# Vinyl Wrapping Questions



## Cruzado (Sep 9, 2012)

NO expert here...but I have wrapped several parts of my white RS. What I do know:
Yes, 3M 1080 series is the best. It has the most stick without lifting. I tried other brands ... but I would stick with 3M for longevity.
I went to some local guys and they were doing a Mercedes full carbon ...he said about 1800.00. Here in Cali I see quite a few fully done..... I even saw a fully CHROME Mercedes...that was wierd...not sure If i like it or not...

DIY??? Its actually kinda fun stuff but I recommend you watch some vids on youtube to get an idea of how it works. Once you get the hang of it.. heat(heat gun), pull, stretch, press down. The great thing about that stuff is... you can easily pull it off and or redo... Here in Cali it gets HOT! So ive been told that only carbon fiber type should be used on the roof ...otherwise it might lift....I did consider it but think I'll hang with what I have done which is difuser, trunk wing thing, the chrome piece just below the trunk, side markers, front spoiler under the grille.

Good luck.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

Czaja25 said:


> -Has anyone here fully wrapped their Cruze? Did you like it? Pictures? Price?
> -Brands? I know 3M will probably be the popular vote but they have tons of different kinds? Also, how much would I have to buy?
> -Is it relatively easy to DIY?
> -Any reputable Chicagoland shops or freelance guys you know that would do it or help me?


I'm planning on having my entire Cruze wrapped in the next month or two.

You need a lot of vinyl, I would have to double check, but approximately 80'x5' sheet will cover it. You want to do each section of the car separate in order to get proper wrap around. So no trying to use one big sheet for your doors and side of the car, there's not enough material to tuck, and with the amount of stretch you have to put on the vinyl it will peel up at the edges.

In terms o doing it yourself I would STRONGLY urge you to take it to a shop who knows what they're doing. Bumpers are extremely hard to do, and even a professional can mess up on a bumper and have to cut a new piece of vinyl to re-do it.



Cruzado said:


> DIY??? Its actually kinda fun stuff but I recommend you watch some vids on youtube to get an idea of how it works. Once you get the hang of it.. heat(heat gun), pull, stretch, press down. The great thing about that stuff is... you can easily pull it off and or redo... Here in Cali it gets HOT! So ive been told that only carbon fiber type should be used on the roof ...otherwise it might lift....I did consider it but think I'll hang with what I have done which is difuser, trunk wing thing, the chrome piece just below the trunk, side markers, front spoiler under the grille.


You do not have an unlimited amount of pull of and re-dos with vinyl, as if you keep pulling it off to stretch it, you will eventually out stretch the vinyl, and even if you can get it on the car, after a day of sitting in the sun it will peel back up due to the amount of stretch pressure you have on the material. Carbon fiber IS NOT the only type that can go on the roof of your car, and anyone who says differently is a complete idiot. Vinyl is vinyl, it can go on any part of your car, regardless of heat.

Side note, seeing as you are based in SoCal, if you ever want/need any vinyl work done check out Mixxed Auto Design. Corona/Mira Loma based company owned by my buddy, who recently wrapped my room mates trunk, roof, hood, and center front bumper in matte black:


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## HoPo99 (Oct 31, 2013)

I drive through that area on 294 every few weeks. I could set some time this spring to help you. I havnt done a full wrap but I've done tint and vinyl stripes for several years now so I know what im doing. Here is the list of colors of 1080. I believe you will need 25 yards. The pic shows that will cost $600 but I have a 3M rep that can probably get it to me for $550.

as for difficulty. Wraps are so so so much easier with 2 people. I would say only experts could handle a wrap single handed.


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## marden64 (Dec 1, 2013)

Ever consider having the car plastidipped?? From what I can gather, it's cheaper and easier to remove. There's no glue left on the vehicle and doesn't harm the paint.


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## Smurfenstein (Nov 16, 2011)

marden64 said:


> Ever consider having the car plastidipped?? From what I can gather, it's cheaper and easier to remove. There's no glue left on the vehicle and doesn't harm the paint.


In his main post he states that he doesn't want to use plastidip. Even though its cheaper it can come out b lotchy if yoh don't know what you're doing.


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## marden64 (Dec 1, 2013)

Must have missed that line. My bad


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## Czaja25 (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the help! I'm sending emails to different Chicago shops and getting quotes and it is looking good. I'm shooting to have it done by the end of the summer. And I also decided I'm not going to do it by myself. I have never worked extensively with vinyl and would rather not have this be my first experience-- no matter how many "re-dos" you get with the vinyl. Any further help would be greatly appreciated!



marden64 said:


> Ever consider having the car plastidipped?? From what I can gather, it's cheaper and easier to remove. There's no glue left on the vehicle and doesn't harm the paint.


Yeah, like Smurf said, I only want to use PD on small areas like I have in the past (bowties, chrome trim, spoiler, etc.) Thanks for your response though.



HoPo99 said:


> I drive through that area on 294 every few weeks. I could set some time this spring to help you. I havnt done a full wrap but I've done tint and vinyl stripes for several years now so I know what im doing. Here is the list of colors of 1080. I believe you will need 25 yards. The pic shows that will cost $600 but I have a 3M rep that can probably get it to me for $550.
> 
> as for difficulty. Wraps are so so so much easier with 2 people. I would say only experts could handle a wrap single handed.


