I haven't seen any disclaimers, but I've read a lot that it doesn't harm the paint. Hard to believe that if it is on there for a few years. I've talked with the local decal guy, who we also hire a lot for graphics jobs where I work. He claims they have refinished their car twice in 6 years and the car looked like new underneath each time. I've known him for years now, so I feel like I can trust him. I am a little worried about the knife though!

 

This was used in Europe years ago to change blue BMW's to Yellow taxi's over night. And Matte black is the most popular. Matte blue looks amazing too...

It's very interesting to do, I've considered doing my roof shiny black, but I dunnnno... Maybe if I had millions and just didn't care, I'd buy a brand new RR and make it all Matte black for the heck of it. But nothing I would really consider doing unless my paint was CRAP!

 

Pretty happy with mine. I wouldn't do it if you don't like talking to people about it.

 

Go for it Whatever floats your boat It's your car and if that is what you want I think you should do it. I like the idea of the wrap, because if you don't like it, just peel it off and as far as the CF looks goes, I have been considering doing it to my hood and mirrors My 996 is Black and I have the yellow calipers and a yellow vinyl side strip of CARRERA. I had a friend tell me the other day it is not his taste and I reminded him he does not drive or ride in my car Enjoy your car

 

Every time I read a thread about wrapping a car, I ask this question: have you ever removed the wrap from a car and what was the condition of the original paint? I have never received an answer.

It's a serious question. I go to auto auctions with a dealer friend and they routinely have old police/fire/ems vehicles that have had the graphics removed. They all show dirt and damage from the graphics or the removal. Now I understand that some of the damage could be due to a lack of care in removing the graphics, but since I have never gotten an answer, I have to wonder...

 

This is an excellent question and inquiring minds want to know

 

I know a few people who have had car or parts of their car wrapped. If the paint is properly prepped prior to wrapping (cleaned, clay bar'd, waxed) and high quality automotive vinyl is used (yes, they make vinyl specifically for wrapping cars) the paint will look as good as the day you wrapped when you remove the wrap.

The reason you see outlines on old work trucks and police cars when the logos are removed is because the paint under the vinyl is protected, while the rest of the car gets trashed and battered with UV rays.

My friend Greg has his C4S wrapped with a battleship gray vinyl. It looks great. And if he decides he doesn't like the "primer" look anymore, he's only about two hours of work away from the original paint.

 

Damn that battleship grey looks awesomazing!

 

So many questions! How do you remove the wrap? Just peel it back? Or do you need heat to lift it? Does it leave residue on the painted surface? What happens when you get a rock impact on the front end and it tears the vinyl? Do you have to replace the whole section again, or is it durable enough to withstand a stone impact in the first place? Is this the same stuff as those "clear" bras?

 

You remove the wrap by simply peeling up a corner and gently pulling it of the panel. Sometimes a little bit of heat is required.

Generally speaking, a high quality film will not leave a residue.

If the vinyl does tear, you can massage it back into place and more or less "hide" it. If that doesn't work, you will have to re-do that panel. It's pretty durable though when it comes to rock chips and does a great job of protecting the paint underneath from rock chips, just as a clear bra would.

Some downsides to it is that the white vinyls are known for staining if you get tree sap, wet leaves (tannins), road tar or other similar things on them. The matte vinyls can also "scratch" if you're not careful (not like a tear or anything, but if something rubs on it hard enough it can "polish" the vinyl so it's less matte than the vinyl around it).

Also, it can be expensive and it's extremely time consuming to apply. Expect to pay $2500-$4000 for a quality wrap job.

 

Hell how much would it cost for a high quality paint job? But then again would a respray lower a selling price? um.

 

There was a DIY sort of thread a while ago on wrapping a 996. The thread seemed to suggest its about $300 for materials, and about 12 hours of work (over a weekend). Pictures seemed to suggest that it was a nice job. I've a red 996 coupe that I've been thinking of wrapping with white vinyl - been a few months and I am still thinking

 

I had mine done last year in matte metallic grey... originally artic silver. Nice change and gets a lot of attention. I like the fact I can always go back to my original paint when I am tired of the wrap.







David