If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t spend as much time keeping up with your car’s appearances as you should. That means when it comes time to get going, detailing can take several hours. Sure, you could spend thousands of dollars on paint correction and ceramic coating or even a vinyl wrap, but those aren’t always the most budget-friendly options. Traveling for car shows and events means my car gets pretty grimy no matter what I do, so I set out on a mission to find the best low-maintenance option to make my car look as nice as possible without breaking the bank. What did I land on? Plasti Dip.

What is Plasti Dip?

Plasti Dip is a spray-on coating that covers your car, also known as a liquid wrap. It can be easy to apply with the right technique and instructions, and there are several companies that sell kits for a reasonable price if you want to give it a shot at home in your own garage. Plasti Dip is a rubberized coating that can protect your car’s paint from debris, swirls, and UV ray damage, and it’s also a great option for changing up your car’s color without having to repaint.

Is it Plasti Dip low maintenance?

Plasti Dip is a great option for car owners who don’t really want to worry about maintaining their car’s paint but still care about their car’s paint. In truth, keeping your car properly detailed and waxed is time-consuming, and it’s not a commitment everyone can make. Plasti Dip not only protects your paint as it completely covers it, but it is also much easier to maintain. We reached out to Fonzie at DipYouCar to see just how simple maintaining a Plasti Dipped car is:

“When applied correctly, dip is super easy to maintain.  Best practice would be hand washes using our DYC DipWash soap. It can be power washed up to 2500 psi, and we have tons of accessories from dip-safe bug removers”

Fonzie, owner of DipYourCar

Why I chose this option over a wrap

Owning a black car in Florida can be a nightmare, especially during lovebug season. It’s constantly covered in bugs, watermarks and shows just about every bit of dirt. When it came down to it, I was just sick of having to wash my car every week. My first choice is the more common option of getting my car wrapped. A vinyl wrap is one way to change your car’s color without repainting and protect the paint underneath. This option was not only more expensive, but it also requires the paint to be in perfect condition, which meant wet sanding and paint correcting so that no imperfections would be visible under the wrap.

Well, that’s what I was trying to avoid in the first place, and the paint on my car is far from perfect. Small chips in the paint would ruin the appearance of the wrap, and if I had to go through all of the steps to get the paint in good enough condition to make a vinyl wrap look nice, I might as well just ceramic coat it and call it a day.

But, I wanted to change the color of my car, protect the paint underneath, and not have the hassle of weekly detailing. With a bit of research, I discovered that Plasti Dip really is the best option for low-maintenance car ownership. No special washing method required, no avoiding the dreaded swirls caused by soft-touch car washes, just a quick rinse and shampoo, and my car looks ready for any show or day at the track.