[K.M]

Hi all,

I recently purchased an E92. I knew that the car had been hit while stagnant on the bumper, but the owner said it was only a scratch. I still believe him, however since that time the paint on the bumper has began to chip.

I took it to an auto body shop, who said the chipping is due to poor adhesion in the repainting process.

Meanwhile, I was also quoted $700+ for a repaint on only the bumper (due to the labor of sanding back down etc before painting)..

I'm looking for different solutions, and was wondering if 3M Vinyl Black Glossy Wrap would blend in well with the rest of the car? The car is attached below.

Also, does anyone know how much I would need for just the bumper, and would I have to use adhesion spray/heat gun as well?

Thanks so much.

[psnt1ol]

I vinyl wrapped the bottom lip over 2 years ago with 3M 1080 Glossy Black vinyl. The match is close but if you look closely ....you will notice the orange peel. The orange peel texture on a large surface such as the bumper will be much more noticeable.

Have you work with vinyl before???? Its not as easy as you think. It takes practice and lots of patience to have it go around curves and corners. Learning how to cut the vinyl on the car without damaging the paint underneath is another art in itself. The Wrap will most likely cost you around $150 (5ft x 12ft). You most likely will need the adhesive promoter for the edges, high quality non-scratch squeegee for vinyl, panel wipe, and some good carbon blades.

[e90_Nick]

You will not need anywhere near 5x12ft
more like 5x5ft which will run you ~70$

[psnt1ol]

Very seldom someone would be able to do this first time out. You will make some mistakes and might have to start over from scratch. This size will give you more than enough materials to practice and to start over if it needs to be.

[K.M]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

I vinyl wrapped the bottom lip over 2 years ago with 3M 1080 Glossy Black vinyl. The match is close but if you look closely ....you will notice the orange peel. The orange peel texture on a large surface such as the bumper will be much more noticeable.

Have you work with vinyl before???? Its not as easy as you think. It takes practice and lots of patience to have it go around curves and corners. Learning how to cut the vinyl on the car without damaging the paint underneath is another art in itself. The Wrap will most likely cost you around $150 (5ft x 12ft). You most likely will need the adhesive promoter for the edges, high quality non-scratch squeegee for vinyl, panel wipe, and some good carbon blades.

Thanks for the info. The vinyl job you did blends in nicely... I don't see evidence of an orange peel texture, do you mean bubbles under the surface or what? What that be aided by more adhesive?

You're right, I'm in over my head with this one, I have never vinyled anything this large and changes are I will mess up. Maybe I should consider having a vinyl shop do it? However considering a whole car can cost a few grand, I'm guessing it would cost around $500... About the same as getting it repainted.

[psnt1ol]

The orange peel is the nature of the vinyl. Not much you can do about it. Go to MetroreStyling.com and order a few samples to see for yourself. The sample sheets are only $1 each.

http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-108...oss1080g12.htm

[K.M]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

The orange peel is the nature of the vinyl. Not much you can do about it. Go to MetroreStyling.com and order a few samples to see for yourself. The sample sheets are only $1 each.

http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-108...oss1080g12.htm

Will do! Is the orange peel only common with 3M 1080 Wraps, or just 3M wraps, or any vinyl? Should I even consider anything else or should I stick to 3M because of the quality?

[shadow191]

All vinyl has orange peel due to the way they manufacture it. Vinyl also won't have the depth of paint since there is no clear coat. 3M is a good brand, but so is Avery, Oracal, and Hexis. Lots of other good brands too. My car is fully wrapped with Hexis and it's been 2.5 years without issue.

If you've never wrapped anything before, the front bumper is the worst place to start. It's much more difficult than a roof or a door because of the curves and the openings. You'll probably need 5x6 ft. at minimum. I don't think 5x5 is wide enough to do the bumper in one piece.

I'd honestly consider just painting it. Wrapping isn't going to save you much money and it will never match perfectly. If you mess up wrapping it, you're going to ruin your paint. Since the paint job is already of bad quality and the shop is saying it wasn't prepped correctly, the vinyl will rip the paint right off when you remove it. So if you try wrapping and it doesn't work, you're going to take off a ton of paint and be forced to repaint anyways.

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by shadow191

All vinyl has orange peel due to the way they manufacture it. Vinyl also won't have the depth of paint since there is no clear coat. 3M is a good brand, but so is Avery, Oracal, and Hexis. Lots of other good brands too. My car is fully wrapped with Hexis and it's been 2.5 years without issue.

If you've never wrapped anything before, the front bumper is the worst place to start. It's much more difficult than a roof or a door because of the curves and the openings. You'll probably need 5x6 ft. at minimum. I don't think 5x5 is wide enough to do the bumper in one piece.

I'd honestly consider just painting it. Wrapping isn't going to save you much money and it will never match perfectly. If you mess up wrapping it, you're going to ruin your paint. Since the paint job is already of bad quality and the shop is saying it wasn't prepped correctly, the vinyl will rip the paint right off when you remove it. So if you try wrapping and it doesn't work, you're going to take off a ton of paint and be forced to repaint anyways.

I agree... Flat panels are easier (not easy) but doing the bumper takes a bit of skill and it generally is a two man project.

[tofu?]

$700 is ridiculous.

Vinyling your bumper and hoping it'll blend in is almost as ridiculous.

Shop around or ask in the local forum. You'll find a place that will do a great job for under $400 easily.

[Taruno]

Go to a different shop in Bulgaria general prices are around 150$ for a repaint at BMW! Sanding down the shit is simple and you can prep it yourself and should not increase the cost more than 50-60$.