Reasons to Wrap Your Car

In recent years, the look and luster of vinyl wrapping has become popular among car owners. With a vinyl-wrapped body, a vehicle is generally shielded from the elements. The vehicle will also have a look and shine far different than any paint job.

Should you wrap your car? There are many things to examine before you make this decision, including the following:

1. Change Color Without Painting

A new paint job can be a costly investment, especially if you go for a top-of-the-line treatment for your vehicle. If your car is nearing the final third of its lifespan, a paint job might not even be worth the investment. Still, you owe it to yourself to have a car that looks fresh and sporty. With a vinyl wrap, you could transform the look of your car at only a fraction of the price that you might otherwise pay for a new paint job.

A vinyl wrap can make any car look sleek, stylish and brand new. If your car has long been dull, a vinyl wrap could give you newfound reasons to take pride in your automobile. Vinyl wraps come in a variety of colors with metallic sheens, the likes of which are far more varied and vibrant than typical paint jobs.

2. Fix a Subpar Paint Job

If the current paint job on your vehicle is dull or lackluster, a vinyl wrap could be the most affordable way to transform your car’s appearance. Wraps are designed to adhere snugly to the exterior panels of a vehicle. With a vehicle wrap, your car would have a protective coating that would cover the underlying metal from exposure. If you live in an area with heavy rain, salty air or harsh sunlight, a vinyl wrap could offer needed coverage.

For a lot of vehicle owners, a dull paint job is one of the most dreaded and embarrassing aspects of driving a car. Once you transform your car with a sleek, shiny vinyl wrap, you can feel proud of your vehicle’s appearance because it will look as good as new. Most vinyl wraps look far more vibrant and colorful than standard paint jobs.

3. Protect Your Car's Paint

A vehicle wrap could serve as a protective coat for the paint on your vehicle. If you drive a high-value car and wish to protect its appearance, you could have a vinyl wrap placed over the body for a select length of time and preserve the underlying appearance for as long as you drive the vehicle. A vehicle wrap could be long-term or temporary, depending on how long you wish to keep the wrap. Vehicle wraps are easy to remove and won’t leave any traces or marks.

If you only plan to drive the vehicle for a limited time before you retire the car to your garage for safekeeping, a wrap could protect the paint from the elements night and day. If you take long drives in the heat, a body wrap will prevent the UV rays from causing dull, faded spots across the vehicle. If you leave your car parked outside in the pouring rain, the wrap will protect the body and paint job from downpours and other environmental elements.

4. Become a Promotional Vehicle

A vehicle wrap could enhance the appearance of your car and make it more eye-catching to onlookers and passing motorists. This attention could work to your advantage if you also intend to use the car as a promotional vehicle. If you have decals placed on your vehicle that display your business logo or mascot, a vinyl wrap could make the visual impact all the more memorable. Whether the decals are large and thick or more basic, a shiny vinyl wrap would enhance the visual impact.

If you intend to use your vehicle to promote your brand, it is best to use all possible visual tricks to your advantage. The purpose of business decals is to draw attention to your brand name and make impressions on the motorists and bystanders who your car will likely pass on a given day. A vehicle wrap could provide a sleek, shiny, colorful backdrop for the decals without overpowering the message. Best of all, a vehicle wrap could make your car look new and polished, thereby reflecting well on your brand.

5. Promote Sponsorship or Personality on Race Vehicles

If you are into speed racing, a shiny vehicle wrap could make your car stand out from the competition. Out on the race track, the metallic luster of a vinyl wrap could make your vehicle one of the star attractions of the day, regardless of whether you come in first or last place. If you choose a unique vinyl wrap, you could easily stand out among other racers and establish a singular identity in the eyes of racing fans.

For many decades, stripes were seen as the ultimate accessory for racing cars. These days, many people consider stripes passé. As an increasing number of racers look for unique ways to stand apart from one another, vehicle wraps have become one of the go-to options. You could find a color that perfectly matches your personality and have it wrapped in shiny tones around the body of the vehicle, creating an image that could ultimately become synonymous with your brand.

Benefits of Vehicle Wraps vs. Paint Jobs

Why wrap your car when you can also go to a repair shop to get a new coat of paint on the vehicle? Both wrapping or repainting your car are excellent options — it ultimately depends on what you'd like your result to be and what your goals are.

1. Cost

The first factor to consider when you weigh the respective benefits of paint jobs and wraps is cost. For a high-quality paint job, you could end up paying a four-figure sum. Granted, the best paint job that money could buy might make your vehicle look as good as new, even if the vehicle is old and worn. However, if the vehicle is in the twilight of its working life, a high-quality paint job would probably not be worth the investment. The only possible exception would be if the vehicle is a classic model that you plan to keep as a display piece.

A vehicle wrap is usually the more affordable option when it comes to high-quality body coats. A wrap will cover the body panels of your vehicle in the same manner as a paint coat. The difference is that a wrap can be removed with no damage to the underlying surface. While the wrap is on, the body will be shielded from rain, snow, hail and debris. Whether your car is new or old, a body wrap could give it a luster and uniqueness that could far outshine a paint job, and for a fraction of the price.

