[OhSix]

Sorry if this is redundant info. After a brief search, it looked as though most discussion of vinyl wraps were targeted to graphics, cammo and such. This is not an advertisement. A good friend has been vinyl wrapping vehicles for some time now and I thought a few images might be helpful to understand the current trend/state of the art in this emerging technology.

With other projects under way on my 06, the Ridge hasta wait for now, but with 5 year life span and easy removal/replacement at a much lower cost than paint, I'll definitely be going this way.

Big trend toward mat and satin finishes out here on the left coast. Every external part on this BMW is wrapped, trim, mirrors, door handles, trunk lip wing, the whole shebang.






Although I wouldn't choose it, black roofs are all the rage. Looks great for accent but in the land of sunshine, I'd go with something less absorbing.

 

[OhSix]

This GTR turned out sweet.







Color changes can be challenging when going from one corner of the spectrum to the other but it can be done. To achieve proper door sill/jamb treatment, doors are removed. Personally, I'm staying close to the silver range of O.E.M to avoid as much disassembly as possible. The Ridgeline has some styling cues that can be used to create two tone schemes. A guy could go nuts with that if he wanted to. Rappers, er... I mean wrappers are using "knife tape" similar to painters tape but is lays out color lines and cuts the overlay material like a razor. There are tons more photos of work that has been done but none of them are Ridgelines so....

Hope someone found this interesting.

 

[Smokey619]

Nice, I have seen a lot of cars with matte which I am guessing are wraps here in San Diego, they sure look nice, I was thinking of wrapping my RL but I am not sure I will do it.

 

[OhSix]

Nice, I have seen a lot of cars with matte which I am guessing are wraps here in San Diego, they sure look nice, I was thinking of wrapping my RL but I am not sure I will do it.

Smokey, I'm in San Marcos. Yah, wraps are getting popular here. Given the cost, if someone needs a refresh, wraps are definitely the way to go.

 

[khayes9999]

I like the carbon fiber look. Do you know what wrap brand/finish was done on the BMW?

 

[OhSix]

I like the carbon fiber look. Do you know what wrap brand/finish was done on the BMW?

Not sure of the exact brand on the BMW but, most of the vinyl I've seen is 3M "wrap film" of various grades. I'm holding a small roll of scrap textured black carbon fiber in a mat/satin combo finish that'll be used on a couple of items for my RL. It has "Series 1080" printed on the peel off backing. There might be other series for gloss and satin finish but this stuff is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. The carbon fiber finish is much thicker than solid color so I'm guessing it offers improved protection of the surface its attached to.

 

[dtexan]

A lot of the matte finishes are also done with plastidip.

 

[OhSix]

Stopped by the shop to see what was happening. This GTS was in for some color and protection work. Not my cup of tea but who cares about that, the customer gets what he likes so that's all that counts.

Clear bra up front, glass protection on the windshield (100% U.V. block too), red accents and a black hood. Whatever floats his boat!

 

[AG87BlkLX]

It's pretty cool what they are doing with wraps now.

 

[qlake]

Now this is a wrap.

 

[OhSix]

Now this is a wrap.

LOL. Love that kind of creativity. There's some pretty cool garage door graphics out there too.



http://www.gadgetking.com/2010/02/24/cool-garage-door-graphics/comment-page-1/

 

[OhSix]

This Dodge Viper is headed for a 3 dimensional scan for a Samsung project that will eventually be shown to the public - apparently as part of a virtual reality tour of some sort.

A work in progress, the trunk, roof and hood will be mat black metallic with mat blue metallic stripes, fenders and doors.



Those hood louvers present a challenge. The inside of each louver will be mat blue. Lots of hand cuts to be made. I couldn't stick around for images of how they turned out. Maybe tomorrow.



Ever job I've seen Derrick and Trevor do involves some level of repair. Here's the nose of this Viper.



A little farther along.

 

[OhSix]

This Carrera has 196,000 miles on it. Derrick and Trevor were tasked with removing an existing wrap. What they found was a complete mess. For some reason, the shop that applied the old vinyl scuffed the original paint prior to laying on the wrap. Insane! One of the cool things about vinyl is it preserves the paint finish under it, so taking it off restores the car to original. That ain't in the cards for this one. YIKES

 

[OhSix]

Hope to get images of the Carrera when its done. At this point, its pretty fugly.

 

[OhSix]

Just to make it clear...

 

[OhSix]

Derrick and Trevor finished the Viper. It's on it's way this morning to a video production studio for a Samsung project that should be public in the near future.

 

[khayes9999]

Just wondering how much does a wrap like that cost and how much to wrap a much larger vehicle like a RL (let's say a solid color just to make it easier)?

 

[OhSix]

Just wondering how much does a wrap like that cost and how much to wrap a much larger vehicle like a RL (let's say a solid color just to make it easier)?

Derrick and Trevor (California Wraps) have yet to cover an RL. Depending on my current budget development, I may be the first but we'll see about that. Based on a simple "size 12 human shoe walk off" estimate, it *should cost* somewhere in the $1,800 range. That loose assessment includes the complication of a single sheet of vinyl needed to cover front to rear slab sides of the RL body but does not include door jambs or more complicated coverage normally associated with a complete color change.

Personally, I expect that price to be a little less, because many of the vehicles (especially the Viper) in this thread are more complex than the RL due to curves and such, so application of vinyl *should be* less complex. Also, in my case, I insist on doing my own disassembly/reassembly of bumper covers, door handles, bed caps, ETC. The basic idea being if a part is removable, I'll take it off in effort to allow for total coverage and color continuity. Having said that, hands on experience with the RL can drive the price up or down a bit depending on how things turn out.

As a reference point, the Viper was quoted at $3K , but the next one will be closer to $4K because they learned alot about how difficult they are.

I've got tons of other RL projects under way but am loosely aiming to get the wrap done this year. Nothing radical but a vast improvement over the current condition of paint/clear coat on my 10 year old RL.

If others are interested, I'll keep posting the work these guys do.

BTW: I've asked Derrick if he is willing to offer a discount to ROC members. His response is to chuckle first because they are already doing more business than they can handle - and he won't hire a "laborer" to help out - he's looking for a car guy, a careful craftsman who loves automotive art, and those guys are hard to find. But he has casually mentioned a 10% discount. If there is genuine interest, I can grind him a little more enthusiastically. Volume would always help.

 

[OhSix]

Follow up on the beat to snot 200K mile Porsche...

Apparently, when the first wrap was done, the standard practice was to scuff the surface and spray with "clear primer" prior to laying on vinyl sheets. That practice has changed to one that preserves the condition of the painted surface covered by vinyl. "Clear primer" is used only on tight corners where additional adhesion is beneficial. The entire car looked like this:



As of this morning, major panels are covered in satin black. What an amazing difference. Doesn't even look like the same vehicle.







A little attention to detail transformed this well used, uncared for emblem to its former self.



Should look like a brand new ride when it goes back together.

 

[rollinhonda]

I guess that 'wraps it up!"...... sorry, could not resist. It is impressive what they can do. Seems like a great way to protect a prized vehicle from the elements without having to work the paint every few months.