Wrap instead of paint?

I'm really thinking about doing this:

http://jalopnik.com/399961/bmw-owner-changes-his-3+series-color-from-black-to-white-with-tape


What do you think the pros / cons would be of doing something like this?

I don't know if you will have luck with the Riv's complex curves. Also, how shiny can tape be?

Its more of the flat or satin look you're looking for Eric...

http://www.intax.de/folierung/galerien/motorsport/motorsport.html

I'm thinking that the tape probably has some hellish downsides. A rub would require a re-taping, bubbles and peeling from condensation, ect...

I'd need to see it in person. It's an interesting idea, and one more layer of protection.

More importantly, how much does it cost to get done?

"What does it cost to wrap a car? Depending on the type of car and the complexity of the graphics package, the cost can vary between $500 and $1,000, including installation.

http://www.stockcarracing.com/techarticles/general/scrp_0809_vinyl_graphics/index.html

...if I did this, I would do it myself....

Wow, that's....interesting.

http://www.decalfx.com/vinyl_sheets.html


...also used to "smoke" taillights....
http://www.decalfx.com/smoked_tail_light_film.html

My fiance use to work for a tanning salon that had an Escalade wrapped in yellow with company logos and designs on it. Man did it look sharp. Looked like real paint as well!

well the rivy got keyed today, very depressing and this happened to my cousins next door and we are still trying to figure out who did it. But i think instead of getting a paint job becaus e my car is already full of scratches and dents that im just going to wrap the whole car in carbon fiber vinyl found here

http://www.metrorestyling.com/3M-DI-NOC-CARBON-FIBER-VINYL-DINOC-p/dinoc421.htm

also heres a video of some ppl putting some vinyl on




said its been able to last up to 7 years and only cost about $600 to wrap the whole car.

should look very different for sure, now i just have to find out how to take the fenders off to wrap them easier lolink


also looking to do my dash in this

let me know what u guys think..



Brandon

That's pretty wild... I'd be interested in seeing a full carbon fiber Riv but I also wonder if they could use other types of laminated material as well (like any sort of color).

Sorry to hear about your car getting keyed. That crap drives me crazy.

My dad has been lookin at the 3m di-noc for doing racing stripes down his solstice. The thing we are worried about is the texture. We haven't be able to find an example to see in person anywhere. It isn't smooth it actually is pressed with a CF pattern where as real CF is usually laminated and smooth I'm not sure if this will capture the same depth. What I do know is that you can buy a small sample for less than 10$ to look at the product and there is a video of it being added to a street bike and the curves that it goes around on he cowling of that bike will amaze you.

I did a little research on wraps a while back, enough to know some wraps and wrap jobs are way better than others. You get what you pay for.

It's not a bad idea, for a car that has as little monetary value as the Riv does. At this point in time I couldn't justify a repaint, but if a good wrap can be done for $600 and last for 7 years, that might work. Maybe the Riv will be appreciating in 7 years and that would be a good time for paint.

What would you do about the door jambs, trunk, etc?

Price sounds right. Someone wrapped a new 3 series in flat black vinyl for $700 or so I think and it looks perfect. Definitely way less than $1,000, and many times less than having a flat black paint job(which never comes out right and uniform). A CF Riv would be interesting, but a flat black Riv would be menacing.

Please resist the temptation to do this. This is RICE in its purest form. I'm not against the carbon fiber look, but please use real carbon, and don't wrap exterior panels, making them even heavier - the whole idea is to lay up sheets of real carbon in order to the replace heavier stamped sheet metal. There's an art in doing this correctly.

If you want the "race car look", just read up on paint prep and spray the damaged part matte black, or even a dull graphite. You can do it with a paint gun, or rattle can if you are careful.

This vinyl sheet idea is better suited for interior parts, imo, the decorative features that cannot benefit from shedding weight. Even then, I'd use real carbon fiber before an imitation. People who have seen real CF can tell the fake stuff up close.

There's the answer, i was lookin for. PLEASE save the plastic wrap, for the bowls.

Reminds me of the attitude people used to take towards primer-type paint jobs. "What color is it going to be when you finish it?" Very funny, now those matte finishes are everywhere.

While I wouldn't choose the carbon fiber graphic myself, the wrap isn't rice. It performs the same function as paint does, at a lower cost point. It could even be considered a performance mod - by going with a wrap you'll have hundreds or thousands of dollars left over for mods that you wouldn't have if you chose paint.

As the quality of wraps improves I can even see them replacing paint from the factory. It's cheaper, easier to repair, and it's got to be more environmentally friendly than spraying paint. Heck, when the cars life is over the wrap can be peeled off and recycled. How do you recycle paint?

About the carbon fiber print again, FWIW I saw a 70's Challenger (or Cuda, forgot which) a few months ago that had the carbon fiber pattern painted on.

I don't have a problem with the general idea of wrapping a car in vinyl (matte, decorative graphics). As long as it looks like it's got a coating of vinyl (it has a distinct look, imo), and as long as it's a quality material that will last, it can be a great alternative to paint. As far as the matte look, I believe vinyl is actually superior in resisting stains as compared to paint. I like the functional advantage here.

My issue with vinyl is when it starts to imitate other materials such as carbon fiber, Kevlar, or brushed metal, with the intention to deceive people into thinking you ordered custom race parts or other high-dollar, exotic, performance-enhancing materials, when in fact it's all just a facade of plastic over the original (R.I.C.E.). There's nothing honest about that, and when you get a stone chip or scratch in your "composite" wrap, what are people going to think? A paint chip is innocent enough, but nothing says "douche bag" like damaged faux wrap.

