The drawbacks of wrapping vs painting

[nhsjpeterson]

My previous can was a Genesis coupe, which I had painted Hugger Orange/Black. I came close to painting the Stinger Sebring Orange/black but decided to save a lot of money and just wrap it.

A while back, someone backed in to me and dinged 2 doors. The wrap had to come off to straighten things out. When it came time to re-wrap, the new roll was about 2 shades off from the original color. So now my choice is to either drive around with somewhat obvious mismatched parts, or re-do all the orange from the new roll.

Insurance won't pay for the extra pieces -- at least not all of it. One insurance guy said they might be willing to pay a portion of the extra, but not all. Still haven't heard back from him.

At the time I got it wrapped, the guy warned me that each new color 'batch' can be different from the ones before it. I considered at the time buying two rolls just in case this situation came up--now I wish I would have. On the other hand, they also said 3M, Avery, etc., only give a 'shelf life' of a couple of years, saying that if it just sits around, something happens to the vinyl that makes it less reliable to use.

So, just something to think about if you do a wrap.

 

[TwiceStung]

Definitely a hazard and a chance any of us take when wrapping. Vinyl has plasticizers in it that, over time, will come out, making it less pliable to work with. Think of your garden hose getting stiff over time. The adhesives also may not age well, losing tackiness and ultimate adhesion as they oxidize. I work in this industry (and have for some of those like Avery Dennison that make these products) and would only go with the best known names in the business. All vinyls are not created equal.

 

[Pnasty]

Definitely a hazard and a chance any of us take when wrapping. Vinyl has plasticizers in it that, over time, will come out, making it less pliable to work with. Think of your garden hose getting stiff over time. The adhesives also may not age well, losing tackiness and ultimate adhesion as they oxidize. I work in this industry (and have for some of those like Avery Dennison that make these products) and would only go with the best known names in the business. All vinyls are not created equal.

whats your opinion on brands? 3m 1080? whats the best out there?

 

[Never thought]

My previous can was a Genesis coupe, which I had painted Hugger Orange/Black. I came close to painting the Stinger Sebring Orange/black but decided to save a lot of money and just wrap it.

A while back, someone backed in to me and dinged 2 doors. The wrap had to come off to straighten things out. When it came time to re-wrap, the new roll was about 2 shades off from the original color. So now my choice is to either drive around with somewhat obvious mismatched parts, or re-do all the orange from the new roll.

Insurance won't pay for the extra pieces -- at least not all of it. One insurance guy said they might be willing to pay a portion of the extra, but not all. Still haven't heard back from him.

At the time I got it wrapped, the guy warned me that each new color 'batch' can be different from the ones before it. I considered at the time buying two rolls just in case this situation came up--now I wish I would have. On the other hand, they also said 3M, Avery, etc., only give a 'shelf life' of a couple of years, saying that if it just sits around, something happens to the vinyl that makes it less reliable to use.

So, just something to think about if you do a wrap.

Interesting. They can’t color match it with some custom vinyl?

 

[MerlintheMad]

At the time I got it wrapped, the guy warned me that each new color 'batch' can be different from the ones before it.

That's news! I had no clue on the mismatch danger. Makes me rethink wrapping altogether.

 

[TwiceStung]

whats your opinion on brands? 3m 1080? whats the best out there?

Everyone has their favorites for various reasons......vinyl hand and workability or adhesive tackiness. I’ve tried Avery and 3M and prefer Avery. I’ve not ventured into some of the other “off” brands. Go with the volume players......they produce very large runs of product, leading to more consistency (color).

 

[TwiceStung]

That's news! I had no clue on the mismatch danger. Makes me rethink wrapping altogether.

While this is always a hazard, it can be very color dependent......for instance on some of the lighter or brighter colors. The best bet when picking vinyl wrap supply is to go with the high volume suppliers to the industry. Higher production runs mean more consistency. There’s nothing wrong with getting and keeping extra. As long as it is sealed in a dark, relatively air-tight container (they’re usually shipped in large cardboard tubes with end caps), it’ll last a few years easily.

 

[TwiceStung]

Interesting. They can’t color match it with some custom vinyl?

No such thing. The vinyl producers (most of them) make standard runs of their large moving colors and smaller custom runs as needed. Yes, they run to a color standard but some shades are almost impossible to replicate dead on. They’ll get about as close as when you compare your bumper shade (paint on plastic) to the rest of your car (paint on metal via a different process).

 

[me&stinger]

I imagine as you stretch the vinyl the tone or shade can change too. Some brands more than others and some colors more than others.

For the creative and bold minds the solution is easy...A different color for each panel/section of the car. Then color matching is no longer a problem.