Wