Thoughts on wraps

[Bikeman315]

Just wondering what you guy’s thoughts are on vinyl wraps and any heads ups with 3M or Avery and colors like roaring thunder or deep space. Also about how long they will last in FL prolly outside most of the time

Seek out an owner that has had it done and speak to them about it.

Found this in about a minute. Sounds like the owner is extremely pleased with the end result.

 

[S550_Newbie]

Seek out an owner that has had it done and speak to them about it.

Found this in about a minute. Sounds like the owner is extremely pleased with the end result.

That original paint is well protected too.

 

[dogiebitt]

Wrapped the roof and mirrors myself using this. 2.5 years in Central Florida, with half the time spent outside in the open parking lot at work and it's holding up perfectly. Great that most of the blemishes disappear after it sits in the sun due to self-healing nature of the vinyl.

 

[Scott.lester1]

The wrap that you use makes all the difference. There are several newer advancements that have been made to some vinyls to eliminate the orange peel but you sacrifice stretch. 3M has the worst orange peel imo, colors make a huge difference as well i.e. satin shows almost nothing where as gloss will show everything. Stick to good brands that have been proven over the years like Avery, Oracal, Vivvid, etc. I have personally used Avery, 3M and Vivvid. I don't care for 3M, Avery is great and very stretchable, not the best gloss though, Vivvid is thick, has the best gloss of the 3, but you can work it and it can take heat when you are done and heating out any peel or marks on the surface.

Yeah I was between the 3M deep space gloss wrap and the Avery roaring thunder wrap I will say tho I do like the color palet on the deep space better but I’m trying to find a sample of the Avery to compare as I already have the 3M sample. The other reason I’m doing the wrap is the paint protection and what made me decide completely was while I was at work someone scraped my bumper and I could sorta fill it in with a paint pen till I get the wrap :( but if I had the wrap I would only have to get the bumper rewrapped instead

 

[Scott.lester1]

Wrapped the roof and mirrors myself using this. 2.5 years in Central Florida, with half the time spent outside in the open parking lot at work and it's holding up perfectly. Great that most of the blemishes disappear after it sits in the sun due to self-healing nature of the vinyl.

Is the self healing only this brand or all vynil?

 

[Scott.lester1]

I'm fairly sure it's just the nature of the material. It's plastic, so heat and the tension from the adhesive bond basically forces it to conform with the bodywork. That's also why it's essential that the paintwork be in top condition before wrapping. If it isn't smooth underneath, the vinyl won't be either.

I heard u can pour hot water on it and that helps self heal but maybe that’s just for a certain brand

 

[S550_Newbie]

Yeah I was between the 3M deep space gloss wrap and the Avery roaring thunder wrap I will say tho I do like the color palet on the deep space better but I’m trying to find a sample of the Avery to compare as I already have the 3M sample. The other reason I’m doing the wrap is the paint protection and what made me decide completely was while I was at work someone scraped my bumper and I could sorta fill it in with a paint pen till I get the wrap :( but if I had the wrap I would only have to get the bumper rewrapped instead

Vivvid is great for that, its thicker so rock chips and the like won't even touch your paint. I love that you can remove it at anytime too. Paint is much more permanent. If you ever plan on selling your car, you can take the wrap off and it will look like new.

 

[S550_Newbie]

Is the self healing only this brand or all vynil?

They all can do it, but some are better than others at taking the heat from a heat gun. Some installers use a torch to skim over the surface. Too much heat with something like Avery and you can melt it. 3M can take some heat, the problem with 3M is it shows glue lines everywhere in my experience. It's seems related to which batch that roll came from or the color, not sure. Glue lines ruin any wrap.