Protecting our paint - Is plastidip the answer?

[NovA ProspekT]

Up here in New England, the trails are usually a little tight and overgrown with brush, I've already got a few really nice scratches along the sides and even roof(!) of my truck. With summer just about here, all of the brush will be growing out again, patiently waiting to ruin my paint.

So, I NEED something to protect my paint, mostly from small twigs and light brush. As of now, I'm considering completely dipping my truck with ~8 coats of OD Green Plastidip, given the fact that it will be relatively easy, simple and inexpensive to apply, touch-up and remove. I understand it wont hold up to being dragged against rocks or branches, however that is not a requirement for my application. I figure the total cost should be a couple days of my time and somewhere around $300 - $400 for materials. I will be "blacking-out" my wheels, grille, badges and rear bumper as well.

Does anybody have any experience with dipping a whole truck like this? How about the durability? Are there any better options for protecting my paint?

I'm just looking for some thoughts/advice/better ideas before I commit.

Thanks.

[Will]

Plastidip works better the thicker you put it on but I don't think it will hold back limbs. It will rub and start peeling itself. In reality against normal brush I would say a good hard wax would protect it better. I've driven mine through the woods and don't care, it's looks like it but it's not permanently scratched by limbs and brush. They leave a ton of marks but you can wipe them off with your finger.

[OffroadTreks]

Plasti-dip has a tendency to stain when you get mud on it. Had rims and hood done on older vehicle and once it got dirty, even though you could wash it off, it left stains in the plasti-dip.

[Will]

I plastidipped my bumpers and pushing a 1"-2" pine tree over will rub it off.

[04Ram2500Hemi]

Take a look at adeluca73's build thread. He had his truck coated with this stuff: http://opti-coat.net/content/52/opti-co ... ating.html

[MoparToYou]

I use 3M Clear Bra on my truck. It prevents scratches and you can't even see it on the truck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5vPbwez1kk

[fbenross]

I think there are a lot of cool trails out there that you just can't go down w/o getting scratches. Mine is all scratched up. You can't protect the paint effectively. I was wondering if I could tell my insurance co. I got lost on a bad trail...and get a free paint job ?

[MOPARManiac]

This thread makes me think of having a Viper and never going over the speed limit. We have Power Wagons, they are meant to go off road and get scratches.

[Will]

This thread makes me think of having a Viper and never going over the speed limit. We have Power Wagons, they are meant to go off road and get scratches.

Hahahhahahaha

[gtomike60]

Mine is covered in scratches top to bottom,front to back.
Shows everyone it's not a mall cruiser.lol
99% of them will buff out if I decide to do it,anyway.

[nts007]

It's just paint. Powerwagons are not meant to be pretty trucks. Besides. Every scratch and dent is always a good story.

[TommyG]

Mine is covered in scratches top to bottom,front to back.
Shows everyone it's not a mall cruiser.lol
99% of them will buff out if I decide to do it,anyway.

This is the reality. Running a tank like ours down 'Jeep' trails you are going to get scratched. Wear them with pride.

[Bigskyguy1976]

The Arabs use a really interesting spray can product to protect their paint when driving across the desert. It sprays on in a pinkish/ vomit color but wears like iron. They power wash it off when they reach their destination. I'm not sure what it's called but a google search will pull it up I'm sure.

[Bigskyguy1976]

The Arabs use a really interesting spray can product to protect their paint when driving across the desert. It sprays on in a pinkish/ vomit color but wears like iron. They power wash it off when they reach their destination. I'm not sure what it's called but a google search will pull it up I'm sure.

Oops... my mistake. It's not rattle-can applied

I've seen it on a zillion vehicles while in the desert over there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUNKinp4GUM

[fbenross]

The Arabs use a really interesting spray can product to protect their paint when driving across the desert. It sprays on in a pinkish/ vomit color but wears like iron. They power wash it off when they reach their destination. I'm not sure what it's called but a google search will pull it up I'm sure.

