DIY Carbon Red Plastidip on the '17 S

[SnakeDoctorTD]

The metallic properties are tough to see in pictures, but you can kind of see it around the contours of the front bumper.

Also added the Maxton Design front lip. Unfortunately, the shop I ordered from sent the incorrect side skirts, so just the front lip for now.

The bottom picture came out a little more bright red than it truly is.

 

[DerbyDave]

Needs a wax! Looks very nice SnakeDoctorTD! Did you do this or do you know a talented local shop? I would be scared to start a project like this, even if I thought I knew what I was doing.

 

[cookie99]

is there a reason you choose the plastidip way instead of a wrap? a wrap just always seemed way cleaner to me

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

Needs a wax! Looks very nice SnakeDoctorTD! Did you do this or do you know a talented local shop? I would be scared to start a project like this, even if I thought I knew what I was doing.

I did this myself. 2nd time doing a full car. I did another car of mine in January, and it was much easier. I just did the Tesla this past week, and it was sooooo hot and humid (Houston, TX). I had some rough texture (spraying too far away) and bubbles (spraying too thick) that I had to fix, but overall it came out pretty decent. Certainly learned more things to do next time. I think the heat had me fatigued, and I made mistakes I didn't make the first time. Thankfully I was able to salvage the job, and it came out solid.

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

is there a reason you choose the plastidip way instead of a wrap? a wrap just always seemed way cleaner to me

I was considering both types of products. I find that PlastiDip is a more friendly and forgiving when doing it one's self. I've done some vinyl wrapping, though never a full car, and the learning curve seems a bit more steep on it. I did OK, but was still learning how to work with the film and the tension. I know if I tried to do a full car, I'd have pull back all over the place, glue lines, accidentally knifing my paint, imperfect edges at corners, etc. For professional jobs, vinyl is a bit more pricey compared to liquid wraps. I think there are pros and cons to each product, but the finish quality definitely goes to vinyl.

Bottom line, if I felt more confident in my skills with vinyl, I might have tried it. Though I think the material cost would be somewhere around 1200+ for a similar color. This PlastiDip job cost me ~$430 since I already had the sprayer from my first job.

 

[Akikiki]

wow. wait a minute. Not wow. More like WOW !!!

 

[byeLT4]

Looks sweet! If I ever see you in Houston I'll wave or say 'hi' at the SC!

 

[Ostrichsak]

Hard to tell from the photos but reminds me a lot of 3M's Satin Vampire Red vinyl wrap which is one of my personal favorites. Looks bad ass! One curiosity I have which I can't tell from the photos posted thus far; how did you handle the handles?

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

Hard to tell from the photos but reminds me a lot of 3M's Satin Vampire Red vinyl wrap which is one of my personal favorites. Looks bad ass! One curiosity I have which I can't tell from the photos posted thus far; how did you handle the handles?

It is very similar to that vinyl I believe. That was one of the colors I was considering if I went vinyl. I will say the metallic is probably more obvious with vinyl versus the plastidip.

As far as the handles go, I previously dipped them black, and cracked the doors open to keep the handles out so I could spray all around them. Then for the inside of the handles, I'd put strips of vinyl since its nearly impossible to get good coverage in there. This time, however, I said screw it, just spray them as they are flush with the door. I was ok with the fact that while "presented" they won't be completely covered. The heat was probably another factor in my "screw it" attitude at that point haha.

 

[Ostrichsak]

It is very similar to that vinyl I believe. That was one of the colors I was considering if I went vinyl. I will say the metallic is probably more obvious with vinyl versus the plastidip.

As far as the handles go, I previously dipped them black, and cracked the doors open to keep the handles out so I could spray all around them. Then for the inside of the handles, I'd put strips of vinyl since its nearly impossible to get good coverage in there. This time, however, I said screw it, just spray them as they are flush with the door. I was ok with the fact that while "presented" they won't be completely covered. The heat was probably another factor in my "screw it" attitude at that point haha.

