Thread: Vehicle wrapping - your thoughts?

Hi guys

I own a vehicle wrapping company called monsterwraps.co.uk and would like to get an insight into how you guys rate wrapping.

The most common wraps i get are satin black, part carbon fibre and gloss white wraps and the benefits outweigh the negatives by a mile, but would would you guys like to see or have done?

I thought as audi drivers, we have the best taste, so there cant be a better place to get a bit of 'market research' done!

Would love to know your thoughts

I also do wrapping! We get a lot of matt grey at the moment. Seems to go through stages, matt black, gloss White, matt White.

Have you seen the new 3M 1080 matt silver? Its absolutely stunning and can see a few of those coming in soon!

How much does a wrap cost?

On a convertable in matt or gloss colours your looking at £700-800 for a full wrap. I am fortunate not to have the heavy overheads of some of the larger companies so we can be more competitively priced.

Yeah looks smart, u done any chrome? Glad that phase didn't last long! Lol where u based?

And what is the "shelf" life of a wrap? And does a wrap cover up any existing chips? And do you have a special washing routine for a wrap?

A good wrap will have a life of 5-7 years, and the majority of the time is spent cleaning the vehicle to within an inch of its life with the vinyl manufacturer's prepping agent. Without this, its not going to last. It covers scratches really well, bit stone chips will look like little dimples through the vinyl, but it will stop the stone chips from rusting and will make it a lot more difficult to see. Its a nice way to breathe fresh life into old or faded paintwork

Originally Posted by Big_Dave

Yeah looks smart, u done any chrome? Glad that phase didn't last long! Lol where u based?

Chrome is a pain, and doesnt last. Ive only done a bonnet of a merc and quite pleased i havent had to do another one. Love the carbon fibre though!

Originally Posted by Big_Dave

Yeah looks smart, u done any chrome? Glad that phase didn't last long! Lol where u based?

We are in southampton but also do onsite installation so that were not restricted to one location

If the wrap is applied right then u shouldn't have anything to worry about regarding cleaning routine, however I still wouldn't recommend going crazy with a power washer. Most vinyl can get polished and even t-cut can be used lightly. If looked after the wrap could last 8-10yrs! We normally say 5 on average tho. As for stone chips, it all depends on how bad they are and the type of material used. We sometimes flat and prep the areas affected obviously with permission of the owner.

i think wrapping is a good idea. i would like to get the roof and bonnet done in black but its just the cost. haven't really got £££'s to spend at the moment

Originally Posted by StateOfPlay

And what is the "shelf" life of a wrap? And does a wrap cover up any existing chips? And do you have a special washing routine for a wrap?

Sorry, misread your post. Thought you were referring to the actual installation process. There is nothing special involved with cleaning a wrapped car but would avoid heavy pressure washers though like Big_Dave said

We have done quite a few full chrome jobs but it's bloody hard work to use. We are based in Bradford and do all our work in house. How far do you go regarding taking the cars apart to prep?

Originally Posted by jay1601

i think wrapping is a good idea. i would like to get the roof and bonnet done in black but its just the cost. haven't really got £££'s to spend at the moment

For roof and bonnet in black we would do this for £225, cheaper than a paint job

Originally Posted by Big_Dave

We have done quite a few full chrome jobs but it's bloody hard work to use. We are based in Bradford and do all our work in house. How far do you go regarding taking the cars apart to prep?

To be honest it depends on how much the customer wants to pay to be honest. Its possible to do a wrap with minimal removal but will mean that it wont be a perfect job, but will cost less. On a decent budget i would look to remove lights, badges, door handles, grills etc, but i do offer this to the customer also to reduce the cost if need be as most people i come across are able to have most of the bits removed before i get there. I strip as much as possible off the car to make it look perfect. What about you guys?

We strip as much as we can, bumpers, lights, handles, mirrors off. I used to cringe when I first started but couple of years later and I can have a bentley or 458 stripped in no time!

I have been impressed from a distance, but having looked close at a number of different companies offerings at car shows, they all looked a little rough around the edges, quite literally. I certainly wouldn't get mine done. I am yet to see one that would beat a good respray, and IMO the cost difference isn't worth the sacrifice. Just my two pence though.

Originally Posted by Matt_S

I have been impressed from a distance, but having looked close at a number of different companies offerings at car shows, they all looked a little rough around the edges, quite literally. I certainly wouldn't get mine done. I am yet to see one that would beat a good respray, and IMO the cost difference isn't worth the sacrifice. Just my two pence though.

