I sprayed my Model 3 with a custom blue Liquid Wrap

[SethCat]

Yes, this is a little crazy, but I thought I'd share anyway for those that may be interested.
Last night I finished up my first liquid wrap attempt on my Model 3. If you're unfamiliar, liquid wrap (ie. plastidip, proline, autoflex, raail, etc) is a spray-on wrap that can be removed (similar to a vinyl wrap). You can go to a professional installer or do it yourself (depending on the type you choose). Depending on how well it's done, it can look horrible or amazing (as good as vinyl or OEM paint).

I used DipYourCar.com "Proline" Matte liquid wrap (which is a medium skilled DIY level spray wrap) to do my car in a custom matte blue color with matte black accents. The car is originally Midnight Metallic Silver. The overall cost of the "paint" was about $400 and the sprayer system was about $400. After some miscellaneous items (ie. tape, cleaning supplies, etc) the cost was probably around $900 and 2.5 days of work. The cost to change the color in the future would be around $400-$450.

I had a few screw-ups on the chrome and mirrors (minor runs and lifting when removing tape) so I'm working on removing the wrap on the chrome and doing it in vinyl instead for better durability. Not reflected in the photos, but I've already re-wrapped the door handles and one mirror cap in 3M satin black vinyl and hope to complete the rest in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.



P.S. - I was too excited to take a picture that I forgot to peel the wrap from the fog lights. I'll be doing that soon.

 

[SSedan]

Looks pretty good love the matte blue.

 

[mongo]

Nice color.
Along with the fog lights (which you mentioned), the ultrasonic sensors will likely need uncovered (if you notice problems/ get errors) along with the front fender cameras (unless you don't have EAP).

 

[Fusion]

Funniest thing is I saw this same color M3 in Carlsbad a month ago. Now to find the picture I took of it.

 

[P85_DA]

Good job ! What sprayer did u use ?

 

[SSonnentag]

It looks really great! How durable is it compared to protective wraps?

 

[SethCat]

Funniest thing is I saw this same color M3 in Carlsbad a month ago. Now to find the picture I took of it.

Yeah, there's one in that area. We're going to meet up eventually and compare the wrap to the liquid wrap.

 

[SethCat]

Nice color.
Along with the fog lights (which you mentioned), the ultrasonic sensors will likely need uncovered (if you notice problems/ get errors) along with the front fender cameras (unless you don't have EAP).

So far, no issues with any of the sensors and autopilot works great still.

 

[SethCat]

Good job ! What sprayer did u use ?

I used the advanced sprayer from dip your car. It's a minimum requirement (to get good results) with Proline. It came out decent. I could of gotten if even smoother, but since it was my first time I was worried about getting runs so I didn't spray as wet as I could have to get it even more smooth. With that said, it's not as rough as plastidip would have been.

 

[SethCat]

It looks really great! How durable is it compared to protective wraps?

It's hard to say. It's durable overall in the sense that it took me a while to remove the wrap on the fog lights. I have to rug with a plastic knife for about a minute to get all the way through to the base to unwrap them. With that said, it's a little soft too so I don't know that it's comparable to PPF. It does offer some protection though - especially with scratches.

 

[FlashDrive]

Looks great from here! Wanna do my car? I'm in San Diego, so its only half in jest that I ask.

 

[SethCat]

Looks great from here! Wanna do my car? I'm in San Diego, so its only half in jest that I ask.

Thanks!

I really wish I had the energy to help other people. Unfortunately, the amount of work makes it hard to want to work on someone else's hah. I'd be happy to give tips though on things I could have done better.

 

[SSedan]

The opportunity to learn from other people's mistakes is a huge advantage.

 

[forkee]

That is beautiful! I'm getting my car wrapped a similar blue next week. glad to see how great it looks with that combo!

 

[scrapps]

Nice! Have you thought about using ceramic pro to increase the durability?

 

[Struja]

That looks amazing. You did a great job. I'd never dare try something like this myself because it would end up looking like a 5 year old did it.

 

[SethCat]

Nice! Have you thought about using ceramic pro to increase the durability?

The verdict on coatings isn't clear. Most have no effect since the coating will just be absorbed and have no effect. There's "dip coat" that you can put on after washing it that makes it smoother to the touch and resist water. So, we'll see how things go.

 

[BLKMDL3]

I put Carpro Hydro2 on my wheels that I dipped, works great. Try on test patch before doing whole car. for dip use 1:7-8 dilution.

 

[usofrob]

It looks great!
I'm considering a DIY wrap. But, this might be better and/or easier. I ordered the black paint, because I didn't like any of the Tesla colors.

 

[SethCat]

It looks great!
I'm considering a DIY wrap. But, this might be better and/or easier. I ordered the black paint, because I didn't like any of the Tesla colors.

If you haven't done vinyl wrap before then this should be significantly easier since vinyl wrapping can be pretty difficult (despite what youtube videos show). If you end up going this route, feel free to reach out with any questions.