Vinyl wrap information

I now someone that had the hood of his Tacoma wrapped for several years. He was telling me he was surprised the paint was pristine under the wrap. No damage and no glue residue.

He then rewraped the entire truck. He does tint, clear bra and wraps professionally. He said it was a real pain in the arsh, but it looks nice. All he had to do was buy the film. I couldn't imagine how much the labor would have cost someone.
 
LandCruiser said:
Unless you're a Realtor and/or the owner of an adult video and toy superstore, don't do it.
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I'm assuming you are referring to wraps with company logo's? Solid color wraps can look very good and also protects the paint underneath from trail damage.

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I've got a full vinyl wrap on mine and I love it. It's a 3M Matte Pearl White Vinyl. Colorado winter's destroy car paint and bumpers and so I wanted to protect the whole car. I've had my wrap on for 2 years and there are only a few little rock chips here and there. The car is bright white underneath and so unfortunately (can see in the photos below) where I wrapped the bumper black, when it is chipped, you can see the white below. Not a huge issue unless you are really close.
 

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I had plasti-dip on my Land Rover Discovery when I still owned it. It saved my paint from pinstripes when i was off-road but sometimes it would get peeled by tree branches (rarely happened). When it would get peeled, the paint would get a little scuffed but it buffed out once I peeled all of it off after a year or so. Very easy to touch it up. And it looked pretty good.
 
df662 said:
I just had the hood, front, and roof rack wrapped in matte black about a week ago by a local shop. Couldn't tell ya what the price is since I got it done for free (buddy knows the owner), I am sure it wouldn't be cheap, most likely $500ish or more......... I think the cost to do a whole vehicle wouldnt be cheaper than $2k + and that all depends on the type of wrap (color, etc....), Im sure it can get much pricier than that....
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Did you have to remove the roof rails to get it done?
 


The above picture is my old car and it was wrapped in matte gray. I had the car wrapped for maybe.... 4 to 5 years and I can say that it was somewhat of a pain in the ass. The wrap is like a big sticker and can dry/crack so I made sure to wash/wipe it down to keep the wrap from cracking. If you plan on parking your car outside in the sun, it will dramatically reduce the life of the vinyl. I have friends who have wrapped the roof of their g35, IS-F, m3, etc and because they did not take care of it, it started to look like crap fast.

The vinyl wraps are fairly easy to rip and any rock on the highway will either put marks or holes in your vinyl. You will periodically have to change out vinyl (especially front bumper & hood).

For a quality wrap from a reputable place, it will cost at least $2k to $3k. I did it myself with friends and it was just the cost of the vinyl (from what I remember in the ballpark of $500 to $600 for 3M). For a 4runner, it will cost more because there is more surface area.

BEWARE if you keep vinyl on long enough (even if you maintain it), it will start to crack. When I was selling my vehicle and taking off the roof vinyl, it took hours. It would come off in tiny pieces and I had to sit there and painstakingly remove each tiny piece.

The upside to the wrap is that the paint underneath looked amazing when I took it off. In addition, I was able to change the color of the car without having to worry about painting it back to stock colors. Because I was able to change the color to something so unique, I had people come up and compliment the vehicle on a daily basis.

I guarantee if you do it, you will think it's bad ass; however, down the road it starts to get annoying. You will have to maintain it, replace panels, deal with hours of removal, etc. Just keep that in mind before pulling the trigger. If you do decide to go with it, best of luck with the install and hopefully it turns out as awesome as you envisioned it to be.
 
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Not totally wrapped but this is matte vinyl on the hood and clear paint protection on all the white forward facing surfaces. Door handles, door edges as well. Not kitted all hand cut by my installer so all the hard edges are covered too.


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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I was at Toyota's "MEGAWEB" showroom a few months ago and the had a number of cars and parts with a spray on vinyl material that was a lot like plastidip but much more durable. It felt a lot like peeling off vinyl. I don't know a ton about it -but it was around $70 per pint IIRC. I'll see if I can find any info on it in my pictures. It had a wide range of color options and was promoted by Toyota as a customization option.
 
Jetboy said:
I was at Toyota's "MEGAWEB" showroom a few months ago and the had a number of cars and parts with a spray on vinyl material that was a lot like plastidip but much more durable. It felt a lot like peeling off vinyl. I don't know a ton about it -but it was around $70 per pint IIRC. I'll see if I can find any info on it in my pictures. It had a wide range of color options and was promoted by Toyota as a customization option.
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This stuff? I hear it's amazing.
Autodip USA - The world's first sprayable vinyl wrap
 
