Auto wrap vs paint

[jhtomchik01]

Does anyone have experience with vinyl wrapping instead of painting?

 

[Pa PITT]

I do... ... But I did mine about 10 years ago. Mine has lasted very well but I'm old school . Mine cost me about 500.00 for 8 pieces of wrap .. Mossy OAK CAMO WRAP.. iT LAST ABOUT 7 YEARS .. But I tried to keep it parked inside . Now it's old & Has set out side for about another year. It's still in good shape . not perfect by no means .
It's a 3M Camo clad. ...
It's much cheaper than paint .
I sold DuPoint PAINT for about 30 years at my parts store . But the skin covers dents .. NON Shine areas . . I'd do it again..

 

[sprdv1]

all about preference, and how much you want to put into either..

 

[hyghlndr]

There are a couple of threads on this, I would trying searching.

 

[BGBronco]

i looked online and the estimates for wrapping were 2500 - 5000. Thats pretty steep if that's correct. For 500, I would definitely try it.

 

[jhtomchik01]

Thanks everybody. I’m still thinking on this.

 

[Justafordguy]

Thanks everybody. I’m still thinking on this.

Did you ever try the wrap?

I was thinking about trying to do it myself. I wonder how much trouble it is?

 

[Broncobowsher]

We have stuff wrapped at work. I've had a try at it. It is not a DIY project if you actually want professional results.

I'm also seeing a lot of wrap that is going bad. Older stuff that the sun is killing. Ink fading, plastic backing turning brown, cracking as well.

Don't expect it to ever come off clean. Clear bra is a classic example. After a year it looks horrible and is so embedded that you are looking at getting the hood repainted from the damaged in getting that one patch off.

Now with that said, I do have a friend working his way up the drift series and all that stuff is wrapped. Garage queens and when it goes into a wall, new wrap on the repaired corner. And lots of wild graphics.

If you are thinking you are protecting the paint under the wrap, it is not.
Wrap does not prevent dents.
Wrap still scratches.
You have to have a good base paint job, wrap will not stick to failing paint.

Wrap is great for short lived projects. Company car/truck that is turned over every 2-5 years. Cheap way to put bold graphics that are a 10 footer. Company advertising.

 

[68ford]

My race truck is wrapped. It definitely does only look as good as what's under it. But being able to re wrap one section and not deal with the hassle and mess of paint is really nice.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCSSTAeh4QE/?igshid=r0bm854kht5p

 

[AZ69EB]

Wrap material, (base material and overcoat laminates), have come a long way in the last 10 years. Also, the wide format printers.

Basically, you get what you pay for. 3M and Avery are premium media and overcoats. The life span is up to 10 years. Some medias are designed to come off clean with a heat gun.

You would be surprised as to how many color changes are done on high new end cars, Lambo’s, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW’s, Tesla, ect.

 

[Broncobowsher]

My race truck is wrapped. It definitely does only look as good as what's under it. But being able to re wrap one section and not deal with the hassle and mess of paint is really nice.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCSSTAeh4QE/?igshid=r0bm854kht5p

You do bring up the point. The prep still needs to be done. Doesn't replace bodywork. That's 90% of a paint job anyway.