Painting your car might be the most obvious way to change its color, but it isn’t the only way. Options like a vinyl wrap and Plasti Dip give owners an easier and less permanent way to customize their car. While I’ve painted several cars, I wanted an option that was not only easier to apply but also easier to maintain, but I had no idea just how easy it was to Plasti Dip my own car. It’s so simple that almost anyone can do it at home.

It’s easy to prep

I’ve gotten many cars ready for a full paint, and the process is time-consuming at the least. Rather than having to sand down the surface as you would with paint, simply remove plastic trim and gaskets and anything you don’t want to mask off with tape. Simply wash the car with a soap that would remove any oils and waxes, like dish soap, and wipe down the surface with a degreaser to remove residual waxes that could prevent the Plasti Dip from adhering.

For my Lotus Elise, this whole process, from the start of prep to moments before spraying, only took a few hours. Starting late on a Friday afternoon, my car was ready to drive by Sunday night.

What you’ll need

Unlike painting a car, you can buy everything you need to Plasti Dip your car at home in a kit. These kits come with a spray gun for applying the product and a handheld compressor for air supply. Along with the materials you will need to mask off the car, such as plastic, tarps, and tape, you won’t need anything else to do the job. That means it can be done in your garage without a large financial investment of tools like air compressors.

Because you don’t need to sand the surface of the car to prep it, that also means you don’t need any specialized sanding tools or sandpaper, which really cuts down on the cost of materials.

Care and maintenance

The after-care and maintenance for the Plasti Dip is a major reason why I had chosen this option over several others. It means a quick, easy wash, with no reason to buff or wax the paint for as long as the treatment is applied.

What makes the product even better is that I can go with a crazy color that I don’t want to commit to painting my car, and when I get sick of it, I can pull it off and return to the original color of my car. While the Plasti Dip is applied, it will also protect the paint underneath.

“One main difference however is the entire time your car is dipped, the OEM paint is being shielded from road debris, UV rays, etc.”

Fonzie, Owner of DipYourCar

Overall, applying the Plasti Dip to my car was an incredibly easy process. Although doing it at home could be intimating, the process was incredibly easy to do, and the results turned out incredible.