If you only plan to use your car for a few more years, a body wrap would be the more economical choice than a new paint job. With a fancy wrap, your older vehicle would have a striking appearance that could make it more fun to drive for the remainder of its active life.

2. Maintenance

The tasks involved with the maintenance of your vehicle body will differ if you choose a wrap over a paint job. While a paint job will last between five to seven years if you keep it properly maintained, a wrap requires less maintenance and is easier to replace.

With a paint job, you will need to clean and polish the vehicle periodically. This maintenance is the only way you can protect the paint and prevent harmful dirty buildup that could otherwise cake onto the surface and erode the paint in spots. If cracks form in the paint, the underlying metal could be exposed to rainwater and rock salt, the leading causes of rust and corrosion. If rust takes hold, it could gradually spread and eat holes through the metal in some of the more concentrated areas.

With a vehicle wrap, you would only need to clean the surface occasionally to prevent dirt buildup. The surface would not require waxing because vinyl has its own smoothness and luster. If the vinyl becomes damaged in any area, you could simply have the vinyl on that panel of the body replaced. Therefore, any potential maintenance costs for a vehicle wrap would be rare, isolated and economical. By contrast, the cost to fix multiple more significant dings or paint abrasion spots would be significantly higher because you typically need to repaint an entire section or panel if touch-up paint is not an option.

3. Resale Value

If the time comes to sell your car, a vinyl wrap could affect the vehicle’s resale value. However, the benefits can be direct or indirect, depending on the design of the wrap and whether you choose to leave it on the car when you put the vehicle back on the market.

Each car owner has their own ideas about what type of pattern or color would look good on a vehicle. People tend to be more in agreement when it comes to neutral colors and designs. If the vinyl wrap is to your taste and features a cool galaxy-themed wrap, it'll look awesome — but it might not be readily marketable, regardless of its color or shine.

A vinyl wrap can easily be removed from the body of a vehicle with no damage, streaks or leftover residue on the paint job. In this sense, an out-of-this-world vinyl wrap could boost the resale value of your car, as long as you remove the vinyl before you sell the vehicle. The upside to a vinyl wrap is the preservation of the underlying surface. If the wrap is on the vehicle for several years prior to its resale, the paint job underneath could be in much better condition than it otherwise would be if you left it exposed during those years.

If you never wrap the car and the paint job is several years old when you sell the vehicle, the paint could easily be damaged by that time. You could have the vehicle repainted to boost its value, but doing so might swallow any money that you would make from selling the car. You might need to mark the vehicle down if you try to sell it with a damaged paint job — or, you could apply a neutral satin vinyl wrap that would appeal to a broader buyer audience.

4. Completion Time

A paint job takes considerably longer to complete than a vinyl wrap. If you take your car into a shop to have the body repainted, you might need to leave the vehicle there for about a week and use public transportation or other alternatives in the meantime.

The reason it takes so long to complete a paint job is the series of steps involved. To paint a car, you must tape around the windows and then sand the body. The body must then be given a primer coat and allowed time to dry before the main coat can be applied. Each of these steps could consume a full day, depending on how busy the auto shop might be in a given week.

The steps involved in a vehicle wrap are a lot simpler, as you only need to clean the surface in advance of the vinyl application. From there, the vinyl is carefully applied to the dimensions and contours of each panel on the vehicle. The process can be completed in two to three days, if not the same day. If you need to use your car nearly every day and cannot afford to part with it for a week, a vinyl wrap would be the more practical option, especially when you consider all the other benefits.

5. Availability of Service

Auto repair shops perform paint jobs regularly — such as when a car is damaged and then repaired, or when a customer wants to commit to a new color for a long time. Vinyl wraps, by contrast, have not been around for nearly as long and are not currently offered at many auto shops.

Granted, paint jobs should only be handled by professionals — whereas DIY enthusiasts can perform vehicle warps.

If you attempt to do a paint job yourself with no prior experience, you could easily mess up in some area and leave unpainted spots, streaks or hairs in the paint. Once you do make a mistake, you would generally need to start the entire paint job over again. Moreover, the cost of vehicle paint supplies can be high and space-prohibitive for anyone who does not own the proper tools and access to a paint booth.

Vinyl wraps are easier for DIY applications. Once you purchase the vinyl pattern of your choice, you can apply the wrap yourself. You will need to carefully follow instructions to bond the vinyl to the body of a vehicle. If an application goes awry and a piece of vinyl looks folded or wrinkly, you can easily do it over. Thankfully, vinyl-application mishaps only require the replacement of the affected panels and not the whole vehicle.

Purchase a Rvinyl Wrap Today

With vinyl wraps, there is a new way to transform your vehicle. At Rvinyl, we sell vinyl wraps that can give your car a unique look and also protect the underlying surface. Whether you are skilled at DIY service work or are willing to follow instructions and get the job done right, explore our resources for more ideas.