[KelvinHatch]

Does anyone have a clue about how long wraps can last under the sun?
I only have outdoor parking with no roof and planning to wrap the car once I get it. Are there brands known to last sometime under long sun exposure? Please let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

[gzshadowv]

Does anyone have a clue about how long wraps can last under the sun?
I only have outdoor parking with no roof and planning to wrap the car once I get it. Are there brands known to last sometime under long sun exposure? Please let me know. Thanks in advance.

I have a wrapping shop, and I'll be doing the same thing. I currently have outdoor parking with no roof lol.

You'll be fine for a long time, up to 7 years of perfect wrap IF and only IF you get it installed correctly (don't cheap out) and if you take care of it correctly. A car wrap will last a long time. Think about it, police cars, ambulances, etc. All those little designs are vinyl.

 

[ryno9100]

Oh. Slightly off topic, but since we have a wrapping guy.

I typically hand wash my car once every couple of months. 2 buckets, all that jazz. I do pressure washing once every couple weeks to keep it looking decent. Is pressure washing vinyl wraps a bad idea? I'm strongly considering wrapping mine in Flame Blue (or similar) or Orange when I get it, but it's not worth it to me if it means a ton of extra effort to clean.

 

[gzshadowv]

Oh. Slightly off topic, but since we have a wrapping guy.

I typically hand wash my car once every couple of months. 2 buckets, all that jazz. I do pressure washing once every couple weeks to keep it looking decent. Is pressure washing vinyl wraps a bad idea? I'm strongly considering wrapping mine in Flame Blue (or similar) or Orange when I get it, but it's not worth it to me if it means a ton of extra effort to clean.

Cleaning a wrapped car is way easier.

I do recommend you don't put your pressure washer too close, but you can use it. Obviously hand wash only, don't go to those stupid automatic things. I always tell me customers, if you're gonna go to a car wash, do the touch less wash or a hand car wash. Don't wax or polish your wrapped car. Only do so if it's a gloss color, and use a wrap safe polish. No waxing.


If you look into my new member message thing I put out, I posted a few of our personal cars. They're all wrapped except the black supra. We use a pressure washer and our hands lol.

Long story short, you'll be fine. It's actually easier to clean the car.

 

[KelvinHatch]

I have a wrapping shop, and I'll be doing the same thing. I currently have outdoor parking with no roof lol.

You'll be fine for a long time, up to 7 years of perfect wrap IF and only IF you get it installed correctly (don't cheap out) and if you take care of it correctly. A car wrap will last a long time. Think about it, police cars, ambulances, etc. All those little designs are vinyl.

Thanks. Are there any brands of wrap you recommend?

 

[gzshadowv]

Thanks. Are there any brands of wrap you recommend?

There's 2 types of material.

Calendered, and Cast. There's hybrids as well, but cast is the one you're looking for.

Something like 3M 2080, or 3M in general really.

Whenever you go to a wrap shop, tell them to show you their cast colors and just choose from those.


Cast tends to be more resistant to weather and the sun, they last longer than calendered films. Calendered films tend to shrink as time passes so you would start seeing your original color in certain areas over the years (if you have a bright color underneath this is bad lol)

Imagine having a blue flame Corolla wrapped in red 😂😂 you'd be looking like Spiderman eventually

 

[KelvinHatch]

Thanks for the recommendation

 

[Gravel Grindings]

If I get a black car, my intention is to wrap it a BRG type green. My concern is the extended sills. Especially the recess GR-AWD. How can this by durably covered with wrap?

 

[gzshadowv]

If I get a black car, my intention is to wrap it a BRG type green. My concern is the extended sills. Especially the recess GR-AWD. How can this by durably covered with wrap?

Don't worry about it. A good shop will do a good job.

 

[Rise]

I have a wrapping shop, and I'll be doing the same thing. I currently have outdoor parking with no roof lol.

You'll be fine for a long time, up to 7 years of perfect wrap IF and only IF you get it installed correctly (don't cheap out) and if you take care of it correctly. A car wrap will last a long time. Think about it, police cars, ambulances, etc. All those little designs are vinyl.

Can you talk more about (or point me in the right direction to read more about) wrap longevity? I live in Ohio and see high temperatures breaking 100 and lows below 0, and I have people telling me a wrap will last 2, maybe 3 years tops in these conditions if parked outside. I'd love to get a black GR Corolla wrapped the right way and I'm willing to pay for a high quality job, but I fear I simply live in a bad environment for it.

 

[gzshadowv]

Can you talk more about (or point me in the right direction to read more about) wrap longevity? I live in Ohio and see high temperatures breaking 100 and lows below 0, and I have people telling me a wrap will last 2, maybe 3 years tops in these conditions if parked outside. I'd love to get a black GR Corolla wrapped the right way and I'm willing to pay for a high quality job, but I fear I simply live in a bad environment for it.

Yes, harsh weather conditions will certainly affect the longevity of the wrap. I recommend you just cover it up when you park it at home. Try to find a way to have it under cover when leaving it parked.

Another expensive option is getting PPF on top of the wrap. This is also the best option when it comes to high quality, long life wrap jobs. Almost every single supercar gets done this way, wrap, and then ppf.

Also, you can get the wrap ceramic coated.



Long story short.... Get a cover, or get the car ceramic coated after wrap. Or get the car wrapped and PPFd. OR get all of the above. Get it wrapped, PPFd, and ceramic coated 😂 your car will look brand new every day for a really long time

 

[Lug_Nuts_23]

There's 2 types of material.

Calendered, and Cast. There's hybrids as well, but cast is the one you're looking for.

Something like 3M 2080, or 3M in general really.

Whenever you go to a wrap shop, tell them to show you their cast colors and just choose from those.

How much do those tend to run? I very much like the idea of all-over protection but it might be a bit out of my budget...

 

[gzshadowv]

How much do those tend to run? I very much like the idea of all-over protection but it might be a bit out of my budget...

It's going to be quite a bit of money. I say either look for a wrap + ceramic. Or a wrap + PPF


If the PPF is not too much more than ceramic, do that.

I can't tell you how much it will be because it really varies by region and shop. But you're probably gonna spend around 4-7k total

 

[JimsGarageToys]

Yes, harsh weather conditions will certainly affect the longevity of the wrap. I recommend you just cover it up when you park it at home. Try to find a way to have it under cover when leaving it parked.

Another expensive option is getting PPF on top of the wrap. This is also the best option when it comes to high quality, long life wrap jobs. Almost every single supercar gets done this way, wrap, and then ppf.

Also, you can get the wrap ceramic coated.



Long story short.... Get a cover, or get the car ceramic coated after wrap. Or get the car wrapped and PPFd. OR get all of the above. Get it wrapped, PPFd, and ceramic coated 😂 your car will look brand new every day for a really long time

This is what I do with my cars. I've never wrapped them before but I get PPF done and then do a true ceramic coating and they look new for a very long time when you renew the ceramic coating every so often.

 

[JimsGarageToys]

It's going to be quite a bit of money. I say either look for a wrap + ceramic. Or a wrap + PPF


If the PPF is not too much more than ceramic, do that.

I can't tell you how much it will be because it really varies by region and shop. But you're probably gonna spend around 4-7k total

I've done the ceramic coating with excellent results myself. It's very easy to apply so there is no reason to pay a shop to do it. Buy it yourself and apply it yourself.

 

[gzshadowv]

I've done the ceramic coating with excellent results myself. It's very easy to apply so there is no reason to pay a shop to do it. Buy it yourself and apply it yourself.

Ceramic coating is very easy, yes you're correct. Especially when it's a new car