wrapping is my full time job

Hello guys.. Im new to the forum and stumbled upon this thread.. I work at a vinyl shop as my full time job being a installer and in the production room. First. it may seem like a "cheaper" option than painting your vehicle but it really isn't. I don't know too much about pricing seeing that I simply do the install. We have other individuals in shop that take care of quotes and prices. But my boss did tell me that a full color change wrap on average is about $3,000-$4,000 depending on size and vinyl you get. THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART IS THE LABOR. The vinyl itself is cheap. We use 3M vinyl unless an out sourced company provides something else. We use 3Ms manufacture warranty which is 5 years. PREPARATION IS KEY. Cant stress this enough. We first clean the vehicle(soap and water) then wipe down with a 3M prep sol. Then wipe over again with soap and water followed by several passes of Isopropyl alcohol. Then you will use a "primer" on any nooks and cranny spots. You will need several handy tools to apply. 2 main tools being a heat gun and a wrap squeegee. As for removing. A heat gun will make it VERY VERY easy. no residue will be left. This will hold up well for years depending on the install. If it fails, it will most likely be on the edges. The installer needs to use a "edge sealer". As for tearing the vinyl from a branch or debri you are in the clear. You could experience a snag/dent type of blemish at most. Other than that it actually protects your paint very well. Don't pressure was the vehicle for a few weeks either. The sun will work in your favor to help cure and heat set. Hope this helps for anyone thinking of trying it. I am willing to help answer any question if you have any. I have done several vehicles including boats, trucks, vans, cars and motorcycles. Majority of customers are advertising for a business.
 
deedubb said:
This stuff? I hear it's amazing.
Autodip USA - The world's first sprayable vinyl wrap
Click to expand...

It's something like that. It was a vinyl based product rather than rubber like the plastidip. I can't find any pictures of the brand. I did peel some off on a test panel they had to play with. It came off a lot like vinyl. I've done a few clear bras and the removal was pretty similar. The mil thickness was similar as well. It was really good looking too. They had a number of custom cars painted with it and of course in Japanese fashion they had a few ladies in very little clothing and high heels showing it off.
 
MilMed said:
The above picture is my old car and it was wrapped in matte gray. I had the car wrapped for maybe.... 4 to 5 years and I can say that it was somewhat of a pain in the ass. The wrap is like a big sticker and can dry/crack so I made sure to wash/wipe it down to keep the wrap from cracking. If you plan on parking your car outside in the sun, it will dramatically reduce the life of the vinyl. I have friends who have wrapped the roof of their g35, IS-F, m3, etc and because they did not take care of it, it started to look like crap fast.

The vinyl wraps are fairly easy to rip and any rock on the highway will either put marks or holes in your vinyl. You will periodically have to change out vinyl (especially front bumper & hood).

For a quality wrap from a reputable place, it will cost at least $2k to $3k. I did it myself with friends and it was just the cost of the vinyl (from what I remember in the ballpark of $500 to $600 for 3M). For a 4runner, it will cost more because there is more surface area.

BEWARE if you keep vinyl on long enough (even if you maintain it), it will start to crack. When I was selling my vehicle and taking off the roof vinyl, it took hours. It would come off in tiny pieces and I had to sit there and painstakingly remove each tiny piece.

The upside to the wrap is that the paint underneath looked amazing when I took it off. In addition, I was able to change the color of the car without having to worry about painting it back to stock colors. Because I was able to change the color to something so unique, I had people come up and compliment the vehicle on a daily basis.

I guarantee if you do it, you will think it's bad ass; however, down the road it starts to get annoying. You will have to maintain it, replace panels, deal with hours of removal, etc. Just keep that in mind before pulling the trigger. If you do decide to go with it, best of luck with the install and hopefully it turns out as awesome as you envisioned it to be.
Click to expand...

You obviously have to care for something like a wrap. It's material. You always need to take the best care of it. Yes things happen but it all comes down to washing it and taking care of the vinyl.

Alot of companies now make ceramic sealants that you can apply to the vinyl to keep it from fading, staining, cracking, etc. I use the following detail spray on the wrap every few months to keep the vinyl looking fresh:
http://www.chemicalguys.com/Meticulous_Matte_Detailer_16_oz_p/spi_995_16.htm?gclid=Cj0KEQjww7zHBRCToPSj_c_WjZIBEiQAj8il5BmJQljh0uXnJgZBYudWnJGbe1uRP-RK7s0JQV-3NBsaAiwM8P8HAQ

I have numerous friends with boats, cars, and motorcycles that are all wrapped and I have never seen an issue with the 3M vinyl cracking.

As far as removal, they make removal tools that attach to a angle grinder and/or a drill and it is just like a giant soft buffing pad that removes the vinyl like butter.

Cheers
 
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e60ral said:
what should i expect to pay for a hood wrap?
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The hood is probably the easiest area to wrap. The material needed to cover the hood is about $55. I'd say watch some youtube tutorials and give it a shot yourself. But if you have no interest in trying it yourself, you should expect to pay $8-10/sqft installed for a color change wrap.
 
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