Thinking of wrapping your car but unsure if it’s the right move for your road buddy? Well, don’t you worry because our wraps will take all the doubts off the table. We engineer vinyl wraps with novel features like air-locking technology to prevent bubbling. This article will provide a clear breakdown of the advantages and trade-offs of car vinyl wraps. Ready to find out if vinyl wrapping is worth the investment? Let’s begin with the article!
Vinyl Car Wrap: The Basics?
A thin, stretchable film manufactured by heating and passing the polymerized vinyl chloride resins through heated rollers is said to be vinyl wrap. These vinyl films, short for polyvinyl chloride films, are made to be self-sticking by applying a strong adhesive on the base layer (PVC) with a release film on top.
The self-adhesiveness of these vinyl films imparts to them the functionality of being applied on the car’s external surface for two major purposes: paint protection and rejuvenation. These films wrap the car like skin, hence earning the name of vinyl car wraps for the way they completely wrap around.
Variations
These vinyl vehicle wraps are manufactured to bestow your car with protection while being a piece of statement through the diverse range of colours and finishes.
Color Variation
Being available in a wide selection of colors, vinyl wraps let you revamp your car even in colors in which that car is not manufactured. High-quality wraps also provide the goodness of colors that cannot be achieved even with custom paint jobs, like chrome colors, gloss colors, and dual colors.
Finish Variation
Vinyl wraps, as a versatile paint alternative, cement their position as dynamic styling solutions by being available in a range of finishes. Being able to be modified to achieve various finishes, from matte and satin to chrome and carbon fiber is the best feature of vinyl films.
Styles
When it comes to paint job, the car has to be painted all over the body, while vinyl vehicle wraps provide you creative freedom and let you mix and match designs.
Partial Wrap
With a partial wrap, you can turn your car into a head-turner without committing to a full-body transformation. You can choose a roof wrap or a hood wrap that immediately draws attention.
Full Wrap
Unlike partial wrap, full wrap encloses all the external parts of a car, just like paint, but with the difference of better appearance and superior protection.
Pros of Vinyl Wrapping Your Car
Whether you are a car owner or a car wrapping studio specialist, you must know the advantages of vinyl wrapping against paint jobs. Knowing the pros will help the former in making well-informed decisions backed by real value while the latter in educating its clients.
Customizable Appearance
With vinyl wraps, you can let your imagination run wild and give your car a customizable appearance that is impossible with custom paint jobs. Choose the color that suits your aesthetics, designs that look stunning, and finishes that command attraction to turn your car into the vehicle you’ve always envisioned.
Cost-Effectiveness
Vinyl car wraps cost much less than an expensive paint job, thus letting you renovate your car without breaking the bank. While a high-quality, professional paint job will cost nothing less than $10,000, professional wrapping your car with a vinyl film will max out around $6000.
Reversible Solution
Tired of the present color or design of your custom wrap? Well, not a problem as vinyl wraps are non-permanent solutions that you can take off just as smoothly as you have applied them, unlike car paints.
Paint Protection
To many, it may not be a necessity to get their car wrapped, but a wrapped vehicle is always safer and stronger than an unwrapped one. Vinyl film acts as a barrier between your car’s original paint and scratches, fading, cracking, and other wear and tear.
Quick Installation
Given the easy installation, vinyl wrapping project can be completed in 1 to 3 days depending upon the complexity of your vehicle and it size. In any case, the total time required for wrapping is considerably shorter than that of a traditional paint job. Thus, your car won’t have to stay at the paint shop for weeks.
Fleet Uniformity
Vinyl car wraps are also used to give fleets a uniform appearance so that all of them consistently represent the brand. This uniform branding encourages customer’s trust in your brand as well as makes your fleet look much more appealing. You can also wrap fleet with PPF for an extra protective element.
Cons of Vinyl Wrapping Your Car
When it comes to evaluating a decision, pros and cons go hand in hand, as both allow for a well-informed and calculated decision. In this section, we will be discussing the cons of wrapping a car.
Can Peel or Fade
Over time, your vinyl custom wrap will start to fade away or peel off from vehicle’s exterior. However, this fading is the part of natural degradation process of vinyl film that is eventually going to happen due to sun exposure. It can only be delayed through proper care.
Not Immune to Scratches
While vinyl car wraps offer commendable resistance to scratches and minor dents, they aren’t entirely impervious to them. Still, they act as the first line of defense and absorb the impact of all sorts of wear and tear like a shield to protect the underlying original color.
Edges Lifting
Another con is that the edges of your vinyl wrap can be lifted if installed poorly leading to a diminished appearance as well as shortening of the lifespan. However, it can be resolved by ensuring excellent installation quality.
Installation Skills
Installing a vinyl wrap on vehicles, especially large vehicles like trucks, is not a walk in the park if one doesn’t have expertise or skills in this area. Thus, you may need to consult a wrapping expert to cater your project.
Applications of Vinyl Wrapping a Car Wrap
The functionality of vinyl film wraps goes beyond the boundaries of being mere PVC sheets that cover the whole car to provide protection. These custom car wraps are versatile and can be employed to gain various beneficial applications.
