Car Wrap
You’ve seen them on the street. Those sleek, clever, and sometimes funny custom car wraps. A car wrap is like a big decal. It’s a custom designed vinyl graphic that applies directly to the car. It applies quickly and can be removed without damaging the paint job.
You’ve seen them on buses and business vans, but you can wrap your car as well. So, consider what it takes and what a custom car wrap can do for your car.
- Create a design. You work with designers to create a graphic accurately measured to your vehicle. The meeting makes allowance for windows, head and tail lights, and other style features.
- They print a vinyl graphic that they will laminate to resist scratching and color fading.
- You clean the car surface of dirt, debris, wax, and any other applied coatings.
- Technicians apply the graphic to the vehicle for a seamless appearance for up to five years.
Now, they do wrap cars for advertising purposes; they become rolling billboards. But, your design should reflect your character, personality, interests, or mood. It can be fluid, geometric, pictorial, or whatever suits you best.
Why bother!
Maybe you are in the mood to turn your BMW into a tiger. You could coat your VW Beetle gold. Or, you can turn your hatchback into a surfboard on wheels.
- Consider the cost. You can wrap your car for half the price it takes for a quality paint job.
- Think about resale. There may be a buyer’s market for your custom design, but because you can easily remove the wrap without damage to the paint, you will be re-selling the vehicle with its factory original color. In fact, the vinyl will protect the original paint from chips, scratches, and ultra-violet sun rays.
- Select from unlimited options. One simple option is to select a solid color treatment that was not available from the dealer, something exotic or daring. But, most customers want something fantastic, something original, something a little bit wild to make your vehicle suprise and amaze. Graphic designers can help you attract the attention you want.
- Clean it with ease. Once you wrap the car, there is no need to wax it in the future. Maintenance is left to garage storage and handwashing with soap and water.
Where, when, and how?
Service centers that specialize in designing and applying your custom car wrap are common in larger cities. So, you have a number of shopping options. You can research providers online, or you can solicit input from friends who have already made the move to custom wrap their cars.
Reputation is a an important factor. You want to see their work in person as well as in the portfolio photos they collect. If you can get a tour of the facility and process, you can make judgement based on the orderliness of the facility, the apparent commitment of the employees, and the sense of professionalism. All these virtues add value to the purchase.
The pricing is important, but it should not drive the decision on its own. Quality often prices higher than poorer work. You will probably want more than one estimate, so you can comparison shop. There are no trial runs here. When you decide, you pretty much make a commitment. So, you want to know what you get for your money and what kind of warranty protects your interests.
A custom car wrap can do a lot of you. It can add value to your car. It can draw attention to your passion and interest. And, it can display your personality where you want it to. You can be sure it will help you make friends and influence people.
