Car wrapping, whats peoples experiences?

kaptainmarc · 11 Jun 2018 at 12:57

Anyone had there car wrapped before?

my paints looks worse for wear, it was detailed over a year and a half ago but Honda paint is the bane of my life and its making me sad.

Had a quote of £1200 so far for a full wrap going to ask around some other places and check out there work.

just thought I would ask peoples opinion on it. how did it wear how long did you have it on for? etc etc

wedrum · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:00

Just get a load of rattle cans from the pound shop and go mental

kaptainmarc · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:11

not quite the look I was going for but I will do some research into good rattle cans, maybe even try artexing the whole exterior

vanpeebles · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:14

Haha, get one of those artex rubber bristle pads, and put swooshes arl ower.

acemastr · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:15

Go for the golf ball look, will improve aerodynamics too!

kaptainmarc · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:24

is the golf ball wrap by 3M? and do you know what the costs involved are?

if I crash will I bounce off unscathed?

Liquidfox · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:29

A mate had his 3-series convertible done for around £1,500 in some poncey pearlescent white, but didn't have the door shuts done which looked odd I thought. The job was good, and apart from the poor colour choice, it lasted the entire time he owned it with no bubbling etc.

kaiowas · 11 Jun 2018 at 13:35

Whether it's a right option for you will depend on your circumstances

I wrapped the MR2 myself. My reasoning was that it didn't need to be a 'perfect' job (track/competition car), I didn't have the facilities to paint it myself, rewrapping/replacing damaged panels would be easier in future than colour matching paint plus it was a chance to learn a new skill.

I stuck to a simple gloss colour (I'm not a fan of the 'wacky' finishes that people use wraps to achieve - I just wanted it to look like paint) plus a simple gloss is much easier to wrap compared to chrome, satin or other finishes that can be harder to stretch without affecting the finish. I also used a good quality film (Avery Supreme) to ensure application was as straightforward as possible.

Hard to comment on durability as it's been on less than a year so far and the car isn't used particularly often. No issues so far though other than a small amount of lifting in one of the bonnet creases where I didn't stretch it in properly and a tiny bit on the boot lid where the wrap has been in contact with a hot coolant pipe which has damaged it. I could easily re-wrap both panels if need be.

In all I spent a couple of hundred quid on tools and supplies etc that can be reused (most of this went on a decent heat gun) and £300 on actual materials.

Lopéz · 11 Jun 2018 at 14:29

I wrapped my trials bike. Nightmare! Compound curves everywhere and fluorescent wrap is NOT friendly to apply because it changes colour when you start to stretch it too far. I have to say it turned out looking pretty cool even with the above said.

Phil, did you apply the big sheets wet or dry? I cannot imagine applying the rear 3/4 panel on the 205 dry, ugh.

kaiowas · 11 Jun 2018 at 15:17

It was all done dry, the good films are incredibly forgiving compared to cheap unbranded ebay ones. Even the hardest parts (ends of the rear quarters where you are effectively wrapping a corner of a cube with 10mm radiused edges) were easier than I was expecting with some prior planning and lots of adjustment and tweaking. I watched many many videos on the "CK Wraps" youtube channel before even buying the film.

Shawreyboy · 11 Jun 2018 at 15:27

Can vouch for a wrapper down here called 'Tintinit' who are based at Thruxton Race Circuit.

Shawrey

kaptainmarc · 11 Jun 2018 at 16:00

Im planning on going a similar colour to what I already have currently milano red, think of a metallic red or a burgundy. The wild card is going purple

kaiowas · 11 Jun 2018 at 16:22

What's the current paint surface like? It's appearance doesn't really matter too much (fading, swirls and fine scratches will be masked by the film) but it'll need to be free from stonechips, touch-ups, bubbling from underlying rust etc. Don't think you can use vinyl to cover those kind of imperfections, if it's not smooth to the touch it'll show through and look rubbish. The film is incredibly thin and will show up everything.

In my case the paint was badly faded and I was able to take the decision that the existing paint will not be seen again. As a result I was able to fill and sand any marks, then wet sand each panel to get a smooth finish that would look terrible and dull without the wrap but looked really smooth with it applied. Assuming you'll probably want to remove the wrap at some point you probably won't be able to take the approach I did. Additionally, if your car has had remedial paintwork in the past (resprayed bumpers or anything) then you have to be prepared for the possibility that poorly adhered paint may lift when the film is removed.

mikeh501 · 11 Jun 2018 at 21:35

Where did you guys get quotes from?

kaptainmarc · 12 Jun 2018 at 08:38

kaiowas said:
What's the current paint surface like? It's appearance doesn't really matter too much (fading, swirls and fine scratches will be masked by the film) but it'll need to be free from stonechips, touch-ups, bubbling from underlying rust etc. Don't think you can use vinyl to cover those kind of imperfections, if it's not smooth to the touch it'll show through and look rubbish. The film is incredibly thin and will show up everything.

In my case the paint was badly faded and I was able to take the decision that the existing paint will not be seen again. As a result I was able to fill and sand any marks, then wet sand each panel to get a smooth finish that would look terrible and dull without the wrap but looked really smooth with it applied. Assuming you'll probably want to remove the wrap at some point you probably won't be able to take the approach I did. Additionally, if your car has had remedial paintwork in the past (resprayed bumpers or anything) then you have to be prepared for the possibility that poorly adhered paint may lift when the film is removed.

Didn't realise the paint had to be that perfect, one place that quoted has asked me to go in so they can assess the paint. its mainly stone chips and some Laquer peal that I'm wanting rid off, I shall take it in and see what they recommend

Haze · 12 Jun 2018 at 12:15

mikeh501 said:
Where did you guys get quotes from?

People that wrap cars.....

Nasher · 12 Jun 2018 at 12:32

If you DIY it, don't get cheap wrap or it will fade in the sun. It is a 2 (even 3) man job really which is probably why it's so expensive to have done.

It wont hide dents or rust bubbles.

mikeh501 · 12 Jun 2018 at 22:05

Haze said:
People that wrap cars.....

Watch it, inappropriate language there.

OP if you have a recommendation let me know. Interested given your close to me.

Diagro · 13 Jun 2018 at 07:33

It's not cheap for a good job.

I know an installer that charges north of 2k per car as he does the door shuts too. Basically everything.

A basic one may cost £1-1.5k.

kaptainmarc · 13 Jun 2018 at 08:33

mikeh501 said:
Watch it, inappropriate language there.

OP if you have a recommendation let me know. Interested given your close to me.

I've basically pinged emails across to the top 5 on google in my area and I will go have a chat with them.

However the only one that got back to me was http://evolve-automotive.com/, looking online they seem pretty good, a decent website and replying within 24 hours is always a nice sign.