Should I Repaint or Wrap my Car?
You want your car to always look its best, because like it or not, it is a reflection of who you are. From the glossy exterior finish to the supple leather interiors, you want your car to turn heads when the wheels are rolling and be the main attraction when it stops. You know for a fact that your car’s shiny paint job will dull over time, so you’re considering having your car wrapped. But what does it mean when you put vinyl wrap on your car? We’ll help you settle the debate if whether you should repaint or wrap your car.
Wrap or Repaint: Application
The application process shows a big difference between car wrapping and repainting. Repainting will take anything between three days to a month, depending on the type of paint used, how much layers of paint is already on the car and how much of it needs to be removed and how many layers of paint will be applied; each layer will take at least a day to dry, even more so with complex paint jobs like matte or two-tone gradients.
With car wrapping, the process of application will take less time. Although the application duration will depend on the type of car to be wrapped, if it’s an SUV or a classic car with complicated bumpers and fenders, it probably won’t take more than three days, regardless if its a matte wrap or a complicated one. After washing your car thoroughly, they’ll place the vinyl wrap on top of your car, apply heat for the adhesive, and in no time your car will be ready to drive.
Wrap or Repaint: Removal
Until you decide to fully remove the finish or the coating, paint is pretty much permanent. Repainting also impacts the resale value of a car, especially if the original colour is a special edition and you just decide to strip it and put on a new one. Car wrapping on the other hand, allows you to have a fresh look on your car while still keeping the original paint job, and you can change your car wrap as often as you can. What’s even better is that the vinyl wrap doesn’t damage the surface of the car; on the contrary, it acts as a protective coating, allowing your car to keep its resale value.
Wrap or Repaint: Costs
Repainting a car is only cheaper if you’re considering getting low-quality paint job. Car wrap costs vs paint is at par with one another especially if you consider getting the better quality paint jobs. However, the benefits of getting your car wrapped far outweighs repainting, since a badly applied paint job can cost you double of what you pay for compared to getting a professionally done job, on top of the regular maintenance you need for a long-lasting paint job.
Overall: Should I Repaint or Wrap My Car?
We understand that choosing to get car wrapping can be a hefty decision. Doing a wrapping pros and cons such as this one is always a good idea to fully decide on which car modification you would want to slap on to your car. It should be noted however that cars that have visible wear and tear are not exactly primed for vinyl. When you decide on a car wrap, problems you have on a newly painted car will seemingly stop, since as mentioned, the vinyl wrap is also a protective coating for your car. Overall, car wraps does offer more benefits than repainting a car, but it’s still up to you on how you will make your car last longer.
Wrap or Repaint: Application
The application process shows a big difference between car wrapping and repainting. Repainting will take anything between three days to a month, depending on the type of paint used, how much layers of paint is already on the car and how much of it needs to be removed and how many layers of paint will be applied; each layer will take at least a day to dry, even more so with complex paint jobs like matte or two-tone gradients.
With car wrapping, the process of application will take less time. Although the application duration will depend on the type of car to be wrapped, if it’s an SUV or a classic car with complicated bumpers and fenders, it probably won’t take more than three days, regardless if its a matte wrap or a complicated one. After washing your car thoroughly, they’ll place the vinyl wrap on top of your car, apply heat for the adhesive, and in no time your car will be ready to drive.
Wrap or Repaint: Removal
Until you decide to fully remove the finish or the coating, paint is pretty much permanent. Repainting also impacts the resale value of a car, especially if the original colour is a special edition and you just decide to strip it and put on a new one. Car wrapping on the other hand, allows you to have a fresh look on your car while still keeping the original paint job, and you can change your car wrap as often as you can. What’s even better is that the vinyl wrap doesn’t damage the surface of the car; on the contrary, it acts as a protective coating, allowing your car to keep its resale value.
Wrap or Repaint: Costs
Repainting a car is only cheaper if you’re considering getting low-quality paint job. Car wrap costs vs paint is at par with one another especially if you consider getting the better quality paint jobs. However, the benefits of getting your car wrapped far outweighs repainting, since a badly applied paint job can cost you double of what you pay for compared to getting a professionally done job, on top of the regular maintenance you need for a long-lasting paint job.
Overall: Should I Repaint or Wrap My Car?
We understand that choosing to get car wrapping can be a hefty decision. Doing a wrapping pros and cons such as this one is always a good idea to fully decide on which car modification you would want to slap on to your car. It should be noted however that cars that have visible wear and tear are not exactly primed for vinyl. When you decide on a car wrap, problems you have on a newly painted car will seemingly stop, since as mentioned, the vinyl wrap is also a protective coating for your car. Overall, car wraps does offer more benefits than repainting a car, but it’s still up to you on how you will make your car last longer.
