Should I PlastiDip My Car?
 

So i have a 2000 Lexus ES300. It's color is Black Onyx two-toned with grey on the bottom.Unfortunately the paint has seen better days. The previous owner really burnt through the paint with his rotary polisher which he clearly didn't know how to use.:sad: It would look great if it just got repainted, but unfortunately that is something that i cannot afford. I love the way the car looks with black glossy paint, but it's losing its shine. I'm thinking about eventually (in a year or so) plasti dipping it matte white, or two toning it matte white and grey. What do you guys think? Is it worth it since the car is so old? I'm a college student, so i plan on keeping it a while. The guys over at dipyourcar.com have a professional car dipping kit for around $300-400 that's a "Do It Yourself" job. If I end up dipping it, this is where i will buy from. They have some great instructional vids on how to do it. Either way, i think matte white would look fantastic on this car. Matte black would look rather bland i think. Let me know what you guys think.

go for it if it;'s something you're willing to spend money on to try out. Just be careful of application, watch out for overspray and apply thin and evenly in layers to reduce orange peel. Get a paint gun rather than doing it with rattle can.

good advice from jetfire, i would however, buy a can and test it on a test spot, reason is because ive heard that the texture isnt very smooth, so i would test it and see how you like it before committing to the $300 kit. unless you have already seen it before and like it then the white would look pretty sick :)

I have seen pics of many plasti dipped cars and white seems to look the best on any car. I think the reason is because you cant really see reflections on white paint, so it looks as though it was painted with a fresh coat of new paint. Also, i think if i plasti dip mine eventually, i'll go two tone with a white top and maybe a silver or grey bottom layer. I'm bound to plasti dip the car eventually (in a year or two) since my clear coat is failing, and i think that for around 300 dollars, it's about as good as it gets. The kit actually includes the spray gun that the people at dipyourcar.com use to do thier professional paint jobs for customers. So it would work just fine.

a two tone would be interesting to say the least, a little bit of old school.

How does that stuff hold up to washing? I'm guessing a pressure washer is out of the question? I've used it on other things before and it peels off fairly easily. I don't see how you can have it on a vehicle and still be able to wash bugs and bird crap off without damaging it?

Washing wouldn't be a problem. I've ran thru a touch less car wash multiple times. If you keep a safe distance using a pressure washer, you'll be fine. I had mine till earlier this year and lasted 2 years total till I peeled it off.

Just be cautious not to use any kind brush.. That'll scrub it right off.

seyelabrev is absolutely right. Washing it shouldn't be a problem. dipyourcar.com has a video on YouTube showing how to use a pressure washer on plasti dipped paint. Its very safe as long as you don't use aggressive wash methods such as scrubbing or rubbing the plastidip.

Here's a video of a plasti dipped white Lexus IS250 that was washed with a pressure washer.

Wow I had no idea it was that durable.


He used the foam brush in the video. Is that not advisable?

FWIW, my coworkers car has held up fine for well over 1.5yrs now. Little pinholes around the wheel wells, but for the use and cold brutal winters it's sees up here I was very impressed.

The application is key to get it right, if some time is spent on one panel vs. the next you'll be able to spot there is a difference in thickness or runs. Mind you, his WRX is fluorescent orange, so it may be more evident.

I was going to do this to my ES, but with a gloss finish. Never got around to it though.

It's probably not something that anyone with plasti dip should do regularly. (Maybe if your extra careful) Over time it could ware out the plasti dip or peel it. You especially don't want to use that foaming brush on a painted surface as it will scratch the crap out of it. People put that thing on the ground, then put it back up. I think the best way to clean a plasti dipped car from what I've seen is to use a foaming gun, then rinse with a pressure washer. If you don't have a pressure washer then using a garden hose sprayer should work just fine.

That foam brush doesn't come near my car. I see people using the squeegee on their paint before they run their cars through the auto-wash and I just cringe. Might as well grab a handful of rocks and scrub it down with that first.

