A Cover-Up - Vehicle Wraps

[Silky]

Hi,
Total novice here so please forgive any stupid questions I'm just bound to ask...

After a lot of trying to convince myself I don't want or need a van, I'm giving up fighting the urge and am now browsing for The One. It's highly likely that I'll be combining a bit of work and pleasure on this (I organise holidays and camping breaks for a living) and would consider a vehicle wrap for the van. Would this be feasible or would it be a bad idea? Whilst a wrap can protect the paintwork, I'm not sure what would happen if there was some un-detected rust underneath, and whether this would allow it to spread.

Any ideas or advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,

Silky

[CovKid]

Ordinary plastic sheeting makes em sweat but if its a breathable type it'll be ok. Its the same reason headlinings are perforated - stops moisture getting trapped there.

[Plasticman]

as above , and I can guarantee with regard to the rust its not IF, its how much
mike
oh and welcome..

[protexblue]

They did it on wheeler dealers with some bubbles graphic wrap.

You could stick twenty wraps on, and when the body has rusted away be left with a complete vinyl shell.

[CovKid]

They did but would be interested to see what it looks like now

Also, if it gets scratched you're stuffed. Unless a hairdryer would fix it? Its a brilliant idea for a short-term promotional stunt but think they only have a 5 year life cycle.

[CycloneMike]

This is a company near to me who do this work on a large sacle.
I have seen many of their vehicles and they look good. But then when you are starting with new vehicles that have multi year anti corrosion warranties you do start with an advantage.
It must be fairly durable to survive on trucks, trains and rally cars!
http://www.astsigns.co.uk/Ast-Signs/Wha ... #van-wraps" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If nothing else the videos of the application process are interesting to watch.

[ghost123uk]

Re the Wheeler Dealers T25 "resto" and Vinyl wrap

They did but would be interested to see what it looks like now

Too right, that was a dog to start with !

They paid nearly £4000 in the end and then reckon they sold it to Ed the mechanic for £1000

I wouldn't do the Vinyl thing on a T25, they all have a bit of rust lurking and you can't easily see it or fix it if it's covered in plastic wrap.

[Silky]

Thanks everyone, we've looked into this before for another (newer vehicle) but have a fab design for a camper. I'm still looking at vans at the moment so will probably see what the bodywork's like before making the ultimate decision, I suspect the wrap "people" may be able to advise too.

Silky

[CovKid]

Your biggest issue is likely to be seam rust. If you can get to all of it and make sure its properly treated (back and front) you should be ok.

[Realize]

Hi Silky

If you go down the vinyl wrap route make sure you look at the work that the installer has done previously, it is not
a cheap process and if you go for a cheap quote you will get a cheap job, which will mean vinyl peeling off and very probably
they will cut into your paint work while trimming the vinyl.

I have wrapped a dodge viper probably one of the most difficult shaped cars to work on.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topi ... GTS%20Pics" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A T25 is a much easier shape but it will still require cutting the vinyl while on the car and this has to be done by a professional.
If they use a new scalpel blade each time then they only need to score the vinyl enough so that it rips along the score mark when removing.

I used over 200 blades on the viper.

They should also use a laser temp gauge,to make sure the vinyl stays in place.

I would not worry too much about rust issues being caused or worsened by the wrap.

I would be more concerned by the way it is installed.

Make sure you get a company that you get good vibes from and have examples to show you.

Good Luck Jay

[Silky]

Thanks Jay, we're getting it done professionally - I wouldn't know where to start on something like this and a heath-robinson job would look worse than none at all. We're just getting the artwork done now, I know what I have in mind but getting that translated into a wrap is another matter.

We're taking advice on the rust, fortunately the bodywork's in excellent condition but we have found a few stray rust spots behind the number plate area - we're taking it into a bodyshop beforehand for a once over and touch-up. I'm quite excited about this now, the van's looking a bit like a TV detector van at the moment so it'll be nice to see her transformed

Silky