M3 with plastidip all over it

S

Scottwax

New member
A guy called me over the weekend to look at his E46 M3. Apparently, when he was out of town, his brother decided to plastidip the whole car white. The owner of the car has been able to get it off most of the paint, the problem is the areas around the lights (which will have to come out to access all the crap in the seams) and the rubber trim. Some of his trim is in good shape and Optimum Power Clean at 3:1 removes it. But the trim that is weathered and dried out, not so much. Not sure if the best course of action would be to try and clean it or simply cover it up with something that will make it black again. The owner wants to keep costs down so investing a ton of time into cleaning is out if there isn't a product that will quickly remove it from the weathered trim, so any ideas on what might work (if anything) or a product suggestion to simply cover up the white with something that will permanently blacken it. He told me his budget is $200, said he also wants it detailed. Well for $200, that won't happen, just looking for a way to remove the plastidip quickly so adding on a basic detail won't go grotesquely over budget. A detail shop said they could do everything (plastidip removal and a detail) in 3 hours and would charge him $65 an hour ($195) so I guess that is where he is getting the $200 from. I explained to him that odds are the shop will rush through the detail as quickly as possible when they realize removing the plastidip will end up taking longer than they thought and I prefer to be more realistic in what it will probably take to remove everything and then how long a proper basic detail will take.



I'm guessing the owner really doesn't know what it costs to detail a car because he was stunned when I told him that just the exterior, based on all the buffer and spider swirls he had would realistically be in the $500-750+ range to completely remove. A conservative guess on this car to remove all the plasticdip properly and then do a real inside and out detail would be pushing $750-1000 and I don't think he is interested in paying even remotely close to that. But if anyone has any ideas who to handle the plastidip on the weathered/dried out trim so maybe I can at least get his car into somewhat acceptable shape and not more than double the $200 he initially talked about, I'm all ears.
 
I'd personally just Plasti-Dip over it with black Plasti-Dip. You can then use a trim dressing on the Plasti-Dip and it looks pretty good.



I wonder if you could try gently standing the weathered pieces of trim or would that ruin the texture of it?
 
You can see how it looks here: http://www.autopia.org/forum/click-brag/138347-full-paint-correction-then-some-*56k-beware*.html



I'm also going to Plasti-Dip the trim below a co-worker's windows on his Dodge Magnum today or tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.



Seeing those prices makes me sigh. I've been charging friends a co-workers only $150 for a wash, clay, 2-step correction, full exterior detail, and interior detail. And they often baulk at that price! lol



I'm glad I just do this for fun and not for a living at my prices! lol
 
Exterior Trim Restore or Exterior Trim Repair.

By ValuGard at valugard.net and you may see the training video on how it is applied, etc and well as see a couple of the TSB issued for it's use.

Lasts for years, and one kit will do 30 to 50 vehicles.

Only product of it's kind that is required in vehicle manufacturer's tech bulletins, etc for warranty repairs due to their engineers having tested and approved it.

Grumpy
 
Just follow the directions, do the cleaning as stated in the instructions with the New Car Prep and it will adhere for years.

Grumpy
 
I didn't realize that actually dyed the trim. That might be a good solution in this case because the white Plasti-Dip has a plastic trim-like texture to it anyway.
 
Allow me to clarify.

The main deposit of the Plasti-Dip must be removed first.

The "staining" left behind is ok to coat over with the ETR kit.

ETR uses an acrylic/latex emulsion for the black ColorGard and the same emulsion is what the very important UVGard uses as it's resin system as well, just a good percentage of UV blockers in it, without the black pigment.

Not applying the UVGard will not allow the system to hold up, it must be used.

May be a bit "shiney" for a week or so after application of the UVGard, but that will settle down to a factory, satin finish in short amount of time.

Grumpy
 
I understood that concern. However, when a solvent is used, and if there is "texture" to the trim, a residue will be left behind and that is the concern. "How to return the trim to a nice black finish that will last?"

That was my take on this.

Grumpy
chrisguga said:
Ron, I asked for the clarification because I believe the whole problem is the removal of the Plasti-Dip from the trim.
Click to expand...
 
chrisguga said:
Ron, I asked for the clarification because I believe the whole problem is the removal of the Plasti-Dip from the trim.
Click to expand...



If the trim is already in bad shape, the Plasti-Dip can probably be removed with a Scotch-Brite pad first, followed by the ETR treatment to keep it from deteriorating further.
 
Thanks for the info! I'll run it by the owner of the M3 to see what he is really willing to pay so I know if I even want this job or not.
 
The thicker the plastidip is, the easier it is to remove. I've done many grilles, lips, mud flaps, and 2 roofs. It can take hours upon hours to remove thin layers of plastidip, but a thick layer on the roof takes a minute or two to remove.
 
Also, if you have trim that's stained from polish etc. but is otherwise in good condition, plastidip it for about 3-4 months and then peel it off. You will find the trim is like new again as long as a buffer didn't warp it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top