A DIY vehicle wrap can come at a great cost
Vehicle wrapping is an excellent option for changing your car colour and adding a logo or graphics.
Vinyl wrapping is a quick and cost-effective way of creating a new look for your vehicle and can provide an added layer of protection from road wear and tear, maximising the value of your car in the future.
Wrapping a vehicle is way more complicated than it may appear when you watch the experts. Trained professionals can make it look like an effortless and achievable task that you can do yourself within a few hours before the car appears brand new. Because they make it look so easy, you may wonder — is it hard to wrap a car?
Unfortunately, it’s much more complex than a two-step process. There are plenty of steps to consider, from vehicle detailing to surface mapping, preparation, and accurate vinyl cutting. When you combine the whole process, you will realise there are many elements to consider when doing a DIY car wrap.
Challenges when wrapping your own vehicle
Vinyl is a challenging material to work with, especially if you’re not a professional.
It’s a flexible material that moves around during installation and can be tricky to handle. This type of material is very sensitive to tools and temperature, and if you aren’t confident when installing, it could result in your DIY vehicle wrap costs getting higher than you’d planned.
Like everything else, you get what you pay for when you choose vinyl car wrap. The selected vinyl must be high quality to ensure it does the job right.
Unfortunately, even high-quality vinyl can be a struggle to work with if you’re not a professional. This project could take you hours or even days, especially if you’re learning as you go.
Preparing your vehicle takes time
Before you even begin to wrap your vehicle, you would need to check the surface and review it for any peeling paint, rust, or scratches.
If you notice any discrepancies, these are prime locations for bubbling or tears during your installation. Rust on the surface of your vehicle is tough for vinyl to stick to as it breaks and flakes easily. This would need correcting beforehand.
Automotive detailing fits perfectly with vehicle wrapping and paint protection applications. Vehicle detailing serves many different purposes and is a way to protect the paintwork of a brand-new car or a newly installed vinyl wrap.
You would need to ensure compatibility between the vinyl wrap and your vehicle to resolve any surface problems before your application.
At the Vehicle Wrapping Centre, we offer in-house vehicle detailing services to complement and enhance any vehicle. Our professional services can resolve any surface problems and leave you with a stunning and flawless surface for your vinyl wrap.
Air bubbles will ruin the wrap
The most obvious problem you may face is air bubbles.
Regardless of the kind of vehicle you are wrapping, it must be thoroughly washed and dried before applying any vinyl to the surface.
However, the presence of any moisture can drastically reduce adhesion and lead to air bubbles forming during installation. These bubbles can radically increase installation time or result in an incredibly uneven application around the vehicle.
Before starting any vinyl wrapping, you would need to perform a deep clean using the correct tools to ensure no air bubbles are present during installation.
The Vehicle Wrapping Centre offers a multi-stage detail wash with professional chemical products and tools. This wash contains high-quality de-greasers, fall-out, and shampoos to leave your vehicle spotless.
We also offer paint correction services to remove any surface imperfections on the top layer of a car’s paintwork to prevent air bubbles or discrepancies with your wrap and ensure a smoother, professional application.
Vehicle contours and edges are difficult
You need to be aware that every vehicle features different dimensions and edges, which depend on the vehicle’s shape and model.
You would need to map out all the vehicle surfaces to account for the unique surface elements. If you don’t, it can result in excess vinyl and waste, or you could fall short and not completely cover your vehicle.
The final part of trimming the excess material down is the most difficult. If the extra material is not accurately cut and tucked, the outcome of your wrap can look unprofessional.
Finalising your wrap can require additional time and effort, as when the car doors are closed, you need to be confident the vehicle’s original colour isn’t visible to create a seamless look.
Reasons you should trust the experts
When you look closer at the car graphics and the cost of doing it yourself compared to trusting the experts, you may spend more money to rectify potential mistakes.
Quality is also an incredibly important factor. When installing yourself, you risk the possibility of air bubbles, tears in places they shouldn’t be, or cutting the vinyl a little bit too short.
Avoid all this hassle by having your vehicle professionally wrapped by our team of talented and experienced installers, who will apply your wrap seamlessly with no problem.
At the Vehicle Wrapping Centre, we use the very best premium materials available, and our expert design and installation team specialises in all areas of vehicle wrapping.
Save yourself some trouble and contact us today for your personalised quote to experience a one-off cost and fantastic service.