Plasti Dip

[AeroCleanse]

Interesting videos on the youtube's about people "painting" cars with Plasti Dip. After I got over the initial, why would you do that to a car, I wondered if its any good on a car. I know they make a clear product, which I thought might be an interesting alternative to a clear bra, and much easier to apply.

[bkaup5]

It's cheaper, not permanent, and you can mess up and again, it's not permanent.

Some people prefer that matte/satin look over a shiny car. I know I've used plasti-dip on some of the interior parts of my WRX cabin on the silver trim that threw off the interior color scheme.

Only downsides to me is that if you happen to catch a corner with a microfiber towel or aren't careful, it will peel. Also, cleaning it (since microfibers are a no no), you have to be extremely careful or invest in a special cleaning cloth for it that glides over it.

[swanicyouth]

I did it to some trim. Ended up removing it because its not very durable.

[bkaup5]

^I wouldn't say it's not very durable. It all depends on prep and coats. I've knicked the inside trim with a microfiber more than I care to admit and it's still perfect. The argument to that is that I rarely touch the area that it's applied to (center console around shifter and touch screen) and really the only time it's touched is when I'm applying some type of cleaner by dabbing it.

On the other hand, if you're talking about applying it on the outside of the car, that's where I would agree with the above poster. Not sure how durable it would be on the outside, although there are a few videos of people who have coated their wheels and they held up very nice. The problem is that IF something does rip at the corner, it's all downhill from there because anything that touches it will peel it. It's not like you can use it as touch up paint from my experience.

[AeroCleanse]

But you can do a touch up on it by using the chemical (maybe the thinner) and then recoating it. Maybe the idea is that after a few years you just peel it off (as a bra) and reapply.

[bkaup5]

I wouldn't use thinner on it but that's your call. It depends on how big the defect you're trying to touch up is. Since the dip sprays pretty thick, you may be ok with tiny patches..but anything more and in my own experience, it looks crappy and you'd be better off pulling the whole thing off and re-spraying. For 5 dollars a can or so, it's a good deal but if you want it to look good and actually protect, I would go with something else.

With that being said, there's always some people who have no problems with the plasti dip.

[AeroCleanse]

I wouldn't use thinner on it but that's your call. It depends on how big the defect you're trying to touch up is. Since the dip sprays pretty thick, you may be ok with tiny patches..but anything more and in my own experience, it looks crappy and you'd be better off pulling the whole thing off and re-spraying. For 5 dollars a can or so, it's a good deal but if you want it to look good and actually protect, I would go with something else.

With that being said, there's always some people who have no problems with the plasti dip.

Found this online that shows how to fix it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T0jEvxxTzE&feature=plcp]How to Fix PlastiDip (Texture, Tears, Troubleshooting) DipYourCar.com - YouTube[/video]

[BorisC]

I sprayed 2 sets of wiper arms & a grille about a year ago. No issues yet.

[bkaup5]

I can't see the video at the moment, but will check it out when I get home.

Like I said, all of my posts are from personal experience. I had an uneven part that peeled and tried to respray, the little parts worked but anything that you rip off and respray still didn't 're-bond' with the surface.

^^As stated above, there are those who really haven't had trouble with it so more power to you if you want to try it out. Be sure to post some pictures up when it's done :)