So after learning how to decode the age of the Raptor bedliner, I realized what I had was expired, so I ordered another kit to be safe. I already had a couple of bottles to use on my test section. The kit and guns arrived today – the guns were cheap enough that I will use them and move on to the next without cleaning between bottles. The price was right and cheaper than the recommended cleaner. Tomorrow my paint should arrive to touch-up the firewall from last year and to use on the hidden windshield wiper components. I am sure I will need to order more, but at least I can get started as soon as the conditions are right to paint again…
So here is what I learned for decoding the raptor bedliner age: First, the hardener deteriorates faster than the base. As a sense check for any hardener already opened see if the contents of the hardener are really liquid (reducer like consistency) if it “sounds” thicker- i.e. syrupy then it has gone passed its useful life.
Typically the batch numbers for the Raptor base is on a paper ticket on the cardboard box. The hardener is batch labelled with a paper ticket on the base. The batch labels use the same 5 digit format where the first digit represents the year so for 2018 this will be 8, 2019 will be 9 and so forth. The next two digits represent the week number when they were produced. The final two digits represent the run sequence through the factory.