Bump & Grind
The wrap suffers a bit of abuse, while the winter tyres are proving a wise move.
Spec JD Wraps 3M wrap ■ KW Variant 1 coilovers ■ 8x18in Rota Grids ■ 225/40x18 Continental ContiWinterContact tyres ■ Kenwood DNX4210DAB ■ EBC brakes,
I’ve had the wrap for a couple of months, and irritatingly someone has decided to drive into it already! The driver’s door now sports a graze along its flank. No ‘sorry note’ just an irritating reminder that there are some idiots about who don’t know how to drive! Thankfully it’s not left a dent and, conveniently, re-wrapping a door is a lot less money and aggro than having to respray it. Also, as the wrap was only completed a couple of months ago the colour match should be spot on.
I’ve been asked a few times how the wrap is holding up with daily use. Well I’ve no complaints. It’s easy to wash, seems to get grubby less quickly than the paint and still looks fantastic. It passes the ‘second glance test’ – when you can’t help yourself looking back when you walk away after parking up. It’s attracted many admiring (and bemused) glances, and has prompted numerous people to stop me and ask questions as they curiously poke at the 3M wrap.
It has picked up a few light scratches, thanks to me having to drive along narrow roads like the ones pictured – no matter how careful I am. I’m powerless to stop errant branches marking the wrap, especially when having to squeeze past oncoming cars who don’t bother slowing down. To be fair it was the same story before I had the wrap, and even with a machine polishing session, there are light marks on the car. As it stands I’m probably going to look into getting it ‘refreshed’ before the show season starts, and any damaged areas replaced. The cost to get it regularly resprayed to keep in tip-top condition would be prohibitive, but getting a wrap re-done in places is much more cost effective.
You may also have noticed that I’m now running the 18in Rotas rather than the previous 19s. Regular readers will know they’re wrapped in my Continental winter tyres. I’ve not had the chance to play with them in the snow again, but they’ve coped admirably with the very wet and at times icy roads we’ve had this winter.
So what next for the Mondeo? To be honest, I’ve not got anything amazing planned. It’s come a long way since I acquired it (over 16K miles ago) and I’m really happy with how it looks and drives. I’m going to keep my eyes open for anything that takes my fancy over 2014. Maybe larger brakes, maybe a change of suspension, and I’m still on the look out for a pair of adaptive headlights to ‘black eye’ if anyone knows of any? – email fastford@futurenet.com. Other than that, I’m just going to carry on using and enjoying it!