icarl wrote:
After i complained they gave me a $40 discount coupon for my next purchase.

Yeah, it's silly when stores do that. You're unhappy with the quality of their product, so of course you immediately want to buy more of their stuff. Oh, well, maybe they sell something basic you need that they can't screw up.
Thanks for the info and pictures. I was still procrastinating so I guess I won’t buy that lining now – but I had never planned on installing it as intended anyway. I just thought the molding might help me cut some detached pieces that would hold up better than flat pieces, but it sounds like the molding is very understated anyway.
After yall’s comments, I’m even more convinced that the best way to go is the detached pieces route I mentioned above. As I mentioned, I ran my XJ that way for several years. I admit that it looks better to have the flooring be one continuous piece and to have it tucked in under the console and the side trim. However, there’s no way you’re going to stop the water from collecting on the floorboards, along with mud and grime. Better to be able to quickly remove all the floor coverings and wash and dry the floor and coverings.
Even if you were able to seal it all up so nothing leaks through from inside, water is eventually going to get under there – and once you convert from carpet to plastic liner, you seal it up so no water can evaporate back out. It seems like nearly everybody who pulled out their carpets on 10-year-old XJs found standing water, and the causes they traced down were all over the lot – A/C drain clogged, tiny leaks in the windshield, tiny leaks through the firewall from the engine compartment, maybe even simple condensation in excess of evaporation. Our KJs are newer so we haven’t hit those problems yet, but they are coming, I’ll bet. In fact, I notice now that we have a topic in General Discussion called “Water Leak Behind Dash” which sounds just like the old XJ problems.
So, anyhow, that’s my argument for not installing permanent floor coverings. I reserve the right to change my mind later, and I’d like to keep following what you guys do with your plastic coverings, since that looks like the next best thing to me right now. Carl, I hope you do post some more pics when you get time and tjkj2002, I look forward to reading your install write-up when you get it done.