DIY Chrome Delete with Plasti Dip

[hdAge]

Two things.. first, I bought the car used and it already had the XPEL on the hood, fenders, and mirrors. I surely wasn't going to remove it for the Autoflex.

Second, XPEL is 4 to 8 times thicker than Autoflex, and offers much greater protection from road debris and other hazards. XPEL is 8.5 mils and AF can be between 1.2 and 2.4 mils depending on application. XPEL Ultimate Plus can also be "self healing" from minor scratches and damage.

My car was side-swiped in a parking lot last year, and deeply scraped up the XPEL on the front bumper (see below). Autoflex alone would not have survived that kind of damage and likely the factory paint also would have been damaged. I would have had to peel and repaint (factory) and re-dip (AF) the bumper.

With the XPEL, I just got some standard auto scratch remover and a cloth, and buffed out 95% of the scratches before putting on the Autoflex. You could barely tell it was there and the factory paint remains unaffected.

So yes, AF does provide good original paint protection, but nothing like XPEL or the other film based PPF products. And the XPEL still offers the same protection underneath the Autoflex. AF just ads a tiny bit more.

If you already had the XPEL then it makes sense to just keep it. As far as thickness, AF can be quite effective depending on the number of coats, in my case I specifically pushed for atleast 15 coats and so far it has handled rock chips and debris quite well (of course I maintain it regularly too). As far as that side-swipe, yeah that looks deep. How many coats of AF did you have? I do agree XPEL might be better, but costs several times more than AF Sprayshield.

 

[Morgank6]

Its pretty much the same way as plastidip, just that they recommend to paint in a well contained environment, so I had it done by a authorized Autoflex dealer here in socal.

Who was the Autoflex dealer you used in So Cal and how around much did it run? I was considering autoflex for my AWD order, either the sprayshield or possibly a color change.

 

[hdAge]

Who was the Autoflex dealer you used in So Cal and how around much did it run? I was considering autoflex for my AWD order, either the sprayshield or possibly a color change.

Calidips in Oxnard is the best. I tried others around the greater LA area and simply not good.

 

[HankLloydRight]

If you already had the XPEL then it makes sense to just keep it. As far as thickness, AF can be quite effective depending on the number of coats, in my case I specifically pushed for atleast 15 coats and so far it has handled rock chips and debris quite well (of course I maintain it regularly too). As far as that side-swipe, yeah that looks deep. How many coats of AF did you have? I do agree XPEL might be better, but costs several times more than AF Sprayshield.

Yeah, I'm not suggesting that anyone go do both, they both offer good protection. I don't know how many coats, but it took 6 gallons of AF to get the finish I wanted/got. And I'm a big fan of AF as anyone... but I don't think even 15 coats of AF still comes close to the thickness or overall protection provided by XPEL Ultimate. And yes, XPEL is much more expensive and more of a permanent PPF solution.

 

[Morgank6]

Calidips in Oxnard is the best. I tried others around the greater LA area and simply not good.

Cool, thanks. I went to their website and asked for a quote.

 

[motoxfreak]

looks very nice at a great savings.

 

[YNOT3]

KFORE, Plastidip is a good solution but does not last long and specifically is not susceptible to weather conditions, fortunately you have it on a EV car else it is also not gasoline resistant.

Plastidip is more than fine for this application. there are literally tens of thousands of people that use it on wheels and holds up for years. Also do you really spill gasoline on your window trim in your X5? If so, a simple solution would be to use the full service option at filling stations. While not perfect, they will most likely not spill on your window trim. (no guarantees)

 

[warrior15r]

I didn't spray in the folded position yet. Plan on doing that this week. If the handles don't fare well over time, I'll just vinyl those.

Have you sprayed the mirrors yet in the folded position? Can you show how it turned out folded vs unfolded?

 

[S3XY]

Has anyone tried matching their MCR Model 3 with Plastidip or AF? I want to do my handles this way. If that's not possible I'll probably just settle for black.

