Tips to maintain the glow on your Vinyl Vehicle Wrap
Vinyl vehicle wraps are extremely resilient vinyl sheets that can endure the wrath of most environmental elements for years before they start to give in. What you as the owner of the wrapped vehicle can do is follow certain guidelines to extend the lifetime of your car wrap. This will help squeeze every last drop of life out of the wrap. Experts at Vinyl Wrap Toronto have been in the vehicle wrapping game for years. Therefore, it makes us more than qualified to offer advice to ensure your car wrap lasts a little longer. In this article, we’ve tried to put forth words of wisdom shared by the expert installers at Vinyl Wrap Toronto.
When you get your vehicle wrapped, it looks as if you just got a new car from the dealer, and you want to maintain that glow on your ride for as long as you can. We’ve listed things below that you can do to keep your vinyl vehicle wrap looking fresh for a longer period.
1. Don’t wash your vehicle within the first 48 hours of getting a wrap:
One of the first pieces of advice you’ll hear an installer give you is that you’re not supposed to wash or clean your newly wrapped vehicle within the first 48 hours. The reason for that is pretty logical, it is because the vinyl needs time to settle in. Of course, the wrap looks perfect, and you wouldn’t be wrong to think that you can wash it and start showing off your ride, but that is not a good idea. It is best practice to allow the vinyl wrap adhesive to settle on your vehicle’s surface without interference from sudden exposure to hot or cold water. Once the minimum 48 hours timeline has passed, you may hand wash your vehicle. Now if possible, keep the car warm for at least 4-6 hours after the wrap as well. Most good wrap shops will do this as standard practice.
2. Don’t put your vehicle through a car wash:
Car washes are a no-go for your wrapped vehicle. This car washes use equipment that throws water and air with a lot of pressure, which can be harmful to a regular car and it’s even more harmful to a wrapped vehicle. After all Vinyl Vehicle Wrap is a sheet that can be peeled off. There’s only so much pressure it can endure before the adhesive starts to lose the battle.
So, experts at Vinyl Wrap Toronto put a lot of emphasis on not having your wrapped vehicle washed at a car wash. What we recommend is if you really want to protect the vinyl vehicle wrap, then don’t trust any machine with it! Wash your car by yourself using a cloth with the appropriate pressure. There are multiple wash products on the market for wrapped cars or speak to our experts.
3. Try to keep your vehicle rust-free:
You must be wondering, why is that a problem when the whole car is wrapped. There’s a catch, even though the car looks like it’s wrapped from everywhere, in most cases it is not. There are less visible parts of the car that are not wrapped in general unless it’s additionally paid for. And rust is something that works like a chain reaction.
If not taken care of on time, it can spread under the vinyl vehicle wrap and ruin it in a matter of months depending on how severe the rust situation is. Not a lot of people have to go through this situation but it’s certainly something to be aware of. Installers at Vinyl Wrap Toronto suggest you give your car a complete scan every now and then to spot the problem before it becomes a bigger issue.
4. Don’t Swordfight around your wrapped vehicle:
When we say that we simply mean what goes without saying. Do not let any sharp objects touch your car’s surface, especially when it’s wrapped. Vinyl is a sheet that obviously can be torn or cut through if the object is sharp enough. Once the vinyl gets a cut that exposes the original surface of the car, not only does that look ugly, but it also makes your vehicle vulnerable to be exploited by other factors such as the water or dust getting under the vinyl. Vinyl Wrap Toronto experts hope that this particular safety measure goes without saying.
5. Know the consequences before you make a decision:
We don’t mean to scare you when we say consequences. Experts at Vinyl Wrap Toronto feel like it’s necessary for people to know what they’re getting into. In some cases such as the full vinyl vehicle wrap, you have very little to be aware of the long-term effects on the car.
Because if anything, a full vehicle wrap almost makes the time freeze for your vehicle, at least for the external surface, keeping it preserved for years, but in the case of partial wraps, lettering & decals, it is important for you to know that the paint under the wrap, lettering & decals will remain unaffected by the environment while the paint of the rest of the vehicle will fade over time. So, don’t be surprised when you see a natural tan line on your vehicle when you finally decide to take off the wrap, lettering or decals.
That wraps up our list of things you can do to help your vinyl vehicle wrap age naturally, the installation crew at Vinyl Wrap Toronto felt it was necessary for this information to be posted. Vinyl Wrap Toronto has been wrapping vehicles for years and has become one of the best vehicle wrapping agencies in the GTA. We specialize in full car wrap, van wrap, truck wrap, boat wrap, motorcycle wrap, partial wrap, lettering & decals. Our motto is, if it has a solid surface, we can wrap it.
If you would like to give your vehicle a personalized touch or advertise your business by turning your vehicle into a rolling billboard, give us a call at 416-746-1381 or visit our garage at 24 Ronson Dr, Unit 1, Etobicoke, ON.
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