There are a lot of companies out there now attempting full wraps without the necessary experience, or cutting corners to save money.
A good wrap will be seemless and the only way of knowing its a wrap will be to left the bonnet to see the colour of the engine bay. Surprised that someone takes a less than perfect car to a show, and frustrated that there are guys out there giving wraps a bad name... Thanks for your opinion though

Originally Posted by Monsterwraps

There are a lot of companies out there now attempting full wraps without the necessary experience, or cutting corners to save money.
A good wrap will be seemless and the only way of knowing its a wrap will be to left the bonnet to see the colour of the engine bay. Surprised that someone takes a less than perfect car to a show, and frustrated that there are guys out there giving wraps a bad name... Thanks for your opinion though

This is rather annoying because people are very quick to think that all wrap companies are the same! There are a lot of cowboy outfits out there that think if they can apply crap tints they can easily wrap with no training. As quoted above, on a proper wrap u shouldn't see any joins or bad edges. If your looking to have your car wrapped, do your research and look at previous work, then ring us!

Unless your down south, then give us a call

I think wraps are a very good idea lots of possibilities either your paintwork is a bit tired, fancy a change like getting a new car or just bought front and rear bumpers like me you could get the car wrapped instead of paying for respray no need to notify Dvla win win in my opinion only if done properly.
I got a quote of £900 inc vat for gloss white on Audi a3 3dr and extra £250 for door shuts and little bits from totally dynamic closest to me in red hill, what would your prices be guys?

I was interested but the price difference between people is stupid and makes me think there's something suspect about it.

wrapping = pointless

car manufactures spend millions of pounds a year improving their paint technology, only to have someone cover it with some plastic lol

I think wraps are a good idea for company logo and signage.

But as a cosmetic use they are quite expensive for what they are, as to do one properly it is time consuming and labour intensive, and labour costs are what prices it out of the market for people like me.

Got my van wrapped, but would NEVER wrap a car.

I have nothing against car wrapping, but if you purchased the car in the right colour in the first place, there would be no need to wrap it right? Of course on the otherhand, your choice of car isn't available in the colour you want, then a wrap is the way forward.

I do want to ask one question though, how difficult is it to get you wrap removed and have the paint/bodywork restored to prewrap form?

on the right car it looks ok but not my cup of tea , i can see the pro's and cons with it and yes it does protect your paintwork but me i prefer nice glossy audi paint when freshly detailed it looks the business

im still on the fence when it comes down to wrapping as all iv ever seen are really crap jobs and the only folk iv seen use it are the criminals trying to hide there cars from the cops with the quick fix of a colour change,

Originally Posted by Turkster

im still on the fence when it comes down to wrapping as all iv ever seen are really crap jobs and the only folk iv seen use it are the criminals trying to hide there cars from the cops with the quick fix of a colour change,

LOL! Not even speed cameras will pick this one up!

Originally Posted by Turkster

im still on the fence when it comes down to wrapping as all iv ever seen are really crap jobs and the only folk iv seen use it are the criminals trying to hide there cars from the cops with the quick fix of a colour change,

I've seen worse wraps! Lol

are chrome wraps even legal ??? Didn`t think uk allowed total chrome cars ????

Yeah they are legal. For now! Plod don't like it tho. Which is understandable!

Originally Posted by jojo

I have nothing against car wrapping, but if you purchased the car in the right colour in the first place, there would be no need to wrap it right? Of course on the otherhand, your choice of car isn't available in the colour you want, then a wrap is the way forward.

I do want to ask one question though, how difficult is it to get you wrap removed and have the paint/bodywork restored to prewrap form?

Not everyone is able to afford a new car and sometimes the type or spec of car is hard to find second hand in the right colour. For example, on auotrader last time i looked there were only four white A4 convertables and they were all prices at least £3k more just for being white and sought after at the moment. Its just a nice way of having your car the colour you want, when its purchased second hand obviously.

I tend to find that the longer the vinyl is on the car, the harder it becomes to take off. Within a couple of years it should be a fairly easy job unless you covered damaged paint then it will lift the paint as well and become a nightmare job.

Ive got a guy who asked me to wrap his merc c class in gold chrome today! Not even sure i want to be associated with this one...

i use a wall paper steamer to take off all vials, even 5 year vinal, steam will get it off with great ease and the paint under is un-marked.

Wouldn't wrap mine if you paid me.

Originally Posted by BBlackburn

I think wraps are a very good idea lots of possibilities either your paintwork is a bit tired, fancy a change like getting a new car or just bought front and rear bumpers like me you could get the car wrapped instead of paying for respray no need to notify Dvla win win in my opinion only if done properly.
I got a quote of £900 inc vat for gloss white on Audi a3 3dr and extra £250 for door shuts and little bits from totally dynamic closest to me in red hill, what would your prices be guys?

i could never justify a full wrap as its price is too close to a full respray, so I'm also interested to know the answer to that question...

Originally Posted by damo.h

Wouldn't wrap mine if you paid me.

I wouldn't let you wrap mine if you paid me either!!!

Can you wrap bike parts too? Have had some done in fake carbon in the past on the IoM and thinking it might be an idea for my current bike. Im in warsash to so not far away.

Marc