Before we put the deposit down for our Model S, we knew from the very beginning that our eventual build would have a stealth theme: blacks, grays, and matte tones. The final config joined Steel Gray with the black turbine wheels, which made for a very sleek, masculine look. The only problem we had in achieving a completely stealthy theme was something we couldn't choose as an option: Those pesky chrome pieces.
So what's an enterprising Model S owner to do? I came up with four plausible options:
Option #1: Live with the chrome pieces and let a part of my soul die
Option #2: Spray chrome pieces on the car w/ Plasti Dip
Option #3: Spray chrome pieces off the car w/ Plasti Dip
Option #4: Wrap chrome pieces in matte vinyl
Once we took delivery of the car, I realized Option #1 was something I wasn't capable of doing without losing my grasp on my sanity.
Rinsed before working on trim:
Option #2: Spray chrome pieces on the car w/ Plasti Dip
I’ve seen Plasti Dip recommended over the years and thought I’d give it a try. At worst, I could always peel it off. I masked off the area around the driver side mirror housing and gave it three solid coats. Once the side mirror trim dried, I noticed that the Plasti Dip was peeling around the edges where the side mirror housing met the door’s frame and near the edges around the mirror. Without having clean access to these edges, I was unlikely to get a solid coat. Time to start taking things apart.
Option #3: Spray chrome pieces off the car w/ Plasti Dip
I took the interior door panel off w/ a trim removal tool and proceeded to remove the side mirror housing. Now that I could reach around the edges of the side mirror unit with the Plasti Dip, I figured I’d have a much better chance of not having it lift off the trim. Even with better adhesion around the edges where the trim meets the car, the edges of the Plasti Dip along the creases near the mirror would lift with little effort on my part. This led me to my 4th and final option.
Option #4: Wrap chrome pieces in matte vinyl
The vinyl wrap worked exceptionally well. There was a bit of a learning curve to getting the film to stretch and adhere properly to the trim, but once those initial issues were overcome, it was great to work with. The Model S's side mirrors have some strange curves to them which doesn't make application any easier, but a little patience paid off and I was able to get it looking nearly perfect.
Wrapping the trim might look daunting, but if you take the time to get familiar with the materials and proper technique, it makes for a fun little project. That's not to say it wouldn't have been a thousand times easier if we had the option to choose black trim from the factory.
I still have to finish wrapping the rest of the car, and will post more pics once it's finished.
So the moral of the story is please Tesla, for the love of all that is good and holy, give us the option to order black trim. Glossy, matte, metallic, wooden, Play Doh, we don't care, just give us black trim of some kind.
The other moral is to stay away from Plasti Dip. Unless you like running the risk of having it peel, I'd go with the far more durable vinyl solution.
So what's an enterprising Model S owner to do? I came up with four plausible options:
Option #1: Live with the chrome pieces and let a part of my soul die
Option #2: Spray chrome pieces on the car w/ Plasti Dip
Option #3: Spray chrome pieces off the car w/ Plasti Dip
Option #4: Wrap chrome pieces in matte vinyl
Once we took delivery of the car, I realized Option #1 was something I wasn't capable of doing without losing my grasp on my sanity.
Rinsed before working on trim:
Option #2: Spray chrome pieces on the car w/ Plasti Dip
I’ve seen Plasti Dip recommended over the years and thought I’d give it a try. At worst, I could always peel it off. I masked off the area around the driver side mirror housing and gave it three solid coats. Once the side mirror trim dried, I noticed that the Plasti Dip was peeling around the edges where the side mirror housing met the door’s frame and near the edges around the mirror. Without having clean access to these edges, I was unlikely to get a solid coat. Time to start taking things apart.
Option #3: Spray chrome pieces off the car w/ Plasti Dip
I took the interior door panel off w/ a trim removal tool and proceeded to remove the side mirror housing. Now that I could reach around the edges of the side mirror unit with the Plasti Dip, I figured I’d have a much better chance of not having it lift off the trim. Even with better adhesion around the edges where the trim meets the car, the edges of the Plasti Dip along the creases near the mirror would lift with little effort on my part. This led me to my 4th and final option.
Option #4: Wrap chrome pieces in matte vinyl
The vinyl wrap worked exceptionally well. There was a bit of a learning curve to getting the film to stretch and adhere properly to the trim, but once those initial issues were overcome, it was great to work with. The Model S's side mirrors have some strange curves to them which doesn't make application any easier, but a little patience paid off and I was able to get it looking nearly perfect.
Wrapping the trim might look daunting, but if you take the time to get familiar with the materials and proper technique, it makes for a fun little project. That's not to say it wouldn't have been a thousand times easier if we had the option to choose black trim from the factory.
I still have to finish wrapping the rest of the car, and will post more pics once it's finished.
So the moral of the story is please Tesla, for the love of all that is good and holy, give us the option to order black trim. Glossy, matte, metallic, wooden, Play Doh, we don't care, just give us black trim of some kind.
The other moral is to stay away from Plasti Dip. Unless you like running the risk of having it peel, I'd go with the far more durable vinyl solution.