Advertisement
Through custom designs and graphics, these vehicle wraps serve as an excellent promotional medium for campaigns and businesses. Vinyl-wrapped cars become rolling billboards that generate at least 30,000 impressions every day and exponentially expand the brand visibility.
Resale Value Improvement
Whether you have a supercar like a Mustang or an economical car like Honda Civic, every vehicle losses its resale value once its original paint suffers wear and tear. But that’s no longer the case with vinyl film, as these wraps keep the underlying paint as good as new, thus enhancing the resale value.
Event Marketing
Do you have an event coming up? Amplify your reach and capture the attention of your target audience by transforming vehicles with customized vinyl wraps featuring your event’s branding.
Themed Wrapping
Vinyl car wraps are your perfect opportunity to decorate your road buddy as a masterpiece of your imagination. Whether you want to wrap your vehicle with iconic pop culture themes or festive themes, customization knows no bounds with vinyl vehicle wraps.
Things You Need to Wrap a Car: Tools Checklist
Like any vehicle customization project, car wrapping requires prep work to make sure the process carries on smoothly and you achieve a desirable finish instead of a grim job. With the right tools in your hands, you will not have to stop midway to go find a squeegee or a towel, as everything will be at arm’s reach.
Here’s the list of tools you need to have for wrapping a whole vehicle with a vinyl film;
- Car Wash: A pH-neutral car washing soap is essential to remove all the road debris and dirt through hand washing so that the wrap adhesive can firmly stick to the vehicle’s surface.
- Microfiber Towel: It is required to absorb the residual moisture from the vehicle’s surface to prevent it from interfering with the sticking ability, causing the vinyl wrap to suffer a premature failure.
- Measuring Tape: It helps measure the exact dimensions of the section you plan to cover so that you can cut the vinyl to the correct size and minimize material waste.
- Hand Gloves: Hand gloves are a must to protect your hands from sharp tools as well as shield sensitive care wraps like matte colors from smudges and fingerprints.
- Wrap Cutter: A sharp wrap cutter assists in cutting the excess vinyl car wrap with precision once it is applied to the desired section to provide clean edges.
- Heat Gun: For a bubble-free application and a smooth finish, the heat gun is a must as it tames the edges and strongly bonds vehicle wrap’ adhesive to the surface.
Considerations Before Wrapping a Car
This area holds equal importance for both car owners and vehicle wrap businesses, as it sheds light on the factors that must be weighed before finalizing a wrap. Whether you’re offering car wrapping services or planning to get your own car wrapped, take the following factors into account for a long-lasting final outcome;
- Purpose: The underlying purpose behind wrapping your car ultimately determines the type of vinyl film you should opt for, as not all wraps are created equal. For protection purposes, you must choose a high-quality vinyl wrap to shield the underlying paint, while customization requires vinyl films with artistic designs.
- Model: Every vehicle model carries its own unique aura and aesthetics; thus, not every vehicle wrap goes well with any vehicle’s model. A chrome wrap can accentuate the bold cuts of a sports car by adding a flare to it, whereas the same wrap might clash unpleasantly with the classic contours of an older-generation vehicle.
- Weather: A hot climate challenges the durability of car wraps, as prolonged UV radiation exposure can cause fading and degradation. Therefore, residents of hot regions must choose a car wrap with stronger UV resistance while coupling it with window tint films and paint protection film to double the protection of the original paint job.
- Material: The car wrap material decides the end finish of a wrapped car. Therefore, do your research to finalize which material will be most appropriate for your four-wheeler. From carbon fiber and semi-gloss to other materials, you have a range of options to choose from.
FAQS
Q1: How to prevent the bubbling of vinyl wrap?
A1: A vinyl film wrapped on a car surface can form bubbles over time if there was air trapped underneath it at the time of wrapping. Two steps can keep the problem of bubbling at bay; one is getting vinyl wraps manufactured with air-release technology like Carlike Film offers, and the other is professional application of the vinyl film.
Q2: Is storing vinyl vehicle wraps in bulk safe?
A2: Yes, you can stock up your inventory with high-quality vinyl wraps without worrying about degradation as long as your stock is stored in optimal storage conditions. Your vinyl rolls must not be exposed to sunlight, UV rays, and elevated moisture to keep them in mint condition.
Q3: Is ordering vinyl wrap in bulk economical or expensive?
A3: Ordering vinyl wraps in bulk can be economical if sourced from Carlike Film. We understand that business owners purchasing wraps in volume prioritize cost-effectiveness, which is why we offer competitive wholesale pricing.
Conclusion
Vinyl wraps offer premium value, unlike paint jobs that not only cost a fortune but also fall short in terms of lifespan. Even a high-quality paint job struggles to match the goodness of cost-effective vinyl wrapping. So, add a new lease to the life of your vehicle with minimal effort and minimal downtime through car vinyl wrap.
Save Big on Bulk Orders & Enjoy Customized Price Packages with CarLike®
Being the giant wrapping section of the automotive industry, CarLike Films offers premium-grade vinyl wraps as well as window tintings and PPFs. Engineered to maintain structural integrity, our car films will not disappoint your customers.
We offer our customers exclusive rates and personalized packages. So, what are you waiting for? Contact us right now and drop in your queries before this month’s wholesale slots close!
