havent gotten under it to look yet but is it easy to remove all the plastic pieces around the bottom of the car? around the wheel wells, sides, and front/rear bumpers.

i want to do this because in several spots the plastic is starting to fade and turn white

Also i have been looking at allot of plasti dip threads, but does it really peel off leaving no trace, if you decide to remove it?(i plan on doing my wheels to)

 

I have an 05 MCSa and mine are like new. All you have to do is keep the polish off and use a UV product to pertect them from the sun.

 

Plastidip is easy to remove. Simply pull it up using your finger nail or a razor blade if necessary to get an edge up and peal the rest away.

I sure hope you're not thinking of plastidipping the plastic trim you mentioned. There's no need to do this. If you're trim is sun drenched to the point it's not black but looks more gray, all you need is some Black Wow. Get a bottle of this from your favorite auto detail supply store, and generously apply it to your trim. Let the trim soak it up and you'll see the nice black color return.
http://www.showcarsupplies.com/bw/

 

I want to try some of that Black wow!

But as for the plasti dip peeling off without a trace, yup! if you mess up or don't like it, its pretty easy to get off, it peels off like a rubber glove.

 

I had a couple of white areas on my wheel arches, but they were due to me not being very careful when I waxed the car with carnauba wax.

I took some regular peanut oil and rubbed it in real good with a terry cloth and actually did all of the black trim pieces. Let it set for about an hour and rubbed it all off. White spots are now gone and the black trim looks good.

 

I'll have to try this peanut oil, if that doesn't work then the black wow, if those don't do it im gonna plasti dip them.

thanks for the response guys!

moreoeless why did you try peanut oil?

 

I was actually thinking about plastidipping my black trim. I have a dark silver MCS with a white top and I thought about plastidipping the trim and wheels white. Is there any reason I wouldn't want to use plastidip on the trim? I've never actually used it but I'm going to go to the store in a little bit and buy some so that I can compare the shade of white to the roof. I do want to be able to peel it off so if you think it's going to stick to the plastic then I may just do the wheels.

 

Plastidip is not durable, it can chip very easily! So on the black trim? I wouldn't, use some plastidip on some various things or items to see what plastidip actually is. It's not actual paint, it's a rubber like material when it dries. For example, I have my headlight trim, door handles, gas cap, side scuttles plastidipped. Every 6 months I have to redo the headlight trim and door handle just because it starts to peel off, or chip. In my opinion plastidip is just for small odds and ends that you won't mind having to touch it up once in a while to save money buying a vinyl wrapped ect. And, it is reversable if I ever wanna go back to chrome, and it actually preserves the chrome. I have heard about people doing there wheels, roofs. I mean, I can't see how it can hold up but go for it. For example when i'm washing my car, once a week, okay maybe more than once , I am careful when using high pressure water around the areas of my plastdipped areas, because it just may start to peel if I hit it hard enough. Just me.

 

I'll pass on a tip I received from a professional detailer after the black parts of my MCS was looked at.

Only use water based products on black plastic trim pieces.....He said other products will prematurely produce this cloudy milky white residue these black parts eventually get anyways, just speeding up the process......

The Plastic MINI trim pieces have various types of clips on the underside which may break off and are only avail from the dealer. If you remove them new clips should be on hand so you dont lose these parts on the highway.

Yes, plastic dip spray works great. I had that on my chrome parts until Aesthetic Creations molded black trim pieces arrived Not gonna work well on the black plastic though. You would be better off sanding the pieces, priming, sanding and painting them black.

I removed the PD with paint thinner. Came off easily by dabbing some one with a cloth towel, wait a minute to soak in, then wipe it off with same towel with little more thinner.

 

My 2cent-
All my JCW plastic trim I had sanded primed & painted. Having the waxed look is awsome all one color. Having tried the dip on A spare part last week prepping it correctly I will never do it to anything but a tool.

** It's your project so do what you think cool is!! ! **

 

If you follow the instructions the plastidip will hold up very well over time. My headlight rings have been done for well over a year and the only bad spot on them is from bird poop. But the longer is stays on the harder it is to take off.


And will everyone please stop putting this stuff on their wheel! There is a thing called powder coating you know.

 

Oh yeah, and I'm sure there would be no problem in doing it to your arches. I've thought about it too.

 

I agree, my headlight rings,chrome grill, and fog light covers are plastidiped, living up here in MA, our cars see a lot of abuse, especially in the winter with salt and whatever they use on the roads, just a few very small, pinhole like size spots that can very easily be touched up.

As far as the plastic trim, i would try any other NON-SILICONE based application to restore the plastic to its new-looking self. Silicone is terrible, and if you ever plan on painting that surface, it can make for a very horrible experience. If you do decide to plastidip, im sure with good prep, the textured surface should lead for a stronger bonding area than the other smooth surfaces people have done.

 

If I was in your shoes, I would put a good shot of Dawn dish soap in a bucket of very warm water and start scrubbing on the trim. If Dawn can take the wax off your MINI, it would be worth a try on your trim before you proceed to a plan B. Good luck.