You know if you leave a door open the handles will stay out, right? I used this when I did my 3M Satin Black chrome delete kit for the handles. One of the big reasons I chose the vinyl route though was because I was worried about areas like the mirror and handles in terms of clearance. As it is, the vinyl catches at times when the mirrors fold so I'm not sure how plastidip would hold up given it's thicker than the vinyl. Same concern about the door handles and clearance although there's a little bit more clearance around the outer edge of the handles when they're flush but I'm still concerned about the thickness of the dip in this location. You're saying that this hasn't been an issue with the thickness of several coats of plastidip?

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

You know if you leave a door open the handles will stay out, right? I used this when I did my 3M Satin Black chrome delete kit for the handles. One of the big reasons I chose the vinyl route though was because I was worried about areas like the mirror and handles in terms of clearance. As it is, the vinyl catches at times when the mirrors fold so I'm not sure how plastidip would hold up given it's thicker than the vinyl. Same concern about the door handles and clearance although there's a little bit more clearance around the outer edge of the handles when they're flush but I'm still concerned about the thickness of the dip in this location. You're saying that this hasn't been an issue with the thickness of several coats of plastidip?

Yeah I mentioned cracking the doors open last time I did a chrome delete . I decided it was too much work this time to keep the trim taped up, while protecting the interior from overspray. Clearance wise, my handles are a-ok. No worries of anything rubbing/catching there.

My mirrors held up for a couple years before it did eventually catch and start to rub loose a little on my passenger side. Driver side was good to go. I decided to just turn off auto fold.

I don't know if the difference in thickness of dip vs. vinyl. But it would seem the real factor is more on the tolerances in these areas.

 

[P3dStealth]

Your car looks great. I don't know why plasti dip is not more popular. It's kind of a do it yourself solution to wanting a different color whenever and it's cheaper.

Did you use a kit from dip your car? I was looking at those.

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

Your car looks great. I don't know why plasti dip is not more popular. It's kind of a do it yourself solution to wanting a different color whenever and it's cheaper.

Did you use a kit from dip your car? I was looking at those.

I already had the sprayer and prep stuff from a previous dip job, so I just bought the actual sprayable products (dip and pearls) from the car kit.

I mean I get the knock on plastidip. It, as all products, has it's pros and cons. As you said, dip is a DIY product for sure. Vinyl can be, but the learning curve is a bit more steep to get similar results imo. And again as you said, price. For our car, and similar colors, I was looking at $1200+ vs. $430ish.

 

[SoCal Cal]

I just bought the actual sprayable products (dip and pearls) from the car kit.

I did my 3 white w/abalone pearls. Subtle, but looks like mother-of-pearl. I'm considering carbon red when I'm ready to change. Did you use only the carbon red pearls or did you also get black betty pearls per the kit? Thanks.

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

I did my 3 white w/abalone pearls. Subtle, but looks like mother-of-pearl. I'm considering carbon red when I'm ready to change. Did you use only the carbon red pearls or did you also get black betty pearls per the kit? Thanks.

I also got the black betty. I suppose it was meant to give it a deeper/darker tint. I would have been OK with not going with the black betty though. I decided to try and stick with what the kit had though.

 

[VegarHenriksen]

@SnakeDoctorTD; Do you have any images of the Maxton side skirts? I'm thinking about pulling the trigger. I really wish they came in real carbon fiber, but I haven't found any good alternatives.

 

[CaliSurfer]

You car looks great. I have been looking into dipping my car or at least my rims. I want to go with a matte look in a gunmetal gray.

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

@SnakeDoctorTD; Do you have any images of the Maxton side skirts? I'm thinking about pulling the trigger. I really wish they came in real carbon fiber, but I haven't found any good alternatives.

Ah sorry man, I received the wrong ones (textured vs the gloss) so I needed up returning them and not replacing. They are a simple lip that juts out from the sides though.

 

[SnakeDoctorTD]

You car looks great. I have been looking into dipping my car or at least my rims. I want to go with a matte look in a gunmetal gray.

Our cars are relatively easy to prep, mask, and spray. I'm on my 4th color now. I have a short video with tips, let me find it...also added pics of the colors the car has been.

 

[Jersey50]

Looks awesome!