Vinyl Wraps

[cuse81]

With these cars being 20+ years old, I am trying to take stock on this as an option. (as opposed to painting) I have read up a little bit on the technology, but wanted to ask members here experiences with them (good and bad), and lessons learned from those that have had them done.

Appreciate it!

[TriniCB7]

i have a few friends that have done various wraps to their car, issue is the adheisive is really strong and with the clear coat issue on most CB's it can be troublesome. Its like anything else once its professionally done you shoud be fine, just make sure its a wrap you want because its not the easiest to remove. On the other hand Plasti-Dip is something you may want to consider. Its easy to remove, however very durable. The only thing is most of the finishes are matte or satin; personally i like that finish, but everyone is different.

[cuse81]

TriniCB7, thanks for the response. I do like the matte/satin finishes, it can bring out lines on a car nicely. Plasti-Dip sounds like a strong consideration, looks like I have some catching up to do on this. What are the price points of it (as compared to wrap / painting?) Sorry to be so vague, as I know painting can vary wildly depending on colors / prep / stages / etc.

[K2theM]

A good wrap applied professionally will be a bit less than a cheap "Pro" re-paint (MACCO). Upside is wraps are more durable (depending on the wrap type) and can be removed easily (compared to paint).

Plastidip is alright, but it's not as durable as a vinyl wrap and needs several coats to really work correctly. Somewhere in the range of 4-7 coats is required to get both a good finish, and make removal easier (the more coats the more "solid" and durable it is). Plastidip can be applied in a weekend and cost less than $100 depending on how big the car is (cost is about the same as rattle canning a car). The downside is it will probably only last a year or two (maybe more if done really well). While it is somewhat durable (bugs and dirt it handles just fine, rocks not so much), once it starts to go it tends to take the whole thing with it.

[Corweena]

My friend had his RSX wrapped last year.....it was nothing but trouble for him. He had it done professionally, as his car was sponsored by a wrap company, but he just had a ton of issues with the wrap coming up and bubbling in certain spots.

IMO, if you are spending the money for a good wrap (which you need, if you want it to last any amount of time), you might as well spend a little bit more for a decent paint job.

[sonikaccord]

I've thought about wraps as well. I would be afraid of it bubbling, but I believe that is part of the preparation. It's just like applying tint, or rather similar concepts. I say do it yourself and save money...as long as you are confident with an exacto knife, our cars aren't hard to do.

[deevergote]

That's exactly it. Preparation is key for both wrapping AND painting.
Both wrapping and painting look best when done with the proper tools, and practice and skill make a big difference in the final result. Quality products will also make a big difference... cheap paint and cheap vinyl will both be evident in a very short time.

Having a car professionally wrapped is going to cost as much, if not more than, a decent paintjob. I've had my car painted by Maaco twice ($500 job), the most recent being 2006, and it STILL looks great. Never garaged.

We do have one member that used carbon fiber vinyl wrap on his car, and the results were impressive. I feel like an idiot for forgetting his screen name!

[cuse81]

Agreed on the prep being the key. I appreciate all the good advice on pricing points as well. nice to hear that MAACO job holding up!!

[jae_rex]

I guess $299 is fine to spend on a $800 car and would 10 x's better than sun-faded, clear coating peeling 25 year old paint.

[GTRON]

I would go plasti dip, I've had my hood flat black dipped for over a year, and when it's clean, it looks like I just put it on.

[deevergote]

Let's not resurrect ancient threads, fellas.

[GTRON]

Let's not resurrect ancient threads, fellas.

I didn't realize this was old!

[jae_rex]

Would it be best to start a new thread then? Just asking, because it seems the old threads get resurrected by new members asking the same questions. I guess we would like the input from the OG's on the site. Thanks in advance.