Btw, getting a car professionally done with the good vinyl costs $4,000-5,000. Like paint, the price comes down when you DIY, but comparing materials, the price for vinyl is still much, much higher than paint. What you pay for in a paint job is mostly process and finishing, and some equipment if DIY.

I agree,plus that was funny shit two.Did you, loose a point for the "DOUCHE BAG" comment? O ya,that shit is pure. RICE!!!

At some point, one of our members will try this, and might feel offended when their CF hood peels off. If/when this happens, they are welcome to sign in and bang me a point or two. Then I will have deserved it, I guess.

Until then... don't be that guy!

AA wrote:

Btw, getting a car professionally done with the good vinyl costs $4,000-5,000. Like paint, the price comes down when you DIY, but comparing materials, the price for vinyl is still much, much higher than paint. What you pay for in a paint job is mostly process and finishing, and some equipment if DIY.

Sometimes - if you want graphics, wrapping is cheaper.

Imagine what it would take for an airbrush guy to replicate a carbon fiber weave in paint . . .

AA wrote:

My issue with vinyl is when it starts to imitate other materials such as carbon fiber, Kevlar, or brushed metal, with the intention to deceive people into thinking you ordered custom race parts or other high-dollar, exotic, performance-enhancing materials, when in fact it's all just a facade of plastic over the original (R.I.C.E.).

Maybe - it starts to get into the realm of being artistic, like cars that are airbrushed to have the paint ripping off to reveal some crazy thing like scales or industrial machine type stuff underneath. I'm not a huge fan of covering a car in a carbon fiber look graphic, but I can't quite put it at the same level as a fart can or oversized wing. Presumable as a car buff you'll know a carbon fiber Riv isn't actually a carbon fiber Riv. But I'm right on the fence with this one, and can see it both ways.

I think the reason it bugs me is that I would rather a car buff to assume CF parts on a Riv are actually real CF parts, not the other way around. Do Riv owners add real mods, or do they only pretend with faux stickers? If I saw CF on a BMW M3, I'd assume it was real, but if I saw it on a Kia Amante, I'd be suspicious. It all depends on how you'd like to see a Riviera to be perceived. Remember, this once a $33k car with an OEM supercharger under an OEM aluminum hood. Those are very positive traits. But fake CF vinyl wrap does not support the case for a Riviera being a classy performance coupe, imo.

Currently I have a couple yards of CF and a quart of clear epoxy sitting in the basement, and I've laid up a few samples already to see how the stuff looks. It's a bit of work, but I'm happy with the results so far. I'm not planning to mold a new fender or anything, but I have some ideas for small parts. I've been sitting on it almost a year, so need to get busy.

I don't see imitating a desirable material in vinyl as being artistic. It's deceptive, and potentially offensive to people who practice the real 'art' of laying up CF in molds. I don't like the idea, but at least airbrushing CF might approach the effort & cost comparable to using the real thing, and if it's a graphic or fantasy art I think that's fine, because it doesn't try too seriously fool anyone.

The application of vinyl to mimic more expensive materials reminds me of the F40 kit I saw installed to a Fiero earlier this year. If you didn't know the difference, you'd swear it was the real thing. Guy even parked it diagonal in the lot to draw attention. Every detail down the the F40-debossed wing was perfect. I think the wheels were actually Ferrari. Only giveaway was the 350 V-8 mounted under the rear glass. Some might commend the guy for his 'artistic talent' and hard work, but all I saw was lack of originality. Maybe a good knock-off, but what could be accomplished if he'd tried to invent something new?

Okay so apparently it costs around $4,000 to get a whole car vinyl wrapped professionally.

http://www.amazon.com/ORACAL-970RA-070-GLOSS-Wrapping-%C2%AETechnology/dp/B005EH6IZ0/ref=sr_1_43?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1342138412&sr=1-43

But apparently the supplies are dirt cheap compared to actually painting your car, and there is FAR less prep work.

I'd like to do this mostly because I am low on funds, would LOVE satin or matte black full wrap, and that way I don't have to worry about a $3,000 paint job messing up on my car that is worth less than my engine block..

but my question is: is it actually as durable as a paint job? And how much vinyl wrap would I need for an entire wrap of my car? I'm willing to buy supplies and a heat gun and do it myself.

Also, my car has so many deep scratches on the paint that it's literally matte grey now. would this mess with the adhesion of the vinyl? So basically, would I have to spray clearcoats and wet sand it to get it as smooth as a pro paint job for the vinyl to stick right?

Actually, I'd rather just use 400 grit and sand to bare metal, then apply a light clear coat of some kind to protect from rust , if the vinyl won't stick without it. much less prep work, and I don't care about the paint.

I have seen a wrapped car that looks really really nice.They can sell you some far out colors like candies that look allmost indistinguishable from a real paint job.But it will allways be a wrap.sooner or later youll start to question it.If I had buckets of dosh id get one done for the hell of it and show it around.
In your case why dont you just wet sand your ride with 1500 and then 2000 and buff her out. that would cost you less than a $70. You have to be a real brute to mess up a clear coat with a 1500 & 2000 sanding.A light buffing after sanding should restore the brilliance.