Plastidip is NOT a replacement for paint!

A recent trend gaining popularity is "plastidipping" cars--coating exterior with a matte rubberized "plastic-y" coating. We like "Plastidip". . . just not for painting cars. It is designed to give extra grip & cushion on tool handles. We've gotten a lot of these "plastidipped" cars recently for repainting. Although Plastidip may look good for a short time, many people find it does not stand-up to the sun, peels when you don't want it to and then won't peel when you try to take it off. Plastidip cannot be painted over with automotive paints and doesn't sand like normal automotive paint. Repairing cars with it has required us to go millimeter by millimeter, chipping off improperly applied fake paint. So if your car is in need of a paint job, we're begging you, bring it to us, a real automotive paint shop where we guarantee our work against peeling!

Peeling Plastidip on a (previously) nice car

Plastidip peeling in some areas, not in others. How do you get it off!!?

How to ruin a great car? Plastidip!

Dual Action Sander used by Almost Everything Professionals

Heres an interesting look into how our shop works, this sander (and the person that uses it)  is one of the key factors in producing a great looking paint job that lasts. In order for paint to stick to something, the surface must be first cleaned of all dirt, dry, and oil free but most importantly the surface must be abraded or sanded to intentionally cause extremely fine scratches.  The reason we purposefully inflict these fine scratches is so that the new paint can flow into them and "bite" onto the surface. Without these scratches the new paint would not be able to stick and would simply fall off over time!  We have many types of sanding procedures and methods. Some cars benefit from repairing chips & scratches. Cars that have had rough lives or have been vandalized with key scratches may need a little more work. In California we also see a lot of cars with sun and environmental damage that causes paint to peel or "delaminate." Basically the cars clear coat has failed and is coming off of its color coat. The process of removing this type of paint issue involves an in-depth sanding procedure starting with rough sand paper to remove the majority of the problematic paint, and gradually moving on with finer and finer grades of sandpaper to completely smooth out the edges of the old paint. Once that has been completed, the car is completely smooth free of all the old peeling paint and is ready for it new coat of paint. With the proper surface repairs and sanding, we can transform your car back to looking like new again!

Top 10 Craziest Motorcycles of the world

Posted by MuhammadShuja

Drift Wars in Greece

Drift Day 21/5/2011 from DK Video Productions on Vimeo.

It's been a little while since we've had a jewel from our buddy Dimitris Katranidis at DK Productions in Greece. There's lots more including backstage video from fashion shows and Top Model. See it at: DKVideoProductions

http://vimeo.com/22119101
http://vimeo.com/23757942

For more info visit:
http://helicamvisuals.com/
http://vimeo.com/dkvideoproductions

HeliCam Visuals Feast for the Eyes

Helicam Image by Dimitris Katranidis

Dimitris Katranidis and his Helicam

For more info visit:
http://helicamvisuals.com/
http://vimeo.com/dkvideoproductions

BMW i8 Hybrid Prototype Spyshots

Videos of disguised BMW Vision Hybrid Prototype actually running in snow. The Vision ED (Efficient Dynamics) concept, premiered at the Frankfurt Auto Show and has been seen at a number of venues and mainstream press for over a year. These spy shots seem to confirm that it is something more than a concept. BMW recently announced plans for a new sub-brand to be called BMW i-Brand. I-Brand vehicles will be electric and plug-in hybrids. The Vision prototype is said to be the first actual product and flagship for the new brand. Autoblog and Automobile Magazine and BMWBlog.com all say it is the BMW i8. BMW i vehicles are scheduled to be on sale in 2013.

2011 Jaguar XJ Supersport--Best Car on the Road Today?

It is Automobile Magazine's 2011 Design of the Year. Critics are saying, "Better than Audi S8." "Better than BMW 750." "Better than Mercedes S600." "Better than Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapid!" One journalist suggested it would steal sales from Bentley. 

At $110K USD it is not cheap. . . but it is $20K to $200K less than its competition.

We at Almost Everything Autobody have been dreaming about a Maserati Quattroporte for a few years now but this new Jaguar has really given us something to think about.

Here's what some of these other reviewers are saying about it. . . 

GM's Going to Put Almost Everything--And Every Other Bodyshop--Out of Business

Good friend James May shows off GM's Hy-Wire car of the future on Top Gear. Standard Features:

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powerplant
• 11" Thick Integrated Chassis & Driveline
• Interchangeable Bodies
• Zero Emissions (except for water)
• 0-60 in 2 seconds (we just made that up but why not)

M600 Supercar Ready for Primetime

Noble M600

Noble Automotive has released production photos of its latest & greatest M600 Supercar. According to the lads at Top Gear,  the M600 is made in Britain, has a Yamaha V8 sourced from, of all places, Volvo and goes like stink. Noble does its magic to make a powerplant capable of 650 bhp, 604 lb ft of torque and 225 mph (360 kph.) Autocar tested it to 120 mph in 8.9 seconds. All of this AND it looks better and costs less than a Bugatti Veyron (and just to be fair, we should note that the Bugatti has a Volkswagen engine.)

Noble M600

Noble M600

Noble M600

Noble M600

Add this to my list of cars I NEED-Frank

Crash Test: 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air vs 2009 Chevrolet Malibu

We have made progress in 50 years. . .

Virgin Galactic Commercial Space Flight Ad

Richard Branson videos of his Virgin Galactic Commercial Spaceflight Service. Sign us up! Thanks for naming the first Virgin Star Ship the "Enterprise." And thanks for visionary hero Dick Rutan & his team for being our non-fictional Zefram Cochrane. Maybe the ship I ride in can be the "Space Clipper."

Fictional Pan Am Orion III Space Clipper
from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey
Image from GoCosmonaut.com

Metallic & Pearl Colors

Metallic & pearl colored paints use flakes of aluminum metal, mica (a shiny mineral) or "pearl" (iridescent particles often from ground sea shells) to create sparkle, luminosity and more light and color complexity than is found in solid colored paints.

Metallic and pearl colors are available in single-stage, 2-stage & 3-stage paint process technologies but they are not created equal.

The process and materials used in 2-stage paints result in a more uniform layer of color that causes the flakes to lie more flat, reflect more light and create beautiful finishes. The single-stage process is not capable of achieving the same results and certain colors--especially golds, silvers, champagnes and bronzes--can look dull and grey in single-stage when compared to 2-stage and 3-stage paints. When color is important, choose 2-stage paint to achieve the right hue & brilliance.

For certain colors and special effects in finishes like "candies" and pearls--especially pearl white--it may be necessary to go another step into 3-stage paint to achieve the desired result. The Nissan Altima in the photo has a 3-stage pearl white paint job that gives the white a luminosity and brilliance that single- and two-stage paints cannot come close to.