How Do You Wash Car Wraps?
Having a newly-wrapped car is work of art. However, that gloss and new-car look will not last long if you don’t take care of it. Some owners think their car wrapping is meant to be forever, but you know better. Here are some of the best ways on how to wash a wrapped car.
Automatic Car Wash: Best Method
To ensure that the graphics will not be scratched or lifted on the sides, the best option on how to wash a wrapped car is still running it through an automated brushless car wash. Depending on the quality of the brush, brush car washes may cause dulling and all sorts of damages to the vinyl wrapping. Automatic, touch-less car washes is the most recommended way of washing a wrapped car, if you want to keep the finish as close to how it looked when it was first applied.
Hand Washing: Yes, But...
If you don’t have a brushless automated car wash near you, you can always go the traditional route on how to was a wrapped car: hand washing. To avoid scratching the surface, spray the car with water to rinse off any loose dirt on the car. Use non-abrasive detergents with a soft, clean cloth or sponge when washing a wrapped car. Rinse with water, then use a silicone squeegee and finish off with a microfibre cloth to avoid water spots. Contaminants might eat away the material and will be more difficult to remove during cleaning, so regular car wash is good for your vinyl wrap.
Pressure Washing: Under Certain Conditions
Pressure washing a wrapped car can be tricky, but not impossible. Washing alone will remove the grime from the car, so try to keep the water pressure below 2,000 psi. Keep the water temperature below 80°C to ensure that the adhesive is not affected. Keep the nozzle at least 1 foot away from the vinyl wrap, and use a 40-degree wide angle spray pattern. Do not hold the nozzle at an angle, since it might lift the graphic at the edges.
Dealing with Difficult Contaminants
You don’t have to be doing car wrap car wash to deal with difficult contaminants. Dead bugs, tree sap, and bird droppings are just the typical contaminants you will deal with. Try to spot clean the contaminants as soon as you see them. Soften it up by soaking it in hot, soapy water, then rinse thoroughly and dry. Do not try to scrub the area or use abrasive tools to avoid scratching the vinyl. With fuel spills, wipe the affected area immediately and wash to avoid damage on the vinyl and adhesive. Do note that wax should never be used on the vinyl wrap, and try to keep it under shade whenever possible.
How to wash a wrapped car is not as difficult as it sounds, but it is an important part of maintenance to ensure the quality of the wrap. Keeping the material clean is the most important part of having vinyl wraps, and doing so will allow the car to look beautiful in the long run.
Automatic Car Wash: Best Method
To ensure that the graphics will not be scratched or lifted on the sides, the best option on how to wash a wrapped car is still running it through an automated brushless car wash. Depending on the quality of the brush, brush car washes may cause dulling and all sorts of damages to the vinyl wrapping. Automatic, touch-less car washes is the most recommended way of washing a wrapped car, if you want to keep the finish as close to how it looked when it was first applied.
Hand Washing: Yes, But...
If you don’t have a brushless automated car wash near you, you can always go the traditional route on how to was a wrapped car: hand washing. To avoid scratching the surface, spray the car with water to rinse off any loose dirt on the car. Use non-abrasive detergents with a soft, clean cloth or sponge when washing a wrapped car. Rinse with water, then use a silicone squeegee and finish off with a microfibre cloth to avoid water spots. Contaminants might eat away the material and will be more difficult to remove during cleaning, so regular car wash is good for your vinyl wrap.
Pressure Washing: Under Certain Conditions
Pressure washing a wrapped car can be tricky, but not impossible. Washing alone will remove the grime from the car, so try to keep the water pressure below 2,000 psi. Keep the water temperature below 80°C to ensure that the adhesive is not affected. Keep the nozzle at least 1 foot away from the vinyl wrap, and use a 40-degree wide angle spray pattern. Do not hold the nozzle at an angle, since it might lift the graphic at the edges.
Dealing with Difficult Contaminants
You don’t have to be doing car wrap car wash to deal with difficult contaminants. Dead bugs, tree sap, and bird droppings are just the typical contaminants you will deal with. Try to spot clean the contaminants as soon as you see them. Soften it up by soaking it in hot, soapy water, then rinse thoroughly and dry. Do not try to scrub the area or use abrasive tools to avoid scratching the vinyl. With fuel spills, wipe the affected area immediately and wash to avoid damage on the vinyl and adhesive. Do note that wax should never be used on the vinyl wrap, and try to keep it under shade whenever possible.
