place actually snap-in... sort of a
toggle bolt sort of thing -- where a 'clip' expands behind the liner itself,
preventing removal. There is no screw of any sort with this sort of fitting.

Theoretically, you can remove these clips by pushing a narrow-blade flathead
screwdrive up into the slot/opening as you pull the tab up and away. However, for my
installation, this was not possible... the fit was just too tight -- I was forced to
just cut out the tabs. A replacement set of the six tabs runs about $5 from Toyota.

--Donald