I used a spray gun opposed to a rattle can, and probably applied 5-7 coats of it. To be exact, I used 2 and a half buckets of matte black colored plasti dip (on a black based color car). If you decide to do white plasti dip, it might take a little more since your base color is black. Just be aware to spray places such as mirrors equally and the area under the rear bumper since it was a HUUUUUGE PAIN to remove lol. Good luck!

I would not.

I've heard that bird crap doesn't sit well on plasti dip. Can anyone confirm.

Westopill,

What ever happen? Get the kit yet or still thinking about it? Saw your other post today with the wheels...

For washing a dipped car, I use 2 synthetic chamois (the absorber) - one for washing and I the other for drying. I mentioned on your other post if white dip, you would want to use a base color such as silver or gray.

I've had my IS300 dipped about 2 months using DuraDip.
DuraDip is made for automotive applications...Higher temp, UV protection to resist fading, smooth satin finish.

My IS300 was dipped with DuraDip Topaz blue with custom dipped bronze wheels.

i would go for it man !

I'm probably not going to dip my car for a while. Maybe in a year or so when i have more money. I am going to dip it for sure, it's just a matter of time and money.

Around what price range was your whole dip job? Did you do it yourself, or have someone do it professionally?

I have heard a little about bird droppings on dip and what it does. I searched around on Google to see what i could find and there are a few people who said that the droppings would come off, but they would leave behind a yellow stain. That was on their white dip though. I'm sure that if this happened, it could be touched up.

Westopill, I hear you man. Anytime you want to talk dip... Please feel free to reach out.


This was not DIY. Had a professional installer do this. The price range is about $850 ish for mid 4dr full dip with wheels.

They made a video on this job...


You can click on the youtube link above for the vid. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

That's so cool! It's awesome that the people who did the job made a video of it. And 850 isn't a bad price. For sure beats paying more than my car is worth for just a paint job that'll lower the value of it. Personally, I'd probably do it myself just for the experience.

In my opinion $850 is way too high for a Plastidip job. The materials are cheap and application is super easy, especially for anyone with a jot of sprayer experience. You can get a real paint job for $850.00. The entire point of Plasti Dip is to pay less then a regular paint job, as it is only a temporary solution, materials are cheap, and auto body paint skills are not required. I think PlasticDip is a great option for you. I would only get the kit if you plan on re-dipping in the near future, want to do other cars for friends and family etc.. otherwise, I would just buy the PlastiDip without the kit and have it sprayed by someone with a sprayer that has some experience. You could easily get a professional sprayjob done between $300.00 - $400.00. Do the rims yourself with a rattle can. I am going to get my sons 2003 Civic done soon for $300.00 professionally done. I am also going to repaint my 2000 ES300 Platinum edition the original onyx black for the top portion but I am going to plastidip the lower current gray portion in matte black along with the grille and trim. I am also debading except for the Lexus symbol on the trunk. I will do the rims in PlastiDip Aluminum Metallic. White is the last color I would choose for PlastiDip given all the color options and the cool mate and metallic finishes available. I would also not go two tone looks dated imo but that is personal opinion.

If it wasn't oil based I'd be okay with it. I would only want something that will come off easy when the time comes, and even with a good coat of wax I just can't see plasidip thinned with naptha or ?
Being any good for the clear coat. Now if it was a nonharsh water base that shouldn't hurt a thing.
I for one don't like the idea of water base anything in paint. If its not dry super good it can blister in freezing weather. But for a simple protective coat of a vinyl or plasidip it would be great.

This might be a better option.
http://paint-wrap.com/

I have not heard of paint wrap but will check it out. Plastidip will not hurt the clear coat the secret to plastidip is applying at least 5 coats for removal. I just removed a ultra thin job on my sons car done via a craigslist special. I sprayed on some goop off and power washed it off in about an 1 1/2hrs. Would have been easier if it was done with a higher pressure power washer and in warmer weather.

If you want to plastidip a badge or a grill surround (like I'm planning to do soon), go for it!
I plastidipped my "awd" badge red on my is250 to create a bit of a unique look... Its been on for almost a year now thru all the seasons and has been fine.
I did use about 6 coats on that small awd badge, so you may want to stock up on a bunch of cans if you're planning on doing more than that :cool: