DIY: Let's Plasti-Dip the OEM Wheels!

[Maximus_Prime]

Okay kids, DIY time. How to Plast-Dip your shiny 1M wheels.

I've been on the fence about whether to get black wheels for my 1M. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of pictures of VO 1Ms with black wheels on the web. Plus, in my experience, photos never do a good job of depicting what black wheels look like in person. So I decided to Plast-Dip my wheels to get a better idea how they'd look.

For those that aren't familiar with Plasti-Dip, it is a synthetic rubber coating that can be sprayed onto most surfaces. Once it dries it forms a thin rubber coating. Depending on how many layers you put on, the coating can be very sturdy and resistant to scratches. The beauty is that once applied, a Plasti-Dip coat can be easily removed by simply peeling it off. It comes in a variety of colors and can be found for $6 a can at your local hardware store. Do a search online and you will find that people have "Dipped" just about anything you can imagine.

Items Needed:
- 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
- Something to lift your car off the ground (floor jack, etc.)
- Something to hold your car off the ground (jack stands, etc.)
- Something to take your wheels off the car (17mm socket)
- Something to clean your wheels (soap, sponge, etc.)
- Somewhere to spray your wheels (front yard, garage, etc.)
- Plast-Dip (at least 3 cans)
- Spray grip (optional)
- Painter's tape (or masking tape)
- Xacto knife (or any small blade)
- Tweezers

Time needed:
- 3 hours (4+ if you are meticulous)

Directions:

STEP 1 - Get your car off the ground and onto a good set of stands. I only had two jack stands so I worked on the wheels one axle at a time. For the front wheels, I lifted the car using a racing floor jack on the front jack-point under the engine. I then placed a 2-ton jack stand under each of the plastic lift supports behind the front wheel wells. I covered the top of the jack stands with old t-shirts to protect the plastic lift supports. For the rear wheels, I lifted the car via the jack point directly in front of the differential cover.



STEP 2 - Take the wheels off the car and give them a really good cleaning. I used a microfiber sponge and some car soap (Meguiar's). Make sure you dry the wheels thoroughly before moving onto the next step.



STEP 3 - Move the wheels to a shaded area, remove the center cap, and mask off the parts of the wheel that you don't want covered in Plast-Dip. I masked off the valve stem and the ///M logo. The ///M logo was a pain to do - I found that the easiest technique was to use tweezers and a sharp blade to cut around the logo. As I will explain later, you will have to mask off the ///M logo after each coat so you will eventually get really good at covering it.



STEP 4 - Get out the Plast-Dip. I bought a handy $3 spray grip attachment so that I wouldn't have to keep the spray nozzle depressed and also so I'd have a little more control when spraying.



STEP 5 - Spray on your first coat. Keep it light! The first coat should be approximately 50% transparency. Don't go nuts yet. The Competition wheels are tricky to spray because they have a lot of angles. I found the best technique was to spray the outer edge first, spray the inside edge next, then spray each individual spoke, and finally spray the sides of each spoke. Walk around the wheel and face each plane that you are spraying. You can optionally spray the rear of the wheel as well, though I opted not to.



STEP 6 - Spray on additional coats. I sprayed 4 coats total, waiting between 10-20 minutes between coats. Important note: you have to remove the tape from the ///M logo immediately after you spray each coat (i.e., while it is still wet) and then re-apply the tape on the logo before spraying the next coat. If you instead wait till after all the coats are dry to remove the tape on the logo, you could potentially start peeling off the Plast-Dip surrounding the logo as well (since it would be all one contiguous layer of rubber). It is a pain to reapply the tape so many times, but as you can see the results are pretty good.





STEP 7 - Wait for the Plast-Dip to dry off. I left the wheels out for an hour before I removed the masking tape and re-installed the center cap.



STEP 8 - Reinstall the wheels on your 1M and admire your work. That's it! I suggest letting the wheels dry for a solid 3 hours before you take the car out for it's inaugural ride wearing its upgraded shoes.







It's hard to tell from the photos, but the Plast-Dip does have a slight texture to it. That may be because I sprayed the wheels outside and dust settled on them in between coats. The only way to avoid that is to spray the wheels in a dust-free environment.

Also, FYI, there will be some overspray on the inner barrel of the wheels if you only spray the outside of the wheel. It's not a big deal because the over-spray peels right off, but if you're a perfectionist then you may want to spray both sides of the wheel - or at least mask off part of the inner barrel to protect it from overspray. I personally liked the overspray because it has a fade effect and thus isn't visible when the wheels are installed.



All in all, I'd say that the wheels turned out pretty nice. There are a few imperfections here and there, but I honestly don't mind. I know I'll get some flak from folks that think you can only put fancy $7,000 bling bling wheels on a 1M, but I'm actually pretty happy with the results. I now know that the car looks great in person with black wheels and I'll be keeping an eye out for sales on a good aftermarket set. In the meantime the Plast-Dip will keep my OEM wheels looking fresh (and protected too).