How to wash a wrapped car is not as difficult as it sounds, but it is an important part of maintenance to ensure the quality of the wrap. Keeping the material clean is the most important part of having vinyl wraps, and doing so will allow the car to look beautiful in the long run.
Paint Protection Film vs Ceramic Coating
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Getting a car is no joke. That’s why after buying one, the next best thing we can do is to protect it. There are a lot of options in the market, but so far the most popular ones are paint protection film and ceramic coating, and despite the astounding similarities, the two serve different purposes and are completely different from each other. So why would you get ceramic coating over paint protection film or vice versa?
In terms of application, paint protection film is thicker than a ceramic coating. It is good to note that paint protection film is a self-healing wrap, wherein even after indentations, abrasions, chipping or scratching, the film will return to its original form without permanently disfiguring the car. On the other hand, a ceramic coating does not have a self-healing quality, but it does give the car a hydrophobic coating, wherein water simply slides off the surface. Ceramic coating is a liquid polymer that chemically bonds with the paint, serving as a protection and resists water and other contaminants from sticking to your car. Both material have protective qualities you need to look for when you want to protect our car from chemical stains, etch marks, and oxidation. The difference between the two are quite apparent, wherein the best paint protection film is able to not just absorb small scratches and stop rock chips, but it also self-heals. Ceramic coating on the other hand cannot do these things, but does make the car easier to clean. A disadvantage of paint protection film, however, is the fact that it has a thick finish on the car, so it may look awkward if not applied on the car properly. Good news though: you don’t need to choose between one or the other. When choosing between ceramic coating over paint protection film, you can actually put both on your car. Paint protection film installers are not new to this, so they know if you want to apply paint protection film and ceramic coating. Overall, it is not a question of which one is better than the other, it is whether you choose to put ceramic coating over paint protection film or not. Either way, paint protection film will always be a good choice in car protection, especially if you want you car to preserve your car’s paint job longer. |
Detailing for wrapped cars: The Do’s and Don’ts
Car wraps is on the rise for car owners. Rather than repainting their car, some choose to wrap their car in vinyl to give it a fresh new look, making the process quicker and easier for the owner should he/she choose to get a new look for the car. What is usually reserved for business advertisements, regular car owners are choosing to get radical designs like matte or even a metallic chrome look for. However, wrapping a car might seem easy, but detailing a wrapped car is an entirely different story.
When detailing wrapped car, it you need to remember that the surface of a wrapped car is not the same as the surface of a regular car. When cars get dirty, you can simply wash the surface with soap and scrub with a sponge, dry it with cloth and then apply wax to give it that shiny finish. With vinyl wrapped cars, it’s important to wash it regularly with specific cleaning products for wrapped cars. Brands like Meguiar’s have wrap-friendly products that cater specifically to wrapped cars, ensuring that the material maintains its sheen. There are also waterless wash liquids available in the market which breaks down dirt and grime, and leaves a protective shine.
With that said, detailing a wrapped car means you cannot do any sort of buffing on the material. This means no rubbing using rough cloths, sponges or brushes of any kind. This is to avoid scratching the surface with unseen debris on the vinyl. With normal car paint, you can simply wash off these debris and buff out any scratches with wax.
When washing, brushless automatic car washes are your best option to ensure that the vinyl wrap will not get damaged. Avoid pressure wasters as well, so as not to accidentally peel the vinyl off.
It sound all complicated at first but the important thing to keep in mind is to not treat your wrapped car as a normal car. Car detailers know this, so before having your car detailed at your regular shop, be sure to inform them of the wrap so they won’t use normal car detailers products for your car. Worse comes to worst, you can simply replace the vinyl with a new design or colour, depending on what you prefer.
When detailing wrapped car, it you need to remember that the surface of a wrapped car is not the same as the surface of a regular car. When cars get dirty, you can simply wash the surface with soap and scrub with a sponge, dry it with cloth and then apply wax to give it that shiny finish. With vinyl wrapped cars, it’s important to wash it regularly with specific cleaning products for wrapped cars. Brands like Meguiar’s have wrap-friendly products that cater specifically to wrapped cars, ensuring that the material maintains its sheen. There are also waterless wash liquids available in the market which breaks down dirt and grime, and leaves a protective shine.
