What is a vehicle wrap?
You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘vehicle wrap’ or ‘vinyl wrap’ thrown around by friends, strangers, businesses or even seen it on the TV. But what is a vehicle wrap? Why wrap your car or van? What are the benefits?
The questions are many and the answers can vary. Here are the top 6 questions and answer those questions.
What type of vehicle can I wrap?
Any vehicle can be wrapped, as long as the body work is in good condition, you can cover it in vinyl. Before any wrap takes place, a detailed check of the body work should be taken and advice given where necessary. For more information on this, stay tuned for an upcoming blogpost.
Back to what vehicles can be wrapped though – Lorries, vans, pick-up trucks, cars, motorbikes, scooters, bicycles, boats, skateboards, we’ve even wrapped a tuktuk!
Some vehicles are easier than other though and for the more complex vehicle, the wrap will be made up of pieces so there will be joins. You will always be informed about the limitations before your vehicle is wrapped.
What kind of vinyl can I wrap my vehicle in?
There are 2 major types of wrapping material – stock vinyl we buy direct from manufactures (our chosen and trusted 2 are 3M and Avery). Digitally printed vinyl, which is laminated in Matte, Gloss or Satin.
As there are many different types of vinyl you will be invited to the studio for a consultation. This is very important if you’re wishing to have a colour change as viewing colours on a screen can be misleading. With a digital print this isn’t as necessary as the artwork is designed in a way that it prints in the colours required.
How long will a vinyl wrap last?
How long a vehicle wrap lasts is dependant several factors. The main ones being
1. Which vinyl is used.
2. The condition of the body work
3. How well it’s applied
Most of the self coloured vinyl have a manufactures life-span of 7 years. The more specialist and fancy vinyl has a shorter life of 2 – 5 years. We will always inform you of the life-span of the vinyl you before you commit to it! More info can be found here.
If you body work is a bit rough around the edges there is a chance that the vinyl will fail and start to peel back. This is unavoidable if the correct preparation hasn’t happened. A factory fresh paint job is the ideal surface but often this is not the case! With either situation we will always inform you of any potential issues.
How long does it take to wrap a car?
Another question that often has a bearing on whether you wrap your vehicle or not! How long it takes to complete a wrap is subject to the specs of the wrap and what vehicle it is. On average we like to have the vehicle for 2 – 3 days. This allows us to follow our strict vehicle wrap routine in order give the best wrap possible when we’re done!
When applying a vinyl wrap it is essential that this is done in a warm, dry, well lit workshop to ensure the best possible finish. We have a dedicated wrapping studio over in Culham where we install our wraps. This way we are in control of the atmosphere and know that we’re not going to have any problems! We can do partial wraps outside or under cover but we wouldn’t guarantee how long it would last.
If you’re short of time though, we can turn around wraps in a single day providing the vehicle is clean and dry when it arrives so we can make a prompt start.
How much does it cost?
The golden question! And often the deciding factor when it comes to making the decision to wrap or not. Although I don’t like giving ballpark figures and prefer to price each job on it’s specification, here are some approximate price ranges for vehicle wraps.
Large van – £2,500 – £3,500
Medium van – £1,500 – £2,500
Small van – £1,300 – £1,500
Large car – £2,000
Medium car – £1,700 – £2,000
Small car – £1,500 – £2,000
Sports cars – £2,500 +
I’m ready for a wrap, what next?