[Sheil]

Pretty sick man! I wonder how long it'll last! Do you reckon high pressure wash won't disturb the rubber when cleaning the car?

[b33g33]

Not bad at all! The color looks good on VO.

I'd nee to go a light gray or gunmetal on my BSM if I did this.

Thanks for the write-up and the pics.

[ESC OFF]

Love it... I used Plasti-Dip on the front spears on my Cayman 3 years ago and the look just as good as the day I painted them.

I want to see someone Plasti-Dip their entire car next!

[EINSER M]

great DIY as plasti dipping becomes a great option for the 359Ms

[Em/1]

Nicely done! I'd never have the balls to be the first to try, but they look great in the pics.

[OrangeCrush]

Nice, I might get the Avant Garde 359M in black. Can't beat it for 1000 bucks.

[Adam135]

Looks killer. You can always have them powder coated at a later time.

[ESC OFF]

Originally Posted by Ian///M

How do you remove it if you want to go back to OEM finish?

You can peel Plasti-Dip right off of smooth surfaces.

[M///1rider]

I did this on my 1M over the winter. Its horrible to take off if you dont spray and coat it on right

[Papethova]

Originally Posted by M///1rider

I did this on my 1M over the winter. Its horrible to take off if you dont spray and coat it on right

Elaborate please.... I have never found it difficult to remove but I have never done wheels.

My plasti dip arrived yesterday and Ill be doing my wheels smoke sometime soon.

[Adam135]

I've heard you have to put a thick enough coat or it's harder to remove.

[Papethova]

I remove single coat overspray pretty easily in one piece off metal

[Sheil]

Defintely would like to see pics of the Smoked wheels! That was the color I was looking into!

Show us!

Originally Posted by Papethova

Elaborate please.... I have never found it difficult to remove but I have never done wheels.

My plasti dip arrived yesterday and Ill be doing my wheels smoke sometime soon.

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by Ian///M

looks very DIY IMO ...rather pay to get painted by a pro

+1

Just what my expensive BMW wheels need, and nice heavy coat of plastic from a spray can.

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by Ian///M

looks very DIY IMO ...rather pay to get painted by a pro

Originally Posted by MrRoboto

+1

Just what my expensive BMW wheels need, and nice heavy coat of plastic from a spray can.

Geez guys! He said he only did it so he could get a feel on how black wheels look in person.

[wkndwrrr]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

Geez guys! He said he only did it so he could get a feel on how black wheels look in person.

Not only is plasti-dip a cheap way to see how parts would look a different color; I guarantee you they wouldn't know it was plasti-dip if you didn't tell them.

[flavush]

Nice job, your wheels look nice...

I've Plastidipped my chrome window trim: http://flavionet.ch/Flavionet/Fotos/...PlastiDip.html

How many cans did you use?
You think the wheels will survive a tire change?

I'm thinking to plastidip them too.


PS: Would it not be easier, if you remove the //M logo and put it on after you have plastidip the wheels?


Best regards
Flavush

[M///1rider]

Originally Posted by Papethova

Elaborate please.... I have never found it difficult to remove but I have never done wheels.

My plasti dip arrived yesterday and Ill be doing my wheels smoke sometime soon.

Sorry Pap, its very time consuming to take off.

Id coat it on a couple times because if their thin coats its not as easy to peel off.

Im still have trouble getting it off till this day, we all clean our own rims and you know how many spokes there are. Its even worse pulling pasti-dip off them haha.

[MrRoboto]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

Geez guys! He said he only did it so he could get a feel on how black wheels look in person.

I suppose so. Good idea for a quick look so long as it is easy to remove.

[Gtrain]

if you guys were curious on people plasti-dip for a whole car check out dipyourcar . com

[Maximus_Prime]

Thanks for the responses folks. Hope you all found the tutorial useful.

As I said, for me this is only a temporary change. Not that I'd hate on anyone who decided to do this permanently. Like wkndwrrr pointed, I doubt most folks would be able to tell that these are not powdercoated anyways. There a few imperfections here and there but for the most part the finish is very smooth and solid.

For those asking, I don't have first-hand knowledge on how sturdy the Plasti-Dip is or how easy it will be to come off. This is my first Plasti-Dip application and it appears to be really durable. I researched this issue pretty thoroughly before I sprayed my wheels and it seems like the stuff is pretty durable and also pretty easy to remove if applied correctly. I have seen numerous videos of people showing their Plast-Dipped wheels still looking new after several months or even a year. I've also seen people spraying their Dipped wheels with pressure washers and not causing any issues. And you can find a lot videos of people easily peeling their Plasti Dip right off.

The product feels and stretches kind of like a balloon when it comes off. I can see the overspray being somewhat problematic to remove since it is not part of a contiguous layer. I can also see how it would be a pain to remove if it was a thin layering. I definitely suggest putting at least 3 coats on just to ensure you get a good thick coat. Not only may this help when you remove the stuff, but it will also provide better protection for the wheels.

I'll post a follow-up message with impressions when I finally do remove the Plasti Dip from the wheels. Hopefully it comes off easily.