Last week I decided I wanted some of my car parts foiled matt black. Foiling is a process where your car gets covered in a sticker like material, it’s an alternative to painting since its temporary. My FJ Cruiser had some grey colored parts which I wanted to turn black but I didn’t want to paint them incase I didn’t like the outcome. So I called a friend asking for a good foiling place and he instead recommended I get the parts Plasti Dipped at a place in Shuwaikh called Ma-Fra.
Plasti Dip falls somewhere in between painting and foiling since it has traits from both. You apply Plasti Dip to your car like paint (as in you spray it), but unlike paint, when you get bored you can peel Plasti Dip off like a sticker just as you would with foiling.
I passed by Ma-Fra on Thursday and got an appointment for Saturday morning. I had also gotten some new silver colored wheels for my car which I wanted to paint in bronze so I decided to get them Plasti Dipped as well. When dropping my car off at Ma-Fra on Saturday I found out they did detailing so had them go ahead and detail my car as well since I was planning on doing that anyway somewhere else.
Plasti Dip is fairly durable as long as you don’t scratch it or peel it off. It’s supposed to last for at least three years although I’m not sure they’ll last that long on my wheels. So how did it turn out?
I dropped my car off Saturday at 9AM and ended up picking up the car the next day at 2PM all painted and shiny. If it wasn’t for the detailing I would have been able to pick up the car on the same day, that’s whats to great about Plasti Dip, it’s fast to do. The parts I blacked out turned out great and blended really well with the rest of the black plastic parts on the car. The wheels also turned out better than I expected.
If you’re wondering how much it cost, I ended up paying KD150 for everything. Originally they wanted KD60 to paint the 9 different parts of my car black, KD50 to paint the wheels (KD10 per wheel) and another KD60 for the detailing. So I basically got a KD20 discount. They also sell cans of Plasti Dip for KD4 a pop if you’re interested to do the work yourself (it’s fairly easy but the masking process is a pain).
Ma-Fra is located in Shuwaikh behind Abyat, here is their location on [Google Maps]
43 replies on “Plasti Dip Your Car”
didn’t you have a lift kit installed or was that on the wrangler?
the car looks much better now. congrats!
thanks
Wrangler had lift kit and so does my FJ. Got it installed at ORP https://248am.com/mark/kuwait/in-focus-off-road-performance-orp/
i am thinking of doing my new cars wheels (i was thinking of painting them) but this sounds better, 10 kd is nothing
however, doing the whole car pain how much coasts? (infiniti FX)?
It’s 10kd per wheel not all the wheels
definitly 10 kd / wheel….i did not say its free :’)
BTW, mark u should have done the roof as well
I like the white roof
Yeah kinda looks like Donald Trumps hair now.
:))))))))))))
Hmmm… So 90kd to plastidip a whole car sound like a great price to me. But 60 for detsiling, no.
I would love to hear the long term review of the plastidip.
And looks good too
I think it’s more than 90 to plastidip the whole car. Regarding detailing I usually pay 50-55 so the price is on the mark. That’s how much detailing costs.
Based on the post I think 100…? “Originally they wanted KD60 to paint the 9 different parts of my car black, KD50 to paint the wheels (KD10 per wheel)”
Still good considering it should last more than 2 years.
KD60 to paint the different grey colored parts around my car. To give you an idea of the size of that area, you can see 4 grey parts in the “before” picture i posted, the bumpers, front grill and mirror. I’d assume it would cost 200-300 for the whole car, maybe more?
Ahhhhh ok… I think i just slightly changed my mind lol. Thanks for the explanation, and keep us updated.
The wheels and the black plastidip looks really nice on ur car.
What about the detailing how was it? did it remove swirl marks off ur car ?
I am thinking of trying a place called autodetailing they use chemical guys products but they asked for 70-80kd.
Would love to hear your review on the topic especially if you know some good places that charge in the range of 50-55kd
Detailing was great, car looks brand new, all the swirl marks on the paint are gone plus some other scuff marks I had. Interior was completely cleaned and looked brand new from the floor to the roof.
I want to paint my wheels bronze too
thanks for sharing your experience
Looks gorgeous now after the makeover!
Can we change the color of the car? is it legal? do they have shiny and matt finish?
