Vinyl Wrapping

[Pazzo]

looking into vinyl wrapping, seems the rage in usa and europe at the moment. just thinking how a xr8 bonnet would look in carbon fibre,and side mirrors. I meen if its good enough on 500 grand mercs,lambos,r8,and 430s. or is it to jap for our cars. would colour of car have a effect on it as mine is white. or would darker colour cars be better. has anyone done anything like this on here.

[bjc]

Watched a good series over at NSAYNE.TV with Exotic Kustoms vinyl wrapping a skyline. those boys have both patience and skill!

Season 2 Episode-11 and Episode-12 http://www.nsayne.tv/season-2-episode-11/

[Rockatansky]

Caught this a while ago:

Some great murdered vehicles. Looks like the vehicle pictured has a carbon fibre wrapped boot lid.

[Jman]

Yeh that R35 and Falcon were at Melb Autosalon this year... Pretty sure the BA isnt a T though :(

[MiKa]

That exotic kustoms is round the corner from me...

Drive past it often, there are def some nice cars there. They have a BA/BF, FPV front bar, vinyl wrapped in matt black, looks awsome..

I was tryin to find a cheap bonnet to get vinyl wrapped to match my rims...

Beat me to it..

Edited 27/12/10 10:37 AM by MiKa

[archangel]

Hi,

Hopefully I can shed some light into this - I work at a signage company, and design wraps, both printed and otherwise, such as these.

A few things you need to know. Most solid vinyls only come in 1220mm wide rolls. Any areas with widths greater than this on both axis, will have joins. Joins gather dirt, and stand out terribly. Also, use a high quality vinyl, as the cheaper ones shrink, again, more joins and dirty marks (glue sticks where the shrinked vinyl has been) I can recommend a few brands: 3M - top of the game but HUGELY expensive for any specialised looks. They are about to release outdoor rated carbon fibre, matte and chameleon vinyls. My personal choice - Hexis. Still not cheap, but have a great range, outdoor rated vinyls (they were doing carbon, matte and special effect vinyls before 3M and in my opinion, do it better) Hexis also comes in wider rolls. The benefit of this it can be cheaper to buy a wider roll and less lineal meters of it, than buy a full roll of narrow width. The other brand to look at is Avery. Not really up with the times nowadays, but quite cheap. Also, Avery does not have a good 'bubble free' technology, where as 3M and Hexis do. Bubble free technology is tiny grooves in the adhesive on the back of the vinyl that allows trapped air to escape. Hexis has the smallest (unnoticeable once installed) some 3M vinyls you can see the grooves and it looks terrible. Be aware that most lighter coloured vinyls are somewhat transparent. You cannot wrap a dark car with a white vinyl and it look pure white. (this is true 95% of the time) You can however, wrap it twice to get around this. Typical pricing for the vinyl alone for solid / non printed vinyls are $80 /sqm not installed. Installation prices vary depending on who is doing it. Find someone who works for themselves. The bigger sign companies all use sub contractors for vinyl wraps, who charge anything from $50 an hour upwards. A falcon wrap would take approx 12 hours to install for someone who is a pro, and working fast. Personally, I would do some research into who to use, and negotiate an upfront charge. Then perhaps mention you will pass their name around etc for a tidy job.

Printed graphics are another kettle of fish. Those in the industry usually will only work with the 3M printed graphic films. You MUST laminate your prints with a matching brand of laminate; gloss, matte or satin. Unprinted graphics will only last if you keep it out of the sun, and dont need to wash your car! Printed graphics are harder to install in general, as there is 'line up' of printed panels or drops, and also stretch in the print. As no panel is perfectly flat, each print can bend in a different way to the next. Try to get the printer to print as much as possible per drop. If you are lucky, find someone with a pure solvent, or latex printer. The inks are better for vehicles. Try to keep clear of bright reds as they will not last, no matter what they tell you. There are some printers that can print metallics also. Printed graphics usually start at around $180 a square meter, plus intallation. As you can imagine they get expensive! You will also need a graphic designer who has worked in the sign industry, to design up your graphics. Please do not try this yourself unless you are highly trained/experienced. I have been doing this for 10 years now and I am still learning! A basic design will cost around $500+. I have done designs that have been 10x that amount, for smaller cars than a falcon - are you really after a vinyl wrap, or is it cheaper to get airbrushing done?

Things to look out for: Joins - minimise wherever possible! Panel edges - you want the installer to wrap around the panel, and leave as much as possible on the return side of the panel - 10mm where possible. This allows for some shrinkage of the vinyl, and hides the original colour when the doors open etc. Brand - dont try a brand of vinyl that your installer does not like. These guys are like artists. Trust their experience when logical. Buy your vinyl direct from the manufacturer where possible; why pay margin to someone else? Research is key.

Maintainence. Vinyls age. Typically the better brands should last around 5 years. Keep in mind vinyls are quite soft compared to paintwork and will scratch. Matte vinyls even more so. Try to find a matte that will 're matte' with heat if marked back to gloss. Do not allow petrol or any other solvents anywhere near your vinyl work. They melt. Bubbles. If your installer leaves bubbles, then they have not done their job. Get them to redo it. Look over everything once installed and do not fall for the 'it will settle in a few weeks' line. It doesnt and it wont. (exceptions are with printed graphics that have been pin pricked to allow air out. In this case beware of opening up holes in the few weeks following the install)

Removal. This 'can' be done yourself if you are patient. Vinyl adhesives soften with heat. A good heatgun, and patience and NO SHARP OBJECTS! will help you peel the vinyl off. Do not try to cut the vinyl on the car, it will cut your paintwork. Heat the area to as warm as is comfortable for your hand to touch, then grab and edge and peel at 90 degrees to the panel. Residue can be removed with metho and a rag.

I am very sorry for the very very long post. Please feel free to message me with any questions!

[XF Falcon]

excellent write up archangel

[sambo_xr6t]

yea my gf has just started to wrap things atm might get my car done for photo sake if I do ill post up the piks she has just been wrapping small things atm like bonnets roofs and boots etc

[alpha]

I bought some of that 3M carbon fibre wrap and stuck it on my auto surround. Didn't use any extra adhesive solution and it looked great at first...now we've had a few hot days here in Perth and noticed that the vinyl was lifting only around edges. Flat surfaces no prob..so if your're intending to use may I suggest using their adhesive spray.

[archangel]

I should have done a section on 'self installs'. Just briefly (for me!), if you are going to install yourself, like anything aesthetic, preparation is key. First, wash the area thoroughly - water and a bit of soap is the way to go. Then use a clean rag (preferably lint free) and water to wipe over to get rid of any soap residue, then finally, a new rag with metho only. Wipe over then buff dry/clean. Pay particular attention to gaps/edges. The edges of interior items tend to pick up a lot of oily residues. Prime any areas where the vinyl will need to bend more than around 60 degrees, and any edges. With this, it is better to be safe than sorry and have to redo it! Also, install with a heatgun rather than let the vinyl be cold. Try not to stretch the vinyl as it also stretches the adhesive - making it thinner and much less able to hold onto a surface. When in doubt, pay a professional!