 

[jdcatc]

After receiving quotes upwards of $1,000 for a professional vinyl chrome delete, I decided to do my own with 2 cans of black plasti dip, some masking tap, and a few garbage/plastic bags. Total cost: $35. Total time: 6 hours.

Most of the effort is in the masking of the car, which took about 4 hours of total effort. I was being extra careful (probably too careful as plasti dip is very forgiving), and it was fairly tedious. It wasn't hard, just... time consuming.

The biggest tip I can give if you're planning on going the plasti dip route is making sure to apply the right kind of coating. I kept hearing to put super thin coats on to prevent streaks and runs, and while that is good advice, I took it too literally. I put pretty thin coats on the driver side and it ended up making me put 8 coats on for things to look nice.

For the passenger side, I decided to put thicker coats on, and after the 2nd coat, everything looked good. I put two more coats on for good measure, but this method proved to be much quicker and I got less texture. You don't want super thick coats, but thick enough that the trim is quite wet but not pooling up.

I also did the handles, which came out really nicely, but we'll see how they hold up with a lot of use over time.

Anyway, here are the results...

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Let me know if you have any questions! I'd be happy to answer anything and help people save a ton of money on this. Also, if you've done this yourself, any updates on how well it holds up?

 

[jdcatc]

Pictures look nice. I am getting a white M3 in the fall and would love to have this done. I don't know if I trust myself to do it. I'll be looking for someone in Virginia or close by for assistance.

 

[jdcatc]

Pictures look nice. I am getting a white M3 in the fall and would love to have this done. I don't know if I trust myself to do it. I'll be looking for someone in Virginia or close by for assistance.

Model 3, not a BMW oops.

 

[CATTACK]

@jdcatc im also in Virginia and picking up my Model 3 soon. Im in NOVA if you are as well let me know if you find anyone offering reasonable pricing.

 

[jdcatc]

@jdcatc im also in Virginia and picking up my Model 3 soon. Im in NOVA if you are as well let me know if you find anyone offering reasonable pricing.

I am! I will be picking my car up in Tyson's. Tesla says Sept - Nov.

 

[jdcatc]

I am! I will be picking my car up in Tyson's. Tesla says Sept - Nov.

All American Paint protection in Rockville looks like a place to go check out, but then again the "do it yourself" route would be forever cheaper.

 

[CATTACK]

@jdcatc im also picking up in Tyson’s, August 12th is my delivery date

 

[slade037]

I am! I will be picking my car up in Tyson's. Tesla says Sept - Nov.

I plan on wrapping the chrome in brushed black vinyl. The only worry is the mirror. We'll see how that goes. Congrats on joining the NoVa Tesla Fam!

 

[foolzrulz]

Have you sprayed the mirrors yet in the folded position? Can you show how it turned out folded vs unfolded?

Yeah please tell us how it turned out to be. I am in between plastidip or vinyl chrome delete by a pro. Would definitely want to go Plastidip if it lasts long plus its damn cheaper. Has anyone had any experience how this lasts with extreme hot temps. I live in Texas btw.

 

[SethCat]

Looks great!

I just finished spraying my whole car (I sprayed my Model 3 with a custom blue Liquid Wrap). The chrome didn't turn out so well on the window trim and door handles (got some lifting when removing the masking), so I'm in the process of wrapping in vinyl myself. It's about $80 in materials. The window trim has been fairly easy. The door handles a little harder (to get nice corners), but they feel more durable than the spray wrap. I'm still not sure how I'll do the mirror arms though - can't find much information about wrapping those with vinyl. Worst case, I'll try spraying those again.

 

[slade037]

Just finished Part 1 of the Chrome Delete. Bought 2 pieces of 3M black brushed vinyl. 12"X8' and 5'x3'. Spent about $100 on vinyl. I would highly suggest buying knifeless tape. It made the process so much easier. And you don't have to worry about cutting into the paint by accident. I still have the mirrors to take care of. Still trying to figure out how to tackle that. Let me know what you think!

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