Carbox LS Mercedes SLK (96 to 04) JV20-1032

Please note that not all these images are specific to this particular vehicle or liner, but they do show general features of the Carbox range.

Car boot liners - what they do and why it makes a difference:

It's easy to make an argument for having a liner in the boot of your car, especially if you are generally quite active and use your car for carrying, potentially, a bit of everything and anything: The weekly shop (mind the milk), compost and plants, golf bags, sandy shoes and towels, muddy bike wheels, folding bikes, soggy camping gear, wet coats, muddy wellies, dogs, you name it...

Protecting the boot carpet will surely make a useful difference to a vehicle's resale value, so at the very least it makes sense to line the boot with a piece of old carpet, cut to shape.

The next stage would be to buy a "universal boot liner" and use the cutting lines to cut and trim it to shape - now you probably have a non-porous surface, but by the same token any spilt liquid or water will quickly make its way to the edge of the liner, disappearing into the floor behind the back seats. Yuk. Time spent on clearing up is unnecessary time and hassle.

Note that "universal liners" will only ever fit the first car you buy, unless your next car boot is smaller in every dimension.

So here are two crucial advantages to look out for in a car boot liner:

• If they are well designed they'll cover the whole of the boot area and can't move around.
• If they have a "rim around the edge" then whatever falls or spills on the liner should stay on the liner.

Carbox liners have a 5cm rim around the edge, and are a precise fit. The rim disappears as appropriate on the load sill of estate cars and, where possible, the liner covers the load sill metal work.

But there's more to it than this. Because boot liners make such sense there are a lot of them about, and some of them are better than others. Here are some features which are best avoided:

• Rubber, of any description: It tends to smell, especially on hot days and, although the smell may wear off, it probably never completely disappears. Carbox uses no rubber.
• Semi-porous material: Some material is too 'open cell' to do a proper job. Superficially it's OK, but it's not easy to clean. Carbox liners have 'food-grade' surfaces.
• Surfaces that are too slippy or too sticky: You want to be able to push heavy items across the liner to the back seats, and be confident that they'll stay in place. If the surface is lined with non-slip material then this will be difficult, quite apart from the cleaning issue. Carbox have worked hard to develop a material with optimum friction.
• Thin material: The thinner the material, the cheaper it is to produce, and the cheaper the sale price. Thinner material is usually weaker. But it's no good if a boot liner is pierced by a sharp corner or sharp object.

We reckon that having or not having a boot liner is a bit like wearing the right clothes for the job. For example, you wouldn't tackle a dirty gardening job in your tidiest clothes with either enthusiasm or efficiency. You probably won't have the confidence to make the best use of your car unless you fit a quality boot liner.

Why choose Carbox? Choose Carbox because they make the best boot liners anywhere! They were the first into the boot liner market and they're still at the top of the game, with most of their business being in the manufacture of own branded / "Original Equipment" boot liners for the best car manufacturers, world wide.

Specifically:

• A Carbox fit will be as good as you'll find anywhere.
• All Carbox liners have a "5cm rim around the edge" except for any loading sill area. This is vital if anything that spills on the liner is going to stay on the liner.

The material that Carbox uses is critical to their success. Carbox liners are made from polypropylene and high density polyethylene co-polymers, especially developed for them by Hoechst, the German chemicals giant. As well as being sufficiently flexible and thick enough and strong enough to survive almost anything that's dropped on it, Carbox material has the following properties:

• It's completely odourless - you won't have to suffer nasty plastic or rubber smells in your car,
• The surface is so good that it's "food grade" - non-porous, easy to clean, hygienic.
• It's oil resistant to e.g. petrol or diesel.
• it doesn't deteriorate with use, or degrade in heat or sunlight, or crack or whiten as ABS plastic products tend to do when knocked
• The surface has optimum friction - it's neither too slippy nor too sticky. You need to be able to push heavy items across the liner to the back seats, and be confident that they'll stay in place. If a boot liner surface is lined with non-slip material then pushing things around is difficult to do, quite apart from the cleaning issue.

All Carbox products have a two year guarantee but, as there's nothing to go wrong, they should last forever!

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

For most UK addresses, the charge for our two to three day service is £5.50 (£9.50 for orders including a roof box) and our charge for Next Working Day deliveries is £8.50 (£12.50 for orders involving a roof box). AutoSock, and small spare parts, are charged £3.95 (1st Class post) or £5.50 (express courier, usually Next Working Day).

There are different charges for any delivery including a sea crossing, and deliveries to Skye - we will contact you with a quote on receipt of order.

Orders for Next Working Day delivery need to be received by 4.00pm.

There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays. Next Working Day orders placed on a Friday will be delivered on the Monday, Next Working Day orders placed on a Saturday will be delivered on the Tuesday.

We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver on a day and at an address which suits you. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. All courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.