They have shiny and Matt and you could change the color of your car but you’d have to get paper work done
You have to re-do your car paperwork to the new color and you can only have 2 colors.
Plastidip is an excellent alternative to painting if you aren’t sure if you like the new look. I’ve had my FJ plastidipped (self) and it’s lasted 2 years thus far. Occasionally a few touch ups are required, but that’s mainly as a result of some hard off-roading.
Looks good Mark, I especially like the bronze wheels!
Looks good. My FJ is getting old though I think it’s time to sell. How long have you had yours
February it will be 5 years, it’s a 2010 model. I was thinking of selling it as well but couldn’t think of another car to replace it with except the 4runner TRD Pro which we don’t get in Kuwait. I want to stick with Toyota or Lexus because of the excellent service but both don’t offer anything I would replace my FJ with. The only other SUV I was considering was the Range Rover (not the sport) or the G Class but both of those are just too ridiculous an amount to spend even in the second hand market.
So decided to put some love back into my car. btw I just installed the new BFG T/A KO2’s and they’re ridiculous. Really quiet on the road and the new sidewall looks much more aggressive.
Mine is quite a bit older than yours, I think 8 years? I lost track. I’ve had issues with the dealership from around the time the car went past 4 years old though and it really turned me off them. Also like you said I don’t really like any other Toyota – the Land Cruiser for example is “ok” to me but is priced too high for what it is, and like you said the stuff I really like is just too much money to spend at all.
Also everyone in the world owns a Patrol now but I don’t like it much either.
How’s the Jeep dealership? I heard the new one is much better than it used to be.
If you don’t a manual gearbox the Land Cruiser 70 is very tempting.
I used to have a Jeep before, dealership was great until it merged with Mulla and then it just became to crowded and slower. Not sure how things are now but if you’re thinking about a wrangler you might as well stay with the FJ.
i dont recommend plastidip to ANYONE at first it might seem all good and well but after a couple of months you will see the black fading after car washs and exposure to the sun, even the process of removing plastids which is left on the car for more than 5-6 months is a PAIN
However Mafra does a good job of everything but plastidp does not last in kuwait the color will fade and you will hate it.
Just my 2 cents!
My car has gotten two tickets now for my plasti dipped hood.
Does anyone else face ticket issues for plasti dipped panels?
was it a different color from the rest of the car? if yes they’ll probably consider it a sticker and you aren’t for some reason allowed to have stickers on your car.
You’re not allowed to have a color on your car that isn’t written in your Daftar (Registration). This is so that if the police are looking for a black FJ you don’t go and paint it red. Stickers are considered concealment under the same sort of thing I guess?
I know with my FJ they started enforcing the white top as a second color now even though they never used to, had to go redo the registration because of it.
My car is black and the hood is dipped in matte black.
Also, earlier I used to daily see many cars completely dipped in matte but now its become rare.
60 kd detailing includes what ?
exterior and interior cleaning, but it’s not like you’re getting your car washed. Process is much more intensive so exterior includes a full car polish which restores the paint job to like new. Interior the seats are thoroughly cleaned, the headliner completely washed, every corner is just completely cleaned. Again car looks like you just picked it up from dealer for first time.
Does plasti-dip only come in black or there’re remains an option for other colors as well ? silver/orange ?
I was planning to paint my FJ rims smoke-black; what say ?
plasti dip comes in a ton of colors, i mean as you can see i painted my wheels bronze.
Only an FJ can replace an FJ. How about trying an FJ 2016.
That’s a very true statement. Actually checked out the 2016 Fj and it’s exactly the same as mine plus I’ve invested a lot in mine already with the sound system and lift kit which I would have to do again in the new car. Didn’t really see a benefit with a swap. My car has just 130K on it
Hi Mark,
In your experience, who does the best detailing in Kuwait ?
Thanks
my personal favorites are Al Falah, but haven’t been there in 3 years i think https://248am.com/mark/kuwait/detailing-at-the-al-falah-car-wash/
are you serious 150kd!! with that money you can buy like 15 cans of plastidip and use 5-7 for your whole car at home and got 8 left as back up. in shuwaikh i did my full hood, grill, and bumper for 10-15 kd estimation don’t remember exact. plus i found out its very easy to do at home. man they ripped u of like x15 of the price.
Can u read the post