deadfission

Dudes/Dudettes,

I've been talking about matting my C for quite a while into a vibrant red color. I've always looked at having it wrapped because the quality seems to be really good on the wrapping, however, I've noticed that some professional companies have popped up that Dip cars really well. I know rattle can dipping can look like total sh*t but some of these real dips look pretty good. Can anyone comment on what their thoughts are on this?

If so, good shops to get it done in the ATL area.

-Eric

vtune

I've seen this discussed many times. Plastidip does not look as good and is not good for your paint but it is much cheaper. You probably won't get a "vibrant" color with a dip either.

deadfission

Just as a reference, this is the color I'm looking for and where the "professional" dip idea spawned from.

http://www.wrappedworld.com/matte-re...m3-plasti-dip/

supernova_inc

I would be hesitant on doing a whole car in dip. Sure emblems or maybe a grille because they are easy to reapply from chips and blemishes. Just my 2c.

dchl21

pls don't dip your whole car. wrap if anything

chrisridebike8

I have dipped my winter wheels. The stuff is pretty tough and is easy to peel (if done correctly) when you want to go back. I am considering dipping my Lexus when it's all done so that it's protected at the track (obviously walls will still kill it) and I can easily/cheaply redo the front bumper when necessary. Wrap looks better if you aren't using any of the pearls or metalizers. If you dip your car, make sure it's nice and clean and has a good coat of sealant before shooting the dip. It makes it easier to peel later.

MaroonC63

I personally hate how "cloudy" dip gets. I looked into this myself and decided to wrap. You can find a person to wrap for 1500$ if you pay the wrapper himself outside that shop. Mb's wrapper re-did a bad wrap job for me at home, paid him directly for half the price the shop itself was asking.

ChrisD63

You are actually not supposed to seal or wax the surface before dipping. DipYourCar states that you should remove any waxes prior to dipping so that it doesn't affect the paint underneath. I knew of a person that dipped their entire car and sealing it the night before caused issues to the paint underneath.

deadfission

Sounds like wrapping is going to be what I do. I'm going to assume that 3M has the best quality vinyl for this type of application? Has anyone had any good results with other brands?

alexmtl

I'm quite curious to have experiences on dips as well. I'm interesting in protecting my car for the winter only, so wrapping would be overkill.

Overspooled

get it wrapped. smooth finish and nice quality look to it. Dip can be done well but you will get a rubber texture and in sunlight it will show the different layers. That's my opinion though.

emoving

Not sure where everyone gets their opinion from but I had my Black Toyota Tundra dipped flat grey for about 14 months. Peeled it to sell and the guy could not believe how shinny the truck was! My paint was perfect underneath plus no stone chips from the oversized wheels. Here is a pic after it was removed. Did the bumpers and grill for him as he wanted it all black as opposed to grey and black.

chrisridebike8

Just looked it up on dipyourcar.com. You are correct. I was mistaken

edwardsflight33

I had looked into the dipping last year, but your post made me curious again. Came across this video. Very interesting.


Skip to 6:30 if you don't wanna listen to Fonzie.

Kriston

Wrap all the way,

The plastidip "can" look good, takes a decent sprayer and some time. The Wrap is more consistent and you have a myriad of colors to choose from. Alot more choices then plasti-dip.

Remember - If you get pulled over with a color changed car, and its not on your registration, expect a ticket. Don't ask me how I Know, I was in court 3 times for it with my BMW. I had it wrapped almost 4 years ago (before the fad came about) it was cool back then. But now its all over the place. Just another trend for the most part.

velosdesignwerks

I would go with the wrap. It has a much cleaner look and overall lasts longer.
Here's one of our clients C63 with a matte blue wrap.

edwardsflight33

^ This. I love that blue and black combo. Seriously debating doing something similar if I can get a good deal somewhere.

w204nyc

You wont get a ticket because plasti dipping is not a permanent color change, therefore you dont need to change the color on the registration or insurance. Sources: 3 cop family member and sister in law who works for all-state. These laws might be different in other states!

edwardsflight33

I'm figuring Kriston was in court fighting the ticket stating that. The cops aren't going to believe you on the side of the road. I'm sure they'll go a head and right you that ticket and let you fight it in court to get it to go away. Shoot first, ask second.

w204nyc

Well if you plasti-dip it, once you open the doors or hood, he will see the color of your car. Plasti-dipping isn't done on the inside door jams so your original color will be there.

Kriston

Here in Toronto they don't care if it was reversible or not. Your car is not the same colour as the registration.

The judge told me on 3 separate occasions that it must be removed or change the colour on the registration.

The police when they pulled me over didn't know what I was talking about when I told them it was a "wrap job". This was some time ago and not many cars if any had the wrap on here. Perhaps they have become more lax now because these colour changes are everywhere.

Either way its just my personal experience, all 3 times it was a fix-it ticket. I had to go to court to prove it was reversible. Even then the judge didn't care. I got out of 2/3 tickets. 1 stuck and I had to pay a 110 dollar fine.

Jen1170

I've done whole car dips myself and it comes out wonderful. The trick is to get a good gun and take your time masking (I cant stress that enough! Although if you get the dip some place it shouldn't be it's easy to take off)

Dip is a wonderful paint protector, keeps your paint looking fresh. It's easy to peel off, easy to put on, easy to change. I can't recommend it enough. I'm doing my C63 this color next week:



It also works great on rims, but don't do your calipers, it's not made for that. My last dip was on for over 7 months (and is still on now) And it was the first dip I ever did on anything. That's how easy it is. Don't use the spray cans, don't use a compressor gun. USE an electric air gun, the one dipyourcar.com uses works well, I got mine at Home Depot for like $100.



My car was red, and you can see the red when you open the door, but I liked that. If you don't like that, you can plasti dip those areas, but honestly it's more trouble than it's worth imo.

Check out the dipyourcar.com forums, they have a ton of awesome info. I'd never pay for a wrap, but that's just me. Wraps look great, but they're over priced imo, but if you're not a do-it-yourselfer dipping probably isn't for you. That being said I would never pay anyone to dip my car either, because it's incredibly easy to do yourself, unless you want some fancy designs done or something.

I've never been pulled over or questioned about the color of my car by the police either. If they pulled me over for that, or mentioned it because I was speeding or something, I would literally just rip the plasti dip off on the spot, if they were going to give you a hard time about it.

This is all just my opinion I want pics no matter what you decide to do!

Jen1170

O also, you can get any color you want in dip, and you can mix and match. I made a pink/purple combo and sprayed it on an ipad for testing, came out great.




Mix and match, matte, gloss, satin, chameleon, holographic, metallic, pearl, the list goes on! Also I did the STi in one sitting, I justed a compressor gun on the first side and it took 4 long grueling hours. I went out and bought an electric air paint gun and the other half of the car including the back and roof took me an hour. I did 5 coats and have peeled some of the back off to show people, and then just touched it up when I got home. Also if you get a ding in the dip you can touch it up so easily and quickly. In my case since it was matte black, I just touched it up with a spray can.

If you decide to go this way and you need help or advice let me know!

Here's a dip one of my friends did (he does it professionally):