I tell you what, I will report back when my car overheats and I have to take it in for warranty work. I wouldn't hold my breath for that post though :P

Thanks for the commentary either way. I'm not butt-hurt over the negativity I just think it's ironic since I was temporarily put in time-out for responding to it in the past. This forum reminds me a lot of the Corvette forum, probably a similar demographic too which would generally explain a lot of posts and responses to them.

So I will put a caveat on this in case anyone is worried that a few drops of overspray are going to cause your engine to overheat, remove the protective panels under the hood and drape some masking plastic over it.

Thanks to 2010 Kyanite and avt for stepping up by the way~

 

My only suggestion to WRX is that he should have waited for warm weather or have done it in a very warm garage. I do like his idea of a blackened grill, I'm not a fan of much chrome anyway.
Almost any type of painting works better when the weather is warm. I've done a lot of rattle can painting on outdoor electrical junction boxes. I have used many cans of black wrinkle paint and the warmer the weather, the better it works.

 

there are good posts on both sides.

i especially like the silly hat rule.

however, it is true ... imho ... that jf tends to have more posts about superficial bling than found on more technically oriented sites.

as for plastidip, i have never understood the fascination with it. semi-gloss in rattle cans give a supeior finish cheaper. the only difference is that one has to commit since the finish would be much harder to remove.

 

I would much rather that he shared it than not shared it.

I've seen excellent results with Plasti-Dip and I have many cans of it in the garage waiting for a suitable project.

I honestly feel that if his photos would have been taken from a normal distance, none of this drama would have erupted. Kudos for him for not hiding anything and breaking out the macro lens on the camera for us.

I could just as easily pose the opinion that chrome is for posers and he did the car justice in eliminating it, but I doubt some here would take kindly to that opinion either...

Let's just move on now, shall we?

 

Close, just get rid of all the chrome. Here's mine from back in may
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...gestars-94807/

 

I think you may have this whole thing wrong.

Nobody is questioning as to "why" he did. We just saying the results you get from the plasti dip looks cheap.
A $5 dollar can with real paint would have provided much better results.

It's like going to an upscale restaurant and ordering a burger.

 

No gripe here.

On a grill, how does plastic-dip hold up to rocks and other road matter?

 

As long as you have enough layers put down it usually holds up even better than paint (I have seen paint sprayed black grilles that show chrome flecks quickly after a few rocks hit them). Rocks and debris tend to bounce off of the dipped surface vs smash and chip. I have seen Plastidip "chip" (it's more of a gouge) but it's usually because it wasn't applied evenly and / or thick enough. The material itself actually protects the paint / surface underneath of it from scratches & chips which is another benefit of the material and why a lot of people choose to dip their wheels. Think of it like a much softer, reversible rhino lining.

 

Might have to try that in the spring.

 

Op, Thanks for taking your time to take pics of the project. Always wanted to see it sprayed on a chrome grille.

Can I ask how much did the project cost you vs the actual black grille from jaguar?

 

Not a problem!

Between the can of Plastidip, masking film and blue tape maybe $20. And that's because I picked up a bulk pack of film so that my wife could use the rest to repaint our kitchen

 

+1 what this guy said right here.

 

I used plastic bonding spray paint. I think it looks awesome.

 

Thank you for the pictures. I read a bunch about the this spray stuff and thought about doing it myself. When I was getting my audio system done they offered to paint my grills, rear turn signal and all the logos. I paid to do it and it was some $800 or so but they had to pull all the parts off the car, prep them and paint and it looks awesome but it is permanent.

I'll post when I get a sunny day, a clean car and the camera in the same place.

I thought about the plasti-dip primarily for my wheels which I also had painted. Now my vehicle looks a bit pimpish but its my ride and I'm the only guy it has to excite.

Thanks for sharing and for putting up with those who can't just say 'thanks'

 

Looks good!

 

I'm about to do this on my 2011 XF S/C... but I want to put a cover over the radiator for overspray. How is this done? Will just removing the under carriage give me access to put a cover in front of the radiator?

 

I read on another forum post saying he had access behind the grille from above. Would I have access if I just removed the bolts on the picture I attached? Sorry, but not the most mechanically inclined person to work on a car. Hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks.

 

Just tape around the growler and chrome areas. Then use a plastic bonding spray paint. Don't plastidip IMO.

See my pic above. Looks great. Done in 20 mins.

 

Thanks, yea, your results look great and I think I'm going to use the spray paint. From the pics I've seen, it just looks like a smoother finish. However, I'm just concerned about overspray onto the radiator and I just want to know how to get access behind the grill so I can put some cardboard or plastic behind the grill when I spray. Is all I need to do is loosen the 6 bolts in my picture to lift that cover off? I'm not looking to take the grille out, just put a cover behind it. If you took the grille off, my understanding is that you need to remove the entire bumper and that's more work than I want to do.

 

If you are going the route of spray paint keep in mind you are going to want to be MUCH more careful with taping and masking off the rest of your car. I would add 1.5-2x the prep to make sure you aren't getting paint where you don't want it.

The benefit to plastidip is that you purposely overspray your edges so that it can be peeled back to a perfect threshold...and if it gets somewhere you don't want it you can peel or clay bar it off. You don't always have that luxury with paint. Paint will also generally see more damage from rock chips especially on a grille whereas a thick coat of plastidip will protect it. Just something to keep in mind when you are choosing which route to go.