Anyone use vinyl wrap?

[vramjee91]

Hey guys,

 

Just wondering if anyone has has experience using vinyl wrap.... And what they thought/think of it

 

Cheers

 

Vivek

[pauly_adams]

i have seen it and it looks ok, you will want to pm a forum member called Michael as thats what he does on his spare time, he can also make custome graphix.

 

cheers pauly

 

[nizm0zed]

i have used it on a very small scale (half A4 size) and it was a pain in the ass, BIG learning curve.

however, i think if you are going to do it, buy some real cheap stuff off ebay for practice to get a hang of the use of heat and whatnot, i know a bloke that does it, he has said its a bit of an art, but easy once you practice, anyone could do it.

my practice was a modified dizzy cover, it came out pretty well, my next project is a laptop case.

Im pretty confident on that, so surely anyone can do it with a bit of practice.

[Michael]

i have seen it and it looks ok, you will want to pm a forum member called Michael as thats what he does on his spare time, he can also make custome graphix.

 

cheers pauly

 

 

Wrapping Cars for Business's is part of my job, The biggest issue we have is Vinyl Shrinking in the summer, Even with Post heating both with heatgun/Spraybooth baking. When looking for Vinyl try and look for 3M or Avery products, Ive Never really had a problem with either. Prints and Laminates are another story..

Anyway! Vinyls are Rated at 5-10 Years for vehicle applications, So They should last as long as a Decent paint job.

 

Application is Tricky to say the least. Best to try some spare bits before attempting the car.

 

However im quite interested to see what your thinking of doing, Inbox me if you need any info or tips

 

*Attached an old photo of when i wrapped my bonnet oh, About 6 months ago or so

[Retro Z]

Michael are you in Melb? I'd be interested in you wrapping my 240z. Want my whole car done in gloss black if possible. PM me if you like, can a car just be in flat primer or does a clearcoat need to be applied for the vinyl to adhere?

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread Vivek..

 

Tai

[Ledge]

HI

I have seen it on a few drift cars but i wouldn't recommend doing

it on a streeter, Looks pretty tacky and cheap.

Either way you would still need to get rid of rust and dents to

make the car look any good and that is the expensive part of a

paint job anyway.

Not sure what Michael classes as a decent paint job but a

cheap paint job would last over 5 years, A good one with quality

paint and rust fixed properly would last 20+ years

 

Regards

Paul

[pauly_adams]

i think michael means the warranty period of the paint its self, and he does live in melbourn tai

[Michael]

i think michael means the warranty period of the paint its self, and he does live in melbourn tai

 

Exactly, Paint finish's Can Last well over 20 years, However they require a load of attention to maintain a Decent shine for that long a time. In Saying that,

How long is your body filler Guaranteed for?

 

As for Wrapping a Zed in Black id Definently not recommend it.. Vinyl Will never have the shine that a paint job Has. It would look fairly Tacky as said..

 

Having worked for a Restoration shop, A Decent paintjob Cant be beaten for "That Glossy Look" However with Alternative finishes ie Matte/Carbon/Brushed A Wrap, Can and Do seem to Stick out more from the Crowd, All for a price thats hard to compare with a Paint finish.

 

To Put in in perspective though. I Know Both, am able to do both, And have chosen a Paint finish.

[gav240z]

I've thought about doing it with my RX-7 after it was damaged, since I think flat black can look good. However for the reasons mentioned above I think I'd be happier with a proper paint job.

 

Plus what happens around windscreen rubbers and the like? Do you have to remove them to get the wrap to tuck under it? It just seems a bit... tacky unless it's a race car or drift pig.

 

I guess it can also preserve the finish i.e I've seen it done on Ferrari's and what-not and I must say it does look cool, but I kind of feel it's a bit of a fashion right now in automotive circles and in another 5-10 years people will be like 'what were they thinking?'.

[Michael]

The Vinyl goes under any rubber seals there may be, Windscreen Door rubbers and such. Really Tight bits like head/tail lights Are normally removed to allow access. I Don't Think Wraps Will be frowned upon any more then they are at the moment since its such a new and Different approach to a Massive industry in paintwork.

 

Thinking now, The main cars that are Wrapped Other than Business and Race Applications are Supercars, Ie The $100,000 Lamborghinis Mercs and Such. All Spending so much on there car only to pull up next to another one in there Crowd having exactly the same Car. Being in The like's of Dubai and Parts of America having so much cash flow in certain neighbourhood's  Car Refinishing from Factory is always Going to happen. Lets face it,  People want there Cars to Stand out, Its why we all here have Zed's, But what happens when you pull up to your next meet and see 5 Red 240z's With Rotas and black Flare's? It doesn't necessarily Take away from your car, But knowing there is another one Just like yours Leeds to more customisation normally Doesn't it?  And for Big impact, There's not much better then a Wrap

 

Quality of a Wrap is only as good as the prep behind it, Only as clean as the person who applies it and only going to last as long as you care for it. Just like paint really. However it has one advantage. It Can be peeled of to Re expose the Factory showroom finish before Resale. Which i think Works extremely well for The people who can afford the Supercars of the world. Moving up to the next model as soon as they come out.

 

Anyway if Anyone has any questions about wraps just Shoot

 

Btw. One part that turned me off a wrap on my own zed was the Headlight bucket, It would be a serious pain haha.

[DreamZproject]

Sorry to necro, but this post interests me greatly. I have considered vinyl wrapping greatly due to several factors. To have a paintjob on my car that i will be happy with will cost somewhere around the 8k mark. If i choose to use vinyl, i can pay a paint shop 1k to lay down a basic thin layer of paint, purely to allow me to apply vinyl, and perhaps as a later stage lay down some paint. The Vinyl its self only costs around another 2k to buy, and should take roughly a week to lay on the car.

Personally i love the matte/ satin look on a car, but was turned off satin paint due to its difficulty of care. As naf as it is seen in some peoples eyes, i really love the effect that carbon wrap adds to a car (check out rocky auto 240z) and love the finish more than just the concept of having (an immitation) of something that is considered a "performance product".

 

My main concern with wrapping the Z is getting around the issue of where the roof and the rear quarter matches up. In most modern cars they have some sort of panel break, glass or weather stripping, but the Z having such lovely lines, has one continuous surface. In this situation do most people simply make a join where its least visible, or is it possible to use 1 large bit of vinyl (I don't think the sheet would really be wide enough)... This concept is somewhat putting me off the idea. I really don't want to divide up the lines of the car.

 

The reason i am bringing this up now and not in over a years time when I'll actually have to be worrying about it is because I am half tempted to practice wrapping my MR2 as the paintjob on it is going a bit funny (clear coat lifting), and it would be excellent practice for the Z.

[luvemfast]

Never know til you try Robbie.

[chev z]

Yep I know this is from a way back, but was at the Exhibition building muscle car show yesterday and asked about the price of spray wrapping a Z , the bloke quoted about $2000 to $2500 . I have never seen this type of covering, their site is  www.cardip.com.au.........it was for my race Z