Plasti Dipping my stock 17" Wheels Anthracite Grey

[aaronj1159]

So I recently bought the gel overlays for the center caps of my wheels to match the overlays I have on the front and back of my 2013 FFH. You can see them on my stock 17" wheels here:

 

 

However, I wanted to make these pop. With a little research and a photo posted in the galleries by a fellow member on this forum, I decided that I'd rather plasti dip my wheels than get a brand new set of wheels that aren't designed for hybrid use. The pictures I saw initially had people using black dip and either leaving it matte or putting glossifier over top. That looked really good on some exterior colors, but I wanted a little different on my Bordeaux Reserve. I went for an Anthracite Grey Metallic with a gloss finish. See the comparison between the dipped rim and the unmodified version:

 

 

And the finished side view in a different light angle:

 

 

And finally some closeups:

 

 

 

 

 

I went for 4 coats of Anthracite Metallic dip and 3 coats of glossifier over that. It looks fantastic, adds virtually no weight to the wheels, and is completely removable and does not negatively affect the OEM wheels in any permanent way. So if at any point I get tired of it or want to change it, I just have to peel it off! I know this is easy to do because I screwed one wheel up and had to redo it. All four wheels took me maybe 3 hours to do, barring mistakes, tops. The question is how long will it hold up, but most people say they can get a couple years out of their dipped wheels. I ended up using 3 cans of Anthracite and about a can and a half of glossifier, all of which is bought from dipyourcar.com. They also have numerous instructional videos on their site if you're interested in doing it yourself, or just ask me and I'll share my experience!

[corncobs]

Well done it looks awesome. I'm almost wanna try this on my 18" luxury wheels. The RR and this black matte finish could look spectacular.

I would be afraid how it would hold up in winter with all the salt on the roads.

[aaronj1159]

Yeah I'm curious about that myself. Some people say it holds up pretty well. Even if it does get some issues down the road, it doesn't take long to redo a wheel. I didn't even remove the wheels from the car to do it, just masked off the calipers and stuff in behind the wheel with plastic. It peels right off with no issues, but it feels very sturdy to the touch after it's been dried and cured.

[Da0ne]

Should hold up I did a whole front bumper to my old car and it didnt peel at all

[acdii]

My BIL is planning to do his entire Scibox in this stuff.

[EddieWinslow]

That looks fantastic, this is the first thing I am doing to my car, as I just picked it up. I was going to go black, but this colour looks much better, I need to see the difference between it and Smoke.

where did you get the gel covers?

I am also thinking of doing the same thing to my grill in the future....

[aaronj1159]

Yeah this color fits my preference way better than black. I'm very pleased.

 

The gel overlays came from here:

http://www.dmb.uk.com/cat/35/wheel-centres

 

I believe my wheel centers are the 55mm size. You should check yourself though to be safe. None of my overlays (wheels, front and back badges, and steering wheel) have had any issues staying on.

[EddieWinslow]

I have the same wheels, as yours, so its nice seeing what they will look like when finished.

 

Thank you for the link. I didn't realize they were 11 british pounds each haha, seems pricey.

something I can look into getting later on.

[MaineFusion]

Just picked up my new 2013 FFH yesterday as well.

 

been reading in this form for over a week now, and its what drove me to purchase this over other fuel saving cars. So far been very happy with it.

 

Now to get some plastic dip to darken up those wheels.

Welcome and I'm glad you decided to join us. Now we don't have to message each other through Fuelly. :)

[EddieWinslow]

Thank you glad to be here

[acdii]

So, this plastidip stuff, it can peel right off if I dont like it? The one thing on my Flex that I dont care for is that big aluminum panel on the back door, looks out of place being so bright against all the black, and would look much better if it was smoked. Does the dip have a glossy finish?

[keithsm2]

So, this plastidip stuff, it can peel right off if I dont like it? The one thing on my Flex that I dont care for is that big aluminum panel on the back door, looks out of place being so bright against all the black, and would look much better if it was smoked. Does the dip have a glossy finish?

There are lots of options for Plastidip....Youtube is a good source......they have a pear finish that you can spray on simultaneously if you are GOOD...would make for some nice finishes.........some have reported if left on for a long time it can take off your clear coat. But yes....it is supposed to just peel right off....might be hard to get all of it on intricate surfaces.......

 

I have NO personal experience with it....just knowledge from youtube and my kids...lol

[corncobs]

Have you watched the video online at their website? There is a video with FAQ that covers the removal.

 

It can be peeled of easily as long as its fresh but as soon as its cured its a lot harder and comes of in pieces.

Based on what they show it should be a nice "fix" for you rear panel. I mean the guy plastidipped his entire Audi.

Edited September 5, 2013 by corncobs

[aaronj1159]

So, this plastidip stuff, it can peel right off if I dont like it? The one thing on my Flex that I dont care for is that big aluminum panel on the back door, looks out of place being so bright against all the black, and would look much better if it was smoked. Does the dip have a glossy finish?

Yup peels right off whenever you want. The thicker you put it on (more coats) the easier it is to peel when you feel the need to. If you want glossy, you can get glossifier to go over the finish that you dip, otherwise it's a matte finish (though the metallic dips like the anthracite I used have metallic flakes, obviously).

 

 

Have you watched the video online at their website? There is a video with FAQ that covers the removal.

 

It can be peeled of easily as long as its fresh but as soon as its cured its a lot harder and comes of in pieces.

Based on what they show it should be a nice "fix" for you rear panel. I mean the guy plastidipped his entire Audi.

Before he did his entire Audi, he just did that panel behind the doors, which I think is a very similar situation to acdii's. It looked great.

[acdii]

I want a smoked look, where the metal still shows through, something prior years had with the Titanium package. Maybe I will see if that panel is available instead, or get mine anodized. If I could do a few coats clear, followed by 1 or 2 thin black coats that still show the metal, and followed by gloss, that might work.

[EddieWinslow]

i sprayed my wheels black, and they turned out great. Still waiting for the glossifier to show up.

 

word of advice as I found this out the hard way. If you plan on cleaning your rims, after they have been "dipped" don't let it soak on too long. I used a Rim cleaning foam that i have used for a while now, and it basically ate away at the plast dip, causing it to bubble up, and then it just started coming off on it's own.

So now i need to redo all my wheels again. I am just waiting for the Glossifier to come in, as I will just do it all at once this time.

[aaronj1159]

 

 

word of advice as I found this out the hard way. If you plan on cleaning your rims, after they have been "dipped" don't let it soak on too long. I used a Rim cleaning foam that i have used for a while now, and it basically ate away at the plast dip, causing it to bubble up, and then it just started coming off on it's own.

 

 

By this did you mean cleaning your tires? If you use a tire foam or spray to clean... make sure it's water based and not silicon based. The silicon based foams and sprays will indeed strip the dip straight off. Water based products should not do this. If you do want to use the silicon based ones, I would suggest wiping them on very carefully rather than spraying like you used to.

[EddieWinslow]

The foam i used was specific for Rim's, it wasn't for tires. So I think that is why it ruined the plasti dip.

[aaronj1159]

Ah okay. The plus side, at least with the dip I put on, is that I'm not seeing nearly as much dirt on my wheels now. It's a rougher surface so there might be a lot more dirt and dust actually present, but I can't see any of it.

[EddieWinslow]

My glossifier plastidip order finally came in. Hopefully will have them dipped black and have a few layers of gloss on them this weekend.

Pics will follow

[gemdc]

For a bit of contrast to the usual gray and black Plasti-Dip, here is my 2014 MKZh in white with light coat of gold metalizer on top. The gold metalizer uses the Glossifier as a base and did add some shine. Anyway, this is all in the eye of the beholder and I like the white over my original Gray and alloy spokes. I know it won't take much to chip or peel it so will try and be careful with washing it. Nice thing about the white is that it is available at local home repair stores for $6 per can. I used 3 cans of white and about a half can of gold which had to be ordered.

[acdii]

Well thats different for sure. I still wonder what my back aluminum panel on the Flex will look like with this stuff. I dont know why they stopped putting the dark panel on with the Titanium trim, it just looks off with the rest of the car.

[gemdc]

The colors are not translucent. The do have a CLEAR which does have a matte finish so it might cut the glare. I sprayed the bottom of the bathtub with clear and it made a nice no slip surface and is almost invisible.

[GrySql]

Well thats different for sure. I still wonder what my back aluminum panel on the Flex will look like with this stuff. I dont know why they stopped putting the dark panel on with the Titanium trim, it just looks off with the rest of the car.

How about a carbon fiber look back there with Plasti-Dip. You can always peel it off when it is still fresh.

 

Or, Water Transfer Painting?

[hybridbear]

Very cool! I hadn't seen this thread before until now.