Wrapping

[Guest]

Hi,

Anyone got a picture of there car wrapped, did it last long,look OK want to get it done by the end of the year

Thanks

[alexpink]

My car is wrapped, bar the wheelarches and nose cone. Very easy to do with a bit of practice, and cost me around £50 for all the materials to do the job. Compared to paint it is very cheap, and you can't tell the difference until you are close to the car. Make sure the surface is very clean as any bits of dirt are quite noticeable; as are any stonechips etc. The best thing is though, for only another £50 you can completely change the colour and appearance of the entire car. Damage can be annoying as it means you have to redo the whole panel instead of just a quick spot repair, but it is still a marginal fraction of the cost of painting.

it's even easier if you can get someone to help you, as dealing with large sections can be difficult on your own.

[WallerZ]

I wrapped my bonnet and scuttle on my own. Would have been easier with 2 people but not impossible. As Alex says, its great and you can't tell the difference until you're closer. I have a brushed steel effect and always have people running their hands over it and getting really close to see.

I'm looking at painting mine as I prefer a deep gloss/metallic look that I'm yet to find a suitable vinyl for. However the vinyl is easier to do and less work to get looking top notch.

Check my blog for the pictures

[David S]

I had my car painted (done cheap by my son in law) but after 3.5 years and 9000 miles it is showing a lot of road rash, especially on the rear arches. I will try and get it re-painted over the winter and then cover the most exposed parts with 1 or 2 layers of clear wrap to try and protect it a bit.

 

There is a good article in this month's Complete Kit Car magazine all about wrapping.

[cb750]

Only done the back panel on ours as we couldn't get a good finish on the stainless sheet but it looks good. As said, bodywork must be really clean, also polish and grease free before applying the vinyl. Needs warm environment and I used a thermostatic hot air gun to warm the vinyl, scalpel with changeable blades to trim it ( nice and sharp!). Although I prefer paint as it gives a nice depth of finish I am pleased with the panel as it allowed us to try different finishes until we found one that we were happy with (3rd time lucky!)

 

One tip, if you're not certain about what finish you want try contacting the supplier and see if you can get some small samples from them.

[Guest]

Thanks

[ickle]

My car got a full wrap and after 2 summers use it still looks good there is chips but not many and most caused by being to close to other cars on a blat etc

[kevin booth]

If thinking of doing it yourself, have a look at video's on youtube called. Cutting vinyl wrap with knifing tape

Edited September 14, 2015 by kevin booth

[DeanRudkin]

I've got my wheel arches and nose cone done the wrap its self depends on how long it will last most company's should give you 5-7 years depending on quality you get what you pay for with they vinyl