[GreenPlease]

Hey guys, I've got a bit of a project in the works part of which involved doing a matte silver paint job Unfortunately, my body shop has me a little weary about the durability of such a finish so I'm considering a vehicle wrap instead.

So, for those of you who have wrapped your car (or just part of your car like the roof or window trim)
-are you happy with it?
-how much did it cost to wrap your whole vehicle?
-how's it holding up?
-how and how often do you care for it?
-can you tell it's vinyl or does it look like paint?
-how long did the install take?

Thanks in advance

[TomTomTuning]

Check out Kristons thread. I'm sure he answer's a lot of these same questions.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363721

Good luck and if you do it, post up pictures!!!

[GreenPlease]

Thanks! If anyone else has some feedback it would be much appreciated.

[SleepyE90]

nlakind had a matte black wrap on his e90 but he removed it and gave back the car...
he has pretty much disappeared from the forum, but im sure you can find some info on where he got it done, etc.
If I am not wrong, he dropped around 3k for the whole wrap and it came out perfectly

[dvpouldar26]

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

Hey guys, I've got a bit of a project in the works part of which involved doing a matte silver paint job Unfortunately, my body shop has me a little weary about the durability of such a finish so I'm considering a vehicle wrap instead.

So, for those of you who have wrapped your car (or just part of your car like the roof or window trim)
-are you happy with it?
-how much did it cost to wrap your whole vehicle?
-how's it holding up?
-how and how often do you care for it?
-can you tell it's vinyl or does it look like paint?
-how long did the install take?

Thanks in advance

I've done alot of vinyl work on many cars. My car and many others. I do mostly small details, but have done stripes, parts of trunks, mirrors, etc. I am happy with the wrap. With vinyl, install is everything. If the install is done poorly, it will look like crap. I did my window trim 2 yrs ago and it is still perfect. Make sure to use a high quality vinyl. All the vinyl ive used has held up. Just make sure to correctly prep and clean the surface first. My matte stripes are perfect still after 4 months. I wash it whenever I can. I have gone 2 months without cleaning it, and once washed looks brand new. Maintenance is easier than paint, just be careful not to scratch the vinyl if it is not laminated with a top layer (cast vinyl). Many people have thought my stripes are paint because there are no seams and the install was done very meticulously. If done correctly, it is hard to tell the difference. To the trained eye, a difference can be seen. My window trim took a few hours simply because I am a perfectionist. My stripes took also a few hours because I was a perfectionist in making sure it was perfectly centered, had no seams, and the stripes themselves were perfectly cut. I also had many small details like around the sharkfin, and how I left the dovetail exposed on my trunk. The most important thing to look for in an installer is once who guarantees against no knife or razor marks. Many shops aren't careful with their cutting and cut up all over the car, leaving scratches. I know a shop that does this even though their shop is constantly filled with exotics and they are said to be "the best in the business". Make sure they take care of your car in that aspect. Premier films, for example, guarantees against razor marks and things like that. A wrap install should take a few days and would range from 2-3k pending on the installer and choice of materials, and complexity and size of the car.

[GreenPlease]

^Thanks! I'll make sure to cross shop installers if I decide to go this route.

[e92grfx]

Just make sure you take it to a quality installer and make sure they are using quality materials. I have been wrapping cars for almost 7 years now and can tell you if you get it done right, it looks awesome. If you are looking for a matte silver, make whatever shop is doing it show you a sample first. To make it matte silver the shop is going to have to either print a silver or use a silver vinyl & laminate it with a matte finish overlaminate. Typically an install like that should take 1 to 2 days tops. I recently just wrapped a g35 in matte black in about 8 hours total with the help of a fellow employee. If you have any questions just PM me and I will help you out.

[carwra]

It is now a year since I installed a vehicle wrap to my car. I can say that I'm very happy with it because of the great design and its durability. I hired a person that is professional in doing vehicle wraps and it is proven in my car's wrap.

[techietaichi]

I'm raising this long since dead thread, because I'm now thinking of getting my car wrapped because of the outrageous prices I've been quoted lately for a complete respray. Simply, it's in my budget. But what I'm wondering about are the pitfalls of a wrap versus a spray. You see, I live in the NE...Massachusetts, and though the Spring through Fall is super, Winter's got me bothered. How will a wrap fare in snowy, fugging cold conditions? Will it hold up? Now I know wraps are good for what 3-4 years maybe, but will the Winter months decrease that duration? What other kinds of issues may arise with vinyl wrapping outside of the Winter months? All input is welcome and if there's any of you fellas or gals that live in similar conditions like I do and have a wrap on your car, please fill me in! Thanks all. BMW POWER!

[liang]

Originally Posted by techietaichi

I'm raising this long since dead thread, because I'm now thinking of getting my car wrapped because of the outrageous prices I've been quoted lately for a complete respray. Simply, it's in my budget. But what I'm wondering about are the pitfalls of a wrap versus a spray. You see, I live in the NE...Massachusetts, and though the Spring through Fall is super, Winter's got me bothered. How will a wrap fare in snowy, fugging cold conditions? Will it hold up? Now I know wraps are good for what 3-4 years maybe, but will the Winter months decrease that duration? What other kinds of issues may arise with vinyl wrapping outside of the Winter months? All input is welcome and if there's any of you fellas or gals that live in similar conditions like I do and have a wrap on your car, please fill me in! Thanks all. BMW POWER!

Do not let too much salt accumulate on your vinyl wrap. If your house has a garage or your building as indoor parking, take some optimum waterless wash and clean the spots that have a lot of salt caked on twice a week.

[techietaichi]

So salt is vinyl's arch enemy then? Well, if that's the case then I think I'm ok 'cause I'm salt's arch enemy. I shoot down my car at the local wash at least once a week. Anything else besides salt that I should bare in mind?

[XYR03]

I have wrapped my car twice and had no problem with the vinyl not holding up. The big issue is to install the edges correctly. It's a learn as you go process so dont be scare to give it a shot.(fun part of the process) I wouldnt' recommand wrapping the car during the winter months since the surface of your car can be very cold, unless you have a garge. Contact Adam at autovinylsoultions.com and tell him Rich sent you and he can give you a good quote on vinyl. Also, if this is your first time vinyling, dont expect it to complete your car in 2 days. You will screw up if you rush so wrap like a panel or two a day. If you guys got more questions you can contact me to search becuase there has been a million threads on this.

[bbucur]

For a good quality wrap you are looking anywhere from $2000 to $7000 depending on the vehicle and type of wrap material used (top brands are 3M -1080 and Avery -SW900)

If the job is done correctly by a 3M or Avery certified professional installer then it will last long without peeling or bubbling and you will be happy with the wrap. In the case of matte finish wraps they actually look better then a matte paint job - i've seen many matte paint jobs displaying a sort of orange peel effect or waves like effect.

Top brand manufacturers like 3M and *Avery will say their media will last up to:
- 10 years for white and black matte, gloss products
- 7 years for metallic
- 4 years all blue colors
- 3 years pearls
*I've been in the car wrapping business for almost 9 years now and i have seen some wraps lasting longer then they suggested in some cases.

Installation time can take between 1 to 5 days depending on vehicle complexity and options involving the install.
In some cases the lights need to be removed, door handles in almost all cases (sometimes the whole door inside panels need to be removed increasing the time of delivery)