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griffs68
04-10-2013, 05:57 PM
Anyone done a DIY vinyl wrap? Any tips or pointers, i'm thinking that's how i want to tackle the looks of my car. already ordered samples

Dr_Snooz
04-10-2013, 06:43 PM
We really haven't had anyone on the board willing to try it yet. Someone has tried the $50 paint job with less than wonderful results, but no vinyl wraps so far. It's something I want to try eventually because from what I've read, it seems like the perfect way to paint your car for a reasonable amount of money. Please let us know about your experience. How difficult is it to do? How long does it hold up? Etc. Write up a How-To if you can.

griffs68
04-13-2013, 09:32 PM
This is the best how to I have been able to find.
Looks to be about 5-6 hundred dollars worth of vinyl to wrap a C6 vette
Vinyl Wrapping DIY Tutorial... (Lengthy and Major PICS!!!) - Corvette Forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-general/2928371-vinyl-wrapping-diy-tutorial-lengthy-and-major-pics.html)

one would think that this would mean we'd be looking for less material.

My samples came in from 3M Vehicle Wrap Vinyl (http://www.topvinylfilms.com/catalog/3M_Wrap_Vinyl-79-1.html)
will post pics of what I got in samples

I got 5 colors,
4 blues and a camo

redneck
04-17-2013, 05:39 AM
seems like it would cost more than a paint job. i have a friend that can spray and clear my car if i help for around $300

RAZR
04-17-2013, 07:16 AM
If you want something that is easy to change the color of your car check out dipyourcar.com

its sprayable plasti dip and it looks really nice. im thinking about doing that to my car.

Dr_Snooz
04-17-2013, 07:55 AM
When I first started reading about vinyl wraps, you could do them for around $125 in materials. Griffs' costs is closer to $600 and that's quite a big difference. I'm sure the quality of the vinyl makes a big difference, of course. Remember too that good car paint isn't going to be cheap either. The best thing about vinyl wrap is that you can do it in your garage, between other projects, whenever you have a couple hours to fart around on it. You can do it one panel at a time, whereas painting is a much more significant undertaking. You have to mask everything off. You need access to a clean booth for a few days if you want good results. You have to sand the old paint, etc. Vinyl wrap also requires a lot of work (you have to take the panels off the car, remove all emblems, handles, trim and other stuff), but it can be broken into bite sizes and is all completely reversible if you screw it up. Paint is not that way.

Vinyl wrap is available in all kinds of zany colors and wild designs so you can be really creative. Best of all, if you scratch it, rip it or simply decide that you no longer like the pink lizard skin pattern you put on, you pull it off and re-do it or just return to the unharmed factory paint. No harm, no foul. I'm not trying to sell anyone on vinyl wraps. I just see enough to like that I want to try it out. In my case, I have good paint that I want to preserve and white is a much better color for the climate here (hotter than hellfire). Vinyl is perfect for my situation.

Anyway, paint is an incidental cost in the full price of a normal paint job. The prep and body work are where you spend the money. Pounding out dents, filling in dings and sanding down the old paint is where most of the money gets spent. Theoretically, Maaco can paint a car for very little money, but if you start adding in a lot of dents, dings and other body work, even their prices climb very quickly. The body work is what will make the final paint job or vinyl wrap look good and there's no getting around that. That is money that will have to be spent either way.

Okay, I'll shut up now.