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wrapping your car instead of painting it

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4g63turbo84

10+ Year Contributor
614
0
Dec 10, 2008
ocala, Florida
Has anyone ever though about wrapping there car instead of painting it? Just like how companies put logo's on their vehicles with a sticker, it is the same concept except it is like putting a sticker off the whole car.
 
I kind of like the idea, but it seems like it may hold water in some places.
Possibly causing rust.

Interesting, in my uneducated brain I see vinyl being better because it wont bubble up and rust...
In my opinion wrapping is great for guys who want to have the carbon fiber look, without the cost, fitment issues, or performance gains. If you already have bad paint, wouldn't you need to do almost as much prep for a good wrap job as you would for a paint job? (sanding and smoothing, rust repair, primer...) After all, for it to stick properly, you need a nice, clean, smooth surface..?
 
I've seen it on a few vehicle and it looked good. The only think that i'd be concerned is that it will probably fade over time. I would also think that it could be rather pricey to have done.
 
Vinyl will show scratches, and you cant just buff em out. it fades, and turns out to be more than paint when getting it done. My shop had a quote for getting a truck done on the sides and hood...$4700 quote.
 
I believe Modified Magazine did a wrap on their Subaru and it looked really nice in the pics. They did a flat silver so the wrap didnt shine so much and look fake. I spoke to the company that did the wrap in California and they were talking like $1,500 to $2,000. I dont know how this will hold up but it is being done. Hope this helped.

Eric
 
I wrapped the top and hatch of my DSM matte black last year, cost $100 locally. Worth every penny for the prep, just had to wash the car with soap before we applied it, and maintenance was spraying it with Windex (rather than wax) to clean it off. Once I decided I wanted to go back to the red I pulled it up and the paint was in perfect shape, the vinyl actually UV protects the paint and, if you use the correct vinyl for car wraps, it breaths as well so no condensation will stay under it.

The kit (posted in the website linked above) to wrap the entire car yourself costs $650 which isn't bad at all, just be sure to get the applicator tools because they are necessary to do it right.

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:dsm:
 
When you did the cut by the spoiler how did you go about doing it to not damage the paint on the trunk?
 
A nice sharp razor with little to no pressure being applied, if you take your time you won't even scar the clear coat with it. You are talking about the hatch correct, not the spoiler? The black on the underside/back of the spoiler itself isn't vinyl, its a CF spoiler painted red on the top.

It was a one piece wrap too. Just lots of blow drying, hot air allows you to stretch it, and "massaging" the vinyl into place. Its important that it isn't rushed and that the surface is very well prepped (clean) or else its going to be a mess.

:dsm:
 
I wrapped the top and hatch of my DSM matte black last year, cost $100 locally. Worth every penny for the prep, just had to wash the car with soap before we applied it, and maintenance was spraying it with Windex (rather than wax) to clean it off. Once I decided I wanted to go back to the red I pulled it up and the paint was in perfect shape, the vinyl actually UV protects the paint and, if you use the correct vinyl for car wraps, it breaths as well so no condensation will stay under it.

The kit (posted in the website linked above) to wrap the entire car yourself costs $650 which isn't bad at all, just be sure to get the applicator tools because they are necessary to do it right.

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:dsm:

Image saved for my desktop background. :)
 
wrapping your car in vinyl is a really common thing with show cars. the only way it will look nice though is it it's done right, bubbles are very noticeable.
 
If the vinyl was done recently then thats hopefully why it looked like ass. After you apply the vinyl you allow it to "heat cycle" itself onto the car, then after a week or so of sun exposure you pop the bubbles with a needle and press it smooth. Most of the bubbles disappear after a few days of sun, bigger ones won't though.

:dsm:
 
I had my drag sled wrapped. It looks really nice the first few weeks, but it's not pratical. If anything hits it or dings it it shows a pretty gnarly rash. And that isn't really fixable. It'd be good for show, but not a daily driver.
 
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