Vinyl Wrap DIY
 

So today i had a bash at doing a vinyl wrap. Battled with the wind and ended up heating up the vinyl too much, ripping it and giving up! :brickwall :rolleyes:

Anybody done it via DIY and got any tips? Got all the ncessary tools etc.

Next time I attempt it I'll be doing it in a unit or garage and getting another pair of hands.

Is there any difference between the various vinyl wraps? I purchased 3M stuff thinking it was the best but it was double the price of the next cheapest one down.

:)

personally id leave it to a professional, so easy to get wrong and any imperfections show up bad, not to mentions its quite costly anyways !

It is one of the best vinyl's out, (depending on what your wrapping) if you carnt fit 3M then save your ££ and get it done by a pro ;) good on ya for having a go mate :thumb:

I'd also leave it to the people who know what they're doing.

Seen loads of DIY attempts and had a few goes myself, most look crap tbh. Definitely one job I'd happily pay to have done properly

Tempted to give it another go tomorrow but indoors with something smaller.

We all had to start somewhere I guess and now I've made a start I don't like to think it'll get the better of me!!

A professional wrap is £1200 based on a few quotes I've had. Materials for a DIY job are approx £200 so it's worth a punt - id have to waste 6 sets and whilst doing so I am sure I can improve :)

As you say, have to start somewhere, i did mine, yes its hard to do but supprisingly rewarding, i understand why its expensive, so time consuming.

Inside is a must, claybar the car first to make sure you have no debris on the surface.

Better if the car panels are warm, when heating the wrap you dont need to over do it, allow it to cool slightly before your pull it tight, run a line of masking tape along the edge of the excess wrap and pull on this instead, it help to keep it in shape.

If you crease the vinyl, heat it back up and let it cool, start again.
If you need to go around tight areas, place your hand under the wrap close to the area and open your fingers to support it while you work it onto the panel.

Enjoy it and be patient.

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...2-24145836.jpg

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...2-24143544.jpg

BlackWidow - nice job mate :thumb:

What vinyl did you use mate?

The main mistake I made was using the heat gun on perhaps a too high setting or holding it too close - to the point that when I pulled the vinyl back to reposition it I managed to make it rip.

What was the ideal temperature for you and did you hold the heat gun from afar or quite near?

I might do a few bits of the dash in matt black (although carbon is probably more ideal) and see how I fare on that :)

thanks for your help mate

try not to strech the vinyl too much and always buy the bubble release one, it wil have patern on the back,, another option is put it in wet,, wet the area with soapy water first then just apply as normal, this will allow you to remove it easier for re working it,.

addi_monster - purchased some 3M stuff that was apparently this micro bubble release stuff and I didn't get bubbles - just made a hash of it lol :)

Try putting it on wet ;)

I wouldn't recommend a heat gun I always use a hair dryer on medium heat and keep shaking it so it's never on one specific point for too long, and definetly use soapy water

thanks guys for the tips - will use soapy water mixed in an empty windowlene bottle :)

You really reckon the hairdryer will do the trick? I did think to use it initially but thought it wouldn't be powerful enough to do the trick

Yes it's absolutely fine mate, it's what I used to fit my full rally graphics on both occasions lol
( for those who don't know the story I put on rally graphics and had them on for 6 months then de- stickered and hated it looking plain so I put another set back on ! )

You're only in Tamworth - fancy helping? :lol1: I'll pay ;)

this how you do it...
http://www.pwpro.co.uk/cars/?portfolio=bmw-e93-335i

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=G_65f0i-uMc

Well made some progress :)

Did my dash trim and now it looks better than the cheapo plastic! Took some doing and it's not perfect but a whole lot better than I thought I could get it :D

Had a go at the roof and bonnet and although it looks half decent I'm redoing it in Carbon fibre. The stuff I used was cheap at £15/metre approx so I could afford to waste it. Got some embossed carbon fibre stuff arriving tomorrow so with all the stuff I have learnt so far should go on a lot easier :)

Watch this space for pictures!

let me know how it goes mate, im doing my roof soon!
chris.

Soapy water as recommended above is so far the single best tip I can give anybody. Even with the cheap vinyl I used for practice which doesn't have the bubble-proof system it meant I could lay down masses of vinyl without bubbles :)

Anybody know how to do the doors? ie. Do I just do the outside and then cut when I bring it over the frame about 1cm in? ie. before the rubber etc starts?

Or do I do this and then use a separate piece to do the sills etc?

Or .... is there another way? :)