Dipped again! This time Deep Sea Blue + Blueberry Juice in Autoflex Satin

[HankLloydRight]

Here's my previous experience with Autoflex dipping my P85+: Dipped my car: Autoflex Matte + ZTA Hypershift + Blueberry Juice

Since I sold that car and got the P85D, I've been looking to do another dip. The ZTA hypershift was fantastic, and I really liked it, but definitely drew some strange reactions from people when it shifted to the purple. Also, it made it a tad harder to sell last year.

This time, I was going for a color to match the Blu Inchiostro color on this Maserati GranTurismo MC Centennial Edition:

And here are the results. The satin finish changed the brightness of the blue a little bit, bit I think it came darn close.

I also did a chrome delete for the window trim, side mirrors, and full nosecone. And added carbon fiber door handles. I left the liftgate applique and diffuser chromed in the rear, as I like the 'classic' Tesla look back there. I also like how the brighter blue color really makes the red brake calipers "pop" out more so than with the standard Blue Metallic that is the stock color.

I'm very, very happy with the results.

 

[HankLloydRight]

More photos:

 

[davidc18]

Love it. Did you dip the chrome or wrap?

 

[HankLloydRight]

Love it. Did you dip the chrome or wrap?

Thanks. Chrome delete was also dipped.

 

[mdevp]

So jealous that looks soooo good!
Great job!

 

[P85_DA]

@HankLloydRight ...did you put ceramic or wrap when done ? ...also never heard of autoflex ...surprised more folks haven’t done as results look great !​

 

[HankLloydRight]

@HankLloydRight ...did you put ceramic or wrap when done ? ...also never heard of autoflex ...surprised more folks haven’t done as results look great !​

Thanks! There's nothing needed on top of the Autoflex. Autoflex is a similar product to vinyl wrapping. Each has it's pros and cons. Since I opted for a satin finish, I'm not sure if a ceramic coating would add a gloss finish on top. Since there's about 10 coats of Autoflex on top of the factory paint, there's really no need for any other coating on top of it. It protects the factory paint just as well.

Autoflex is a professional spray on, peel-able auto paint, much like Plastidip but with many enhanced benefits, like longer lasting, more durable, and feels and looks just like real auto paint. If you run your hand on my car, you can not tell it's not factory paint. And if I want to remove it, it takes about 30 minutes to peel it off, leaving the factory paint exactly as it was before.

The difference is that Plastidip is a DIY product you can do in your garage or driveway for a few hundred bucks, and get pretty good results. Autoflex OTOH requires a professional auto paint booth, high-grade paint guns, and a full body suit and breathing mask to apply. Also, there's A LOT more prep, since you don't want Autoflex getting into the car, they have to mask off (seal) the entire frunk and trunk areas. It also takes longer to dry and apply multiple coats. Of course, the cost is higher since the labor costs are much higher than the same car sprayed with Plastidip.

My car has XPEL on the hood, fenders and side mirrors, and you can apply Autoflex right on top of it.

I'm happy to answer any other questions people may have about Autoflex.

 

[NewTMSMan]

Did you do this yourself or have it done. If you had it done can you share cost and where?

 

[HankLloydRight]

Did you do this yourself or have it done. If you had it done can you share cost and where?

I did not do this myself... Autoflex really requires a professional paint booth facility and someone who knows how to properly dip a car with Autoflex. Due to the additional chrome delete, this total job was $2,600. Without it, it's more around $2k. Here's where I had it done: Pro Dipper NYC

Here are a couple of low-res videos of the process:

Prep work:

Applying the black base coats:

 

[HankLloydRight]

The other thing I wanted to add, was that the chrome delete takes quite a bit more prep, because as you see above, everything is masked off, and they spray the primary color. Then they have to wait for it to dry, and then reverse mask off everything else just to do the chrome delete in matte black.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Here's a video that shows the peeling process.

 

[Inside]

Your car looks amazing. I'd love to get that done on my next car -- even the same color you chose.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Thanks!

 

[P85_DA]

Wow that is great price ! That is basically a front wrap + ceramic cost ...I didn’t realize cost was competitive what’s the plans on the trunk trim piece ? Black out ? Or leave as is ?

 

[HankLloydRight]

what’s the plans on the trunk trim piece ? Black out ? Or leave as is ?

I'm going to leave the rear "TESLA" appliqué and the rear diffuser chrome. I like the 'stock'/classic look of the chrome on the rear. I like having just a little bit of chrome on the rear as well as the front (next to the fog lights).

I took the two close up photos (below) of the Maserati Blu Inchiostro (left) and the Autoflex (right).. and while they were taken with different cameras, in different light, and the Autoflex has a satin finish, I think we got the color and pearls pretty darn close!! (Which, by the way, you can't do with vinyl wraps.)

 

[NewTMSMan]

That's a pretty amazing match and it looks great.

How are you dealing with door jambs and other less external areas?

 

[paixim]

Great work! I am looking to do the same thing with a different product called Raail coating. Have you considered that?

Also, I noticed that you have a pre-facelift car and you have chosen to dip side skirt / rocker panel but not the rear bumper (the bottom piece right behind the wheels). How well does Autoflex stick to texture plastic? Did you sand down side skirts before they are sprayed? Close-up pictures will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Litigate28]

That looks unbelievable. Can they basically do that in any color?

 

[HankLloydRight]

Great work! I am looking to do the same thing with a different product called Raail coating. Have you considered that?

I haven't heard of Raail before, but it looks just like Plastidip. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually is an white-label Plastidip product. Seems to use the same pigments and glossifiers, etc. If it's not Plastidip, it's something very similar and an inexpensive DIY product.

Also, I noticed that you have a pre-facelift car and you have chosen to dip side skirt / rocker panel but not the rear bumper (the bottom piece right behind the wheels). How well does Autoflex stick to texture plastic? Did you sand down side skirts before they are sprayed? Close-up pictures will be greatly appreciated.

Yes, that was intentional. The side-skirts are sprayed all the way down, even though in the photos it looks like the very bottoms are unpainted. It's just how the shadows are falling there. The rear bumper skirt is not sprayed. That also was intentional to keep the back 'stock'. Autoflex sticks very well to these surfaces, I never had a problem with it on my P85+ (see first post). I'll try to get some close up pics later.

That looks unbelievable. Can they basically do that in any color?

Yup. Pretty much any color you can imagine, they can mix and match.. and then add gloss, satin, or matte finishes. You an also blend different pigments, pearls, hypershifts, and "juices" to create new colors never really seen before. It's essentially an unlimited color/pearl/finish palette. With vinyl wraps, you're limited to the fixed selection of wrap colors and finishes produced from the manufacturer.

Here's a rabbit hole of what's possible with Autoflex and/or Plastidip: DipYourCar

 

[paixim]

Thanks. When I looked at AutoFlex earlier, it's not legal in CA and I had to look at other alternatives. Trying to do my side skirts and rear bumper in solid white without removing them from the car.