JAKE’S TOP FIVE WRAPPING TIPS
1. DON’T JUST BUY ON PRICE
WHETHER you’re looking to buy vinyl to try wrapping yourself or paying an installer to do the job for you, Jake’s advice is simple: the poor man pays twice. “Cheap vinyl often isn’t Uv-stable, so while it’ll look okay to begin with, it’ll discolour or degrade really quickly. Similarly, anyone who tells you they can do it cheaply is cutting corners – over 90 per cent of the cost of the job is the labour involved in the prep work. The time spent here directly impacts the quality of the job.”
2. COLOUR CHOICE
“BE HONEST about how you’re going to use and maintain the car,” insists Jake. “Some special-effects vinyls can be really impacted by the elements. For example, I’ve seen stainless steel-textured wraps that trap dirt in the grain, and it looks like the wrap is rusting! If you want a finish that’s clean like paint, stick to solid colours and metallics.”
3. SURFACE PREPARATION
ASIDE from being impeccably clean, the vehicle itself has to be in reasonably good condition. “Scratches, dents, rust repairs, even flaking clearcoat – you won’t just see all these imperfections through the wrap, in some cases it’ll highlight them,” Jake says. “Think of the car as your canvas – it has to be a clean slate to work on.”
4. DON’T OVERCOOK IT
A HEAT gun is used to help the vinyl conform to the shape of a vehicle’s panels, but it should be used sparingly, according to Jake. “Too much heat will discolour and over-stretch the vinyl, as well as lead to shrinkage, as the vinyl will try and return to its original shape. Get plenty of practice with the heat gun on test panels of various shapes and sizes before tackling a car.”
5. GO THE EXTRA MILE
ONE of the easiest ways to turn a good job into a great one is by committing a little extra time towards disassembly and reassembly. “Removing items like mirrors and door handles will help make the job seamless and ultimately help the wrap last longer,” Jake explains. “But if you can go one step further and remove your front guards, bonnet or bumpers, that’ll all help with the quality of the job, and tucking your joins behind panels really makes it appear painted rather than wrapped.”