With that said, detailing a wrapped car means you cannot do any sort of buffing on the material. This means no rubbing using rough cloths, sponges or brushes of any kind. This is to avoid scratching the surface with unseen debris on the vinyl. With normal car paint, you can simply wash off these debris and buff out any scratches with wax.
When washing, brushless automatic car washes are your best option to ensure that the vinyl wrap will not get damaged. Avoid pressure wasters as well, so as not to accidentally peel the vinyl off.
It sound all complicated at first but the important thing to keep in mind is to not treat your wrapped car as a normal car. Car detailers know this, so before having your car detailed at your regular shop, be sure to inform them of the wrap so they won’t use normal car detailers products for your car. Worse comes to worst, you can simply replace the vinyl with a new design or colour, depending on what you prefer.
Paint Protection Film: DIY Installation
Just a shirt drive around the block is enough to expose your car to damage. From sand, gravel to any form of flying debris, the only time your car is virtually safe fro damage is when it’s inside your garage. This is why plenty of people are choosing to have their cars wrapped in paint protection film, or PPF. Because of its popularity, there are some who sell paint protection film kits so they can do it at home, hoping to sell it cheaper. Here’s how to successfully install your DIY PPF.
First things first: you will need to collect the tools to successfully apply paint protection film kits. Firstly, you will need to acquire paint protection film. We recommend 3M paint protection film, since not only is it affordable, but they offer top quality PPF in the market. The kits usually have the tools you need, such as a squeegee and the spray trigger. Other items you might need are car wash soap, dishwashing liquid, clean water inside a spray bottle, cleaning solvent, scissors, clean edge masking tapes, and a microfibre cloth.
Preparing your car is also essential in PPF application. Make sure your car is in a shaded area where there will be minimal disturbance. The bonnet needs to be cold, so your car needs to cool down its engine before starting. A warm hood might dry the spray quicker than how you want it.
Wash the car well to remove any tar or bug splatter, which may create weak spots if not properly cleaned. Dry the car completely.
Ensure the proper fit of the paint protection film you have on hand. If not, you will need to get additional 3M paint protection kits, or you will need to cut them part by part. Before applying, use the cleaning solvent to clean the parts you are preparing to cover. This ensures that no dirt or particles is left on the surface.
Use the spray bottle and the dishwashing liquid to ease the manoeuvrability of the film. Press gently on the film to position it properly, and use the squeegee to push out the air bubbles. If there is dirt under the film, simply lift it up, clean then reapply. When you’ve success fully applied the DIY PPF, park your car directly under the sun for four hours max. The film will take four days to cure properly, depending on the climate.
You will, of course, experience problems and mistakes along the way, especially if it’s your first time to use paint protection film kits. You might cut a panel a tad bit short, or some edges seem to not stick properly. Worry not, because PROvinyl is always ready to help. With years of experience in wrapping cars both with vinyl and paint protection film, we ensure nothing but quality work with every single job.
First things first: you will need to collect the tools to successfully apply paint protection film kits. Firstly, you will need to acquire paint protection film. We recommend 3M paint protection film, since not only is it affordable, but they offer top quality PPF in the market. The kits usually have the tools you need, such as a squeegee and the spray trigger. Other items you might need are car wash soap, dishwashing liquid, clean water inside a spray bottle, cleaning solvent, scissors, clean edge masking tapes, and a microfibre cloth.
Preparing your car is also essential in PPF application. Make sure your car is in a shaded area where there will be minimal disturbance. The bonnet needs to be cold, so your car needs to cool down its engine before starting. A warm hood might dry the spray quicker than how you want it.
Wash the car well to remove any tar or bug splatter, which may create weak spots if not properly cleaned. Dry the car completely.
Ensure the proper fit of the paint protection film you have on hand. If not, you will need to get additional 3M paint protection kits, or you will need to cut them part by part. Before applying, use the cleaning solvent to clean the parts you are preparing to cover. This ensures that no dirt or particles is left on the surface.
Use the spray bottle and the dishwashing liquid to ease the manoeuvrability of the film. Press gently on the film to position it properly, and use the squeegee to push out the air bubbles. If there is dirt under the film, simply lift it up, clean then reapply. When you’ve success fully applied the DIY PPF, park your car directly under the sun for four hours max. The film will take four days to cure properly, depending on the climate.
You will, of course, experience problems and mistakes along the way, especially if it’s your first time to use paint protection film kits. You might cut a panel a tad bit short, or some edges seem to not stick properly. Worry not, because PROvinyl is always ready to help. With years of experience in wrapping cars both with vinyl and paint protection film, we ensure nothing but quality work with every single job.