Are those prices from Fellers by any chance? I requested their catalog and I got it today. For 25 yards, they ask $621. But here is the thing, a while back I bought a roll of black film online for my roof and never put it on. I was thinking of cutting the price somewhat by having someone do my roof with my vinyl then a month or so later buy less 3M vinyl, just enough for everything but the roof. Do you think that would be wise? 



Smurfenstein said:


> I'm planning on having my entire Cruze wrapped in the next month or two.
> 
> You need a lot of vinyl, I would have to double check, but approximately 80'x5' sheet will cover it. You want to do each section of the car separate in order to get proper wrap around. So no trying to use one big sheet for your doors and side of the car, there's not enough material to tuck, and with the amount of stretch you have to put on the vinyl it will peel up at the edges.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the great response man! Yeah doing it myself really scares me after further research. But if you read my response above, do you think that would smart to do or no? I was thinking I can pay the guy who did my windows to do my roof for cheap, then buy only maybe 20 yards or so of the 1080 vinyl for everything else? 
Also, your buddies cruze looks sweet man! Love the front bumper and the red accents.


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## HoPo99 (Oct 31, 2013)

The price will probably be higher if you don't buy the full 25 yards. Or at least more per yard


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## Czaja25 (Mar 5, 2013)

HoPo99 said:


> The price will probably be higher if you don't buy the full 25 yards. Or at least more per yard


Ohh okay. Another thing I just thought about was how much do you think I'd need for the trunk, hood, and the middle of the front bumper like in the pictures of the black cruze above? I was thinking I could split it like that too. Do those sections and then later finish it. Would that be cheaper?


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## HoPo99 (Oct 31, 2013)

It would be cheaper to stop there... But not to do the whole thing. Plus if you went to finish it later the front bumper would have to be redone in one piece. 

Would probably need 4-5 yards to do just those pieces


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## Czaja25 (Mar 5, 2013)

HoPo99 said:


> It would be cheaper to stop there... But not to do the whole thing. Plus if you went to finish it later the front bumper would have to be redone in one piece.
> 
> Would probably need 4-5 yards to do just those pieces


Oh wow, I may do that then! I could do that rather soon and gather some more money and do the rest in the summer. So you're saying if I don't want to do the middle of the front bumper and I just wanted to do the roof, hood, and trunk, I'd need 4 to 5 yards?


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## HoPo99 (Oct 31, 2013)

Sounds about right. And doing those pieces wouldn't be difficult compared to the bumpers so I'd really suggest you and myself knocking it out and save you some money. 

But ya, either way it would look good and significantly reduce the cost


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## Czaja25 (Mar 5, 2013)

HoPo99 said:


> Sounds about right. And doing those pieces wouldn't be difficult compared to the bumpers so I'd really suggest you and myself knocking it out and save you some money.
> 
> But ya, either way it would look good and significantly reduce the cost


Alright sounds good! I called a buddy of mine and I'll be going over there in the coming weeks to ask him what he can do for me and talk price and all that. I'll keep in touch HoPo! thanks a lot


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## HoPo99 (Oct 31, 2013)

No problem good luck. It shouldn't be overly difficult. Just keep your sheets pulled tight and work from the middle out. Don't try to force air bubbles out, you will destroy the vinyl before the adhesive releases enough to allow the air out


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

I will offer this about black. WRT the 3M products, matte black is so matte it actually looks like dark grey in sunlight. It also tends to scuff easily. 3M gloss black scratches very easily, I can't imagine having this on the outside of a car... I can barely get it installed without scratching it and all I've used it on is small trim pieces.

The best middle ground may be satin black. It's black enough to look black in direct sunlight but it's not glossy. I have some but haven't had a chance to use it yet, but from what I've seen it may be the best choice. Make sure you see all three in person and in different lighting before making a choice.

If you're new at using vinyl I would recommend sticking with a brand like 3M or Avery. Trying to save money with a cheaper film might end up costing you more if you're not a pro with lots of experience.


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## Czaja25 (Mar 5, 2013)

Blue Angel said:


> I will offer this about black. WRT the 3M products, matte black is so matte it actually looks like dark grey in sunlight. It also tends to scuff easily. 3M gloss black scratches very easily, I can't imagine having this on the outside of a car... I can barely get it installed without scratching it and all I've used it on is small trim pieces.
> 
> The best middle ground may be satin black. It's black enough to look black in direct sunlight but it's not glossy. I have some but haven't had a chance to use it yet, but from what I've seen it may be the best choice. Make sure you see all three in person and in different lighting before making a choice.
> 
> If you're new at using vinyl I would recommend sticking with a brand like 3M or Avery. Trying to save money with a cheaper film might end up costing you more if you're not a pro with lots of experience.


Thanks for all the input Blue Angel! I have yet to actually get samples of any but I will most definitely look into satin black. Matte black is out of the question for me, I just don't like the look. 
Thanks again.


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## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

Di-noc(3M) is very good(also they have whats called 1080), Avery supreme is the easiest to use. Price comes down to mistakes , your first time you will make mistakes unless you are not a perfectionist. The problem with horizontal surfaces is that it gets the full force of the sun for essentially the entire day. So your roof trunk and hood will fatigue 4x faster than the sides. Thats why when you look at warranty for wraps it differs from what surface you put it on and some even vary based on the region you live. 

There is also wrap material which can be printed on and it is different from vinyl type wraps.

You being a novice I would go with the avery supreme wrap as it is definetly the easiest and most forgiving.


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## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

Just start small that way you don't waste a ton of material ie money , practicing. That if you decide you cant do this its ok take it to some who is talented with this type of install.


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