How to vinyl wrap your car

As lockdown continues, so too do our various projects and attempts to pass time.

In this instalment, I’m going to share with you what I learnt by wrapping my first car. Not just a roof, or a bonnet, but the whole thing…

Before we start, I must disclose that I am certainly no professional.

If you want (or expect) a top-quality, professional result, we’d suggest you take your car to a professional vinyl wrapping shop. You should be able to find one in your local area with a quick internet search.

That said, if you choose to go down the professional path, you also need to be prepared to pay handsomely for it, which can range anywhere from $3000 to in excess of $12,000 – depending on the size of your car and what material and/or finish you’re after.

However, if you want it done at a fraction of the cost, and you’re happy with ‘good enough’ as opposed to perfect, then stick with me on this.

Finally, before we dive in, one more confession…

The vehicle I’m wrapping is a non-road-registered race car (a 1992 N14 Nissan Pulsar) so I’m not too concerned about getting each panel absolutely perfect because: A. I know it’ll get stone-chipped and scorched by molten race rubber; and B. Someone will almost certainly run into me and damage it.

I also chose the most obnoxious material I could find – a neo-chrome finish that shifts between blue, green, pink, purple and gold, depending on the lighting.

I would not recommend doing the same.

This neo-chrome – or chrome wrap of any sort – also happens to be the most difficult material to work with and is ‘strictly not for beginners’, or so my research would suggest.

Anywho, in the words of the great Peter Brock, “bite off more than you can chew and then chew like hell”. So, let’s start chewin’.

One of the best things you can do – besides practice – is learn from other people. Learn from their techniques, but also their mistakes.

I spent plenty of time on YouTube before I started, watching both professionals and amateurs (like me) wrap all sorts of cars and parts, sussing out what tools and materials they used. This is important because wrapping a relatively flat bonnet is much easier than a curvy side mirror or front bumper.

And while I’m not a complete freshie when it comes to vinyl wrapping car parts, I’ve never – until now – attempted anything much more complex than a bonnet.

Here’s a professional I found useful on the net.

You’ll hear it from the pros and it’s something I can confirm thanks to my past (albeit few) vinyl wrapping forays – using good quality vinyl wrap makes all the difference.

Over the years, I’ve used relatively cheap stuff from eBay and automotive retailers. It’s usually thicker and has less stretch, making it more difficult to work with.

The cheaper stuff also tends to fade quicker and is much, MUCH, more difficult to remove, should you ever choose to.

It doesn’t always come off in a clean sweep and in extreme circumstances it can even damage your original paintwork and/or leave you with a tonne of sticky residue to clean up.

From my experience, decent quality wrap will usually cost at least (or around) $100 per metre.

It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it, both for the ease of use and longevity of the colour/finish.

If budget allows, I’d suggest practicing with some cheap stuff before splurging on pricier vinyl.

There are a few basic items you’ll definitely need, including a squeegee, isopropyl alcohol (or wax and grease remover) and a sharp craft knife.

I purchased a vinyl wrapping tool kit off eBay (similar to this) before I started and I can definitively say it was the best $30-ish I’ve spent.

If you followed my first tip and watched the pros, you’ll get a good idea of what certain tools are used for and where they come in handy.

Of course, you can get away with just the basics, but the ‘tools of the trade’ can make all the difference – especially if you plan on wrapping an entire car, where you’ll need to push vinyl into edges/trim or cut a piece of material dead straight.

A heat gun will also come in handy for setting edges (underneath panels) and warming the vinyl to stretch it over curvaceous panels, but more on that later.

The best place to vinyl wrap a car is a dust-free and clean space – like an enclosed garage, for example – that’s out of the elements. So, no rain, wind or direct sunlight is best.

Temperature also plays an important part in the process and a best-case temperature scenario would be 17-28 degrees Celsius.

If you have no choice but to work outside, choose a day with good weather, meaning not too windy, obviously not raining and not freezing cold, either. The colder the temp, the harder and less stretchy the vinyl will be to work with.

Alternatively, if it’s too hot, it may overstretch and present other difficulties during application.

With my half-built race car, I already had most of the panels, including the bonnet, doors, bumpers and guards, removed from the car, so I was able to place them on a panel stand and, to my mother’s dismay, wrap each one in the living room.

Again, according to the pros, this isn’t ideal, as the panels can move around or slip if they’re not secured to the car.

In truth, I found it more comfortable and easier doing it lying on my back.

Once you’re all set, you need to get your car ready too.

If the car or parts you’re wrapping are near-new, congratulations. You’re all but ready to go. If not, you might need to get your hands dirty.

In my case, the Pulsar was built in 1992 and had been weathering away in the middle of a paddock for about a decade before I bought it.

Thankfully, there weren’t many dents, so all I had to focus on was the texture of the surfaces I was wrapping.

With the dents repaired, I then used a heavy-duty cutting compound on the rest of the paintwork to get it smooth, and in some cases I just used an orbital sander for efficiency.

Obviously, you don’t want to go using a cutting compound or sandpaper on good paintwork – especially if you plan on someday removing the wrap.

Heck, some people even vinyl wrap their cars to PROTECT the paint underneath.

In most cases where your paintwork just needs a good clean, a clay bar like this one will do the trick to remove surface contaminants and leave you with a smooth surface.

If you’ve also got dents and/or scratches and don’t know how to repair them – or you simply can’t be bothered – no one’s stopping you from wrapping right over them, but keep in mind, anything you wrap will show up, including imperfections.

Don’t be fooled into thinking vinyl wrap is some magical cure-all for damaged panels. I can assure you it most certainly is not.

Okay, pot calling kettle black here, I know. But seriously, it’s hard work. I bought my neo-chrome from a wholesaler in the US, which specifically said that unlike ‘normal’ vinyl wrap (that is, flat colours), the chrome wrap doesn’t stretch and can’t be heated up.

After playing around with some small pieces, I discovered you can heat it up to an extent (without compromising the chrome finish) and it will stretch a tiny bit, but not much.

If there’s one trait that’ll serve you well throughout this process, it’s patience.

You’ll likely need lots of it, and, if you don’t have any, it’s worth having a friend or family member around that’s a bit more calm and collected than you, because the more frustrated you get, the worse your work becomes.

Trust me. There’s no denying that vinyl wrapping a car is a tricky and time-consuming process.

As it stands, 70 per cent of my car is now wrapped, and while I admittedly have the luxury of time – seeing as the rest of the car is far from complete – I’m in way too deep to give up now and I know the end result will be worth it.

Vinyl wrapping your car – Quick reference guide
• Watch the pros do it online – learn from their techniques, and mistakes
• Buy good quality vinyl wrap – it makes all the difference
• Tools of the trade include a squeegee, isopropyl alcohol and a sharp craft knife
• A vinyl wrapping tool kit is definitely worth a circa-$30 outlay
• The best place to vinyl wrap a car is a dust-free and clean space that’s protected from the elements
• Ideally, do your wrapping when the ambient temperature is 17-28 degrees Celsius
• Make sure the car’s panels are free from dents and that it’s cleaned thoroughly
• Neo-chrome is seriously hard work – you have been warned!
• Be patient, stay calm and take plenty of time