Oops... my mistake. It's not rattle-can applied

I've seen it on a zillion vehicles while in the desert over there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUNKinp4GUM

It is Vomit - from dodging Hellfire Missles.

[bstefanic]

I used spray paint the first time to get rid of my chrome. After 3 years or so of fading I tried plasti dipping to freshen everything up and absolutely will not be doing it again. It always looks dirty after getting mud on it regardless of how much you wash it. My truck is covered in scratches and dirty 3/4 of the time but it is super irritating when I actually get around to washing it and all the plasti dip parts still look horrible. Once I get a chance everything is getting sanded down to bare metal and spray painted again

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Will]

I used spray paint the first time to get rid of my chrome. After 3 years or so of fading I tried plasti dipping to freshen everything up and absolutely will not be doing it again. It always looks dirty after getting mud on it regardless of how much you wash it. My truck is covered in scratches and dirty 3/4 of the time but it is super irritating when I actually get around to washing it and all the plasti dip parts still look horrible. Once I get a chance everything is getting sanded down to bare metal and spray painted again

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

I liked my plasti dip but I rarely wash my truck, like once a year wash it so I didn't notice if it got stained.

[Stickman]

I used spray paint the first time to get rid of my chrome. After 3 years or so of fading I tried plasti dipping to freshen everything up and absolutely will not be doing it again. It always looks dirty after getting mud on it regardless of how much you wash it. My truck is covered in scratches and dirty 3/4 of the time but it is super irritating when I actually get around to washing it and all the plasti dip parts still look horrible. Once I get a chance everything is getting sanded down to bare metal and spray painted again

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

I liked my plasti dip but I rarely wash my truck, like once a year wash it so I didn't notice if it got stained.

Same here, I live on gravel so my truck rarely gets washed, just isn't worth the time investment when it looks the same after 1 or 2 days.

[NovA ProspekT]

Thanks for the comments everyone, looks like I'll be researching the 3M offerings a bit further, as there is only 1 certified OptiCoat dealer in the state and they want around $1000 to apply it; seems to be great stuff, but for my application it doesn't look like it would be worth it. The main reason I am considering PlastiDip is that it should, at the very least, act as a "sacrificial" coating, which can be touched-up relatively easily and inexpensively.

I'm looking for something to protect mainly against light brush, the occasional large limb/branch/etc can be dealt with easily enough in other ways. I'm not really concerned with maintaining a "showroom" finish; my paint, as it is right now, is far from perfect and I already have a few deep scratches running the length of my truck from my off-road adventures. I DO off-road my truck, at the same time I would like to protect my paint as much as possible and avoid unnecessary damage; the two are not mutually exclusive, it's the same reason I have skid-plates and rock-sliders.

Ditto on washing the truck, I am surrounded by dirt roads so trying to keep my truck perfectly clean is an exercise in futility.

[adeluca73]

The opti-coat does work well to protect against light brush & the standard limbs that crowd trails. Where I hunt in upper Michigan, I tend to drive my PW down old fire break trails to get in deeper instead of hoofing it like we've done for years when everyone drove stationwagons back in the day

There's plenty of stripes, but most buff out w/ light polish, those that don't, don't bother me. I don't wash my truck for most of the fall & winter except the occasional touchless wash after a heavy snow to wash off the gross Ohio salt, & try to keep it clean in the summer, mostly to keep off the bug carnage--my #1 peeve. I'm having my front/rear bumpers, bug guard, grill sandblasted & Line-X 'd this summer--that way I can power wash off the bugs & not worry about trying to keep the chrome polished.

[Will]

This is a years worth of plastidip on chrome and finally a deer at 68mph put the icing on the cake. Note, we have lovebugs down here, all the little specks where the plastidip is gone is where those little buggers ate through the dip...

[Will]

Here are some pictures of when I first did my trucks trim and wheels. I just used the rattle cans.