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Plastic coat the stock fender flares?

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by Mack Safari, Jul 14, 2020.

  1. Jul 14, 2020 at 4:08 PM
    #1
    Mack Safari

    Mack Safari [OP] New Member

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    So I just bought a white 2020 Tacoma and am already thinking about a few mods. I just orered some black round nerf bars which I think might look pretty cool,but was thinking about something else that I would like some opinion on. I saw a couple YouTube vids where they colored the fender flairs with something called "Plastic coat". Looked pretty cool on video but never heard of or used it before. Has anyone done this before? How durable is it? Would suck if its something that's going to crack or peel.
     
  2. Jul 14, 2020 at 4:13 PM
    #2
    ssd2k2

    ssd2k2 Well-Known Member

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    Plasti Dip is a pretty popular product. You can paint pretty much any part you want and if you don't like it the "plastic" paint peels right off without damaging the original paint.
    You should get about 2-3 years out of Plasti Dip before needing to recoat the part.
    For $5 I think it's great to test colors out on your car before deciding to have a shop paint them for real.

    I personally have been using it for years on all the cars I've owned to paint badges and emblems on the car.
     
  3. Jul 14, 2020 at 4:27 PM
    #3
    Mack Safari

    Mack Safari [OP] New Member

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    Yeah, my mistake. It's called Plasti Dip.
    So your saying it peels right off no fuss no muss? That sounds great.
    So does it dry smooth or textured?
     
  4. Jul 14, 2020 at 4:38 PM
    #4
    ssd2k2

    ssd2k2 Well-Known Member

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    So far I've used it on 5 different cars and tons of miscellaneous objects without it ever damaging the underlying surface.
    It's fairly smooth, not perfect, it's a 10 foot paint job. Meaning at 10 feet away it looks great, up close you can see slight imperfections since you can't sand between coats.
     
    Mack Safari[OP] likes this.
  5. Jul 14, 2020 at 5:05 PM
    #5
    danielgonzzz

    danielgonzzz Well-Known Member

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    Stawk as FUCK!
    I plastidipped my mirror casings about 6 months ago and looks as good as the first day. Clean surface with extremely light coats is the key. Take your time, I did 7 coats.
     
  6. Jul 14, 2020 at 6:03 PM
    #6
    Ubercod

    Ubercod Satellite Pilot

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    I've done tons of wheels and a few entire cars with a dip sprayer, like the above advice, light coats many times and you can get a pretty solid covering. There a little fuss when removing but i've removed it just by going to a DIY car wash and spraying way too close to it. Heres a few examples from my previous vehicles:

    Screenshot_20200715-013158.jpg Screenshot_20200715-013224.jpg Screenshot_20200715-013108.jpg Screenshot_20200715-013717.jpg Screenshot_20200715-013344.jpg
     
  7. Jul 15, 2020 at 12:58 AM
    #7
    VaToy

    VaToy Life Long Member

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    Please don't put that plastic shit on your vehicle.
     
  8. Jul 15, 2020 at 6:44 AM
    #8
    ssd2k2

    ssd2k2 Well-Known Member

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    Why not?
    It doesn't hurt anything and like I said it's a cheap way you can test out colors to see what you like before committing to having it professionally painted. Plus it's not like Tacoma's are show cars.
     
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  9. Jul 15, 2020 at 8:02 AM
    #9
    grumpytaco

    grumpytaco Well-Known Member

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    Does this offer any protection from trail brush scratches or does it get cut up pretty easily?
     
  10. Jul 15, 2020 at 8:18 AM
    #10
    CrazyAirborne

    CrazyAirborne Who jumps out of perfectly good airplanes?

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    The one thing I think really makes plastidip look great on emblems and blacking out trim is the glossifier. Its like a clearcoat on the plastidip and I find it looks much nicer, smoother after thats applied. I had plastidipped blacked out hood emblems last for years without chips or anything, got a new painted hood emblem and it chipped within 6 months.
     
  11. Jul 15, 2020 at 9:42 AM
    #11
    wahoobie

    wahoobie TidewaterCustoms.com

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    Perhaps offer to trade someone for black OEM fender flares? Then they get a nice factory paint and you get a surface that will never peel that you can always coat later if they get beat up. Even for a few bucks there might be some takers willing to swap 'if' yo uare willing to deal with that effort for a prime finish.
     
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  12. Jul 15, 2020 at 9:53 AM
    #12
    danielgonzzz

    danielgonzzz Well-Known Member

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    Stawk as FUCK!
    Considering the plastidip would take the scratches on the surface and protect the paint that is under, like wax it won't protect your truck from a gouge from say a large tree branch.
     
  13. Jul 17, 2020 at 5:26 PM
    #13
    brandon78lusch

    brandon78lusch Well-Known Member

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    Go with the OEM flares.
     
  14. Jul 17, 2020 at 5:35 PM
    #14
    Kevin Jones

    Kevin Jones Well-Known Member

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    I believe the above bolded tells you all you need to know about it's durability.
     
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  15. Jul 17, 2020 at 6:12 PM
    #15
    mutely

    mutely Well-Known Member

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    it’s got it’s uses yes, but people mainly use it incorrectly and worse constantly recommend it’s use incorrectly. If you want something permanent this is NOT the best (or even a good option). If you want to see what something looks like painted, and pull it of in a few months / weeks then yes it’s fine for that.
    This shit doesn’t stick permanently and that’s it’s strong point but also it’s weak point the way many use it. Most people recommend sanding to make this stuff stick. That IMO is the dumbest thing ever. If you’re sanding your wheels / flares / bumpers to make this stuff stick, then you’ve already fucked up your OEM finish and need something permanent. If you want permanent you should use a real paint since it has way better adhesion than plastic dip and also has a lot tougher finish done correctly.
     
  16. Jul 17, 2020 at 8:33 PM
    #16
    jmauvais

    jmauvais Received 2 votes in a poll one time.

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    ...stuff
    OR fenders are black plastic, not painted
     
  17. Jul 18, 2020 at 5:57 AM
    #17
    Heyitsclint

    Heyitsclint Well-Known Member

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    My TRD OR had black flares and I traded with a guy that had a sport. We both left happy. Check that thread. You will be happier with oem on such a big part of your truck's appearance.

    There is nothing wrong with the plastic sprays as far as damaging the underlaying paint, but it will be quite noticeable that you took a short cut. It's some time and a few bucks for the stuff so try it out and see if it is your deal. Maybe just do one first. You can probably paint it right on the truck and not even remove the flare. It is up to you, but I would give it my Peyton Manning impression and "Pass".
     

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