Just completed my first modification on Judy: plastidipping my winter wheels white!
Here's a quick rundown of the procedure and the costs:
- Used 15" DAI alloy wheels : 190$ on Kijiji (I was very patient and found just the right model for my car)
- 4 cans of white Plasti Dip: 50$
- 4 hub centering rings: 20$
- Installing/balancing winter tires: 60$
TOTAL: 320$
Step 1: Clean the wheels thoroughly. I cleaned them using car wash soap and used multi-purpose cleaner to get all the hard to reach gunk. It did the trick.
Step 2: Let the wheels dry. They need to be perfectly dry, otherwise the plastidip won't stick or could bubble.
Step 3: Cover the tires to avoid having to peel/clean overspray on the tires. In my case, the wheels were in garbage bags, so I just cut a hole and used painter's tape to seal everything.
Don't forget the valve covers!
Step 4: Apply multiple coats of plastidip on each wheel. You should need about 1 can per wheel. Let it dry 15 minutes between the coats. You should also wear a mask when using plastidip. There are multiple tutorials on YouTube showing you how to do this right.
When I did it, it was 6 degrees out and my garage is detached and not heated, so I kept the cans in the house to make sure they stay warm. Apparently, plastidip doesn't do well when its cold (in French we would say "ça fait des mottons").
First coat (above) and final coat (below)
Step 5: Remove the tape and plastic bags and enjoy the result!
It took me about 2 hours from start to finish to clean and dip all 4 wheels. I really like the result and it looks really good on the Micra. We'll see how long it will last, but what's great with plastidip is that I can always peel it off and respray the wheels if I want to change the color or just redo them.
Next step: installing the mud flaps! I got them a week ago, now I just have to find the time to install them...