Need input on plasti dip vs vinyl

[doctorweird]

I wanted to wrap my hood and roof in matte vinyl, but for a similar price I could plasti dip the entire thing matte black. I've heard that good plasti dip can last years, but I don't have experience with it. Has anyone ever dipped a whole car? How did it hold up?

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[Bluedrank]

I did my lower front bumper, and it's holding up well after 6 months. I thought about doing the whole car in matte black, but I figured it was more trouble than it was worth.

 

[zanethan]

Plastidip is no doubt one of the greatest inventions to hit the automotive hobby in decades. That being said it has its applications, for trim pieces it's great but I don't think dipping an entire car is its best use. It's very fragile and will look good for maybe a year but after that its going to start chipping and pealing. Furthermore, if you keep your car outside the sun will make plastidip brittle and very hard to remove when you want to go back. There are a lot of documented cased of dipped cars being almost impossible to peal after a year or two in the sun. There are also accounts of it being easy to remove. In my mind there is no guarantee which category your car will fall into and so if it were my money I'd go vinyl. Vinyl will last longer and will be much more resilient to rocks, bugs, and anything else your car might encounter on the road.

 

[tacocat]

I dipped and wrapped different parts of my motorcycle a few years ago and they are both still holding strong. Dip looks awesome, but it's not nearly as strong or as easy to clean as wrap. Rock chips and bugs will gouge, scratch, or stick to dip but not wrap. On the other hand though, dip is very easy to apply compared to wrap. No air bubbles, complex corners, and $6/can make it easy to overlook its shortcomings.

I plan on wrapping my fist at some point this year, it will take longer and might not lay as smoothly as dip, but the protection from wrap is what I'm going for.

 

[Outdoor_funguy]

In my opinion, a vinyl wrap is much more practical and gives awesome look to your car. My vinyl wrap project was installed by Gatorwraps and I am very satisfied!

 

[Bretley]

My buddy bought the kit from dipyourcar.com with the spray gun. He had 0 experience and it came out good and lasted around a year before he decided to take it off.

 

[Bretley]

https://www.dipyourcar.com/products/matte-black-kit

 

[allpurposeben]

My RX-8 is dipped and has held up great for +5 years. Ever person I've seen do it and have problems later was because they didn't lay it on thick enough or were careless in what they used to clean it.

The hood of my Fiesta in wrapped and I'm wholly unimpressed with its durability and how much of a hassle it was to do.

 

[GAbOS]

I have dipped many things and it's all in how you apply it. You really cannot skimp on the layers. I'm not saying you lay down all your layers at once in one big thick single coat either. Take your time and let each light* coat get tacky first before doing the next. When it does come time to peel it off, it should be the thickness of a good shop cloth. As mentioned here already, dip can take a beating just like paint but one of the most awesome properties of dip is how it self heals. Reapply the dip in the effected area in small coats, just as you first applied it, and it will bond to the old dip and self heal.

 

[STAZ15]

Not to thread jack but... I'm looking for large vinyl designs such as a storm trooper. I've seen them on show cars before just wondering if anybody has any ideas where to look? I know I know it's "ricey" but I'm a Star Wars nerd [emoji851]


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[doctorweird]

I got my decals on Amazon.

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[AzNightmare]

Plastidip and Vinyl wrap are both durable assuming it's applied properly (and it will be if done by professionals).
If the price is similar, I would take wrap over dip easily. Plastidip is inferior in every way (besides maybe being quicker/easier to apply, but moot point if you're paying a shop to do it).

Plastidip also gives off a matte rubbery surface that clings onto dirt and dust and anything else so it would be harder to clean. More maintenance is required and it will look pretty bad after 6 months or so if you don't continue to upkeep it. If you do apply waxes or other substances, you'll have to be more weary of chemical reactions on dip, where as vinyl wrap is pretty much "idiot-proof" in that regards. Treat it like your top coat on your car panels.

And when it's time to remove, vinyl wrap is predictable. Plastidip, in theory, it should peel off in one nice sheet... but who really knows if it will or will it end up ripping off in tiny bits.

 

[ATX-Fist]

Both have pro's and Con's but as long as applied right both will be remove-able.

Maintenance on Dip is easy. Scrub off with soap and water apply some spray wax and done. It will not start looking crappy after 6mo. unless you just don't know how to keep a car clean. Or use spray wax for that matter. Vinyl can have all the same issues if it is not maintained it will look crappy later down the road. Just like paint both need to be maintained.

Anyway, Either option is a good one. Vinyl has limitations as to what is made vs plasti dip you can mix and create any color you can think of.

Really it is personal choice and both will work well. Again, as long as they are applied properly and maintained properly.

Feel free to go on Facebook and look at my group Peelable Automotive Paint

 

[Outdoor_funguy]

In my opinion, a vinyl wrap is much more practical and gives awesome look to your car. My vinyl wrap project was installed by Gatorwraps and I am very satisfied!

 

[bryanmarante]

wrap it. im a certified 3M vinyl installer and nothing but good stuff by wrapping your hood or anything! #layednotsprayed #paintisdead

 

[neeqness]

To help simplify the decision, dip is good if you want to try and test out different looks (i.e.: red wheels on a black car). It is also good if you are on a budget.

Dip is so easy that it is also DIY but as stated before you need to apply it correctly for the best results. Apply it like you would several coats of paint and if you want a smooth surface for easier cleaning, apply some gloss or a wax. Since the gloss is made by dip, it may have better long lasting results but I can't speak on that since I chose not to use gloss. I wanted that matte look. If I had to do it over again though, I would use at least a coat of glos I would recommend applying at least a thin coat of gloss though regardless to retain the original color if desired.

Vinyl is the better option if you don't want DIY, know what you want, and cost isn't a factor.




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[Chops]

Funny you just brought up wheels, that was going to be my next question for all of you.

What's better for wheels, vinyl wrap or plasti dip?

I would like to change the color on a set of expensive 1552's and change it back before re-selling them...

 

[AzNightmare]

Funny you just brought up wheels, that was going to be my next question for all of you.

What's better for wheels, vinyl wrap or plasti dip?

I would like to change the color on a set of expensive 1552's and change it back before re-selling them...

PlastiDip is easier to apply for wheels just because of how complex the shape is.
That being said, if you can manage to get vinyl wrap on, like paying a shop to do it, it'll look a lot better than dip.

PlastiDip come on matte and rubbery texture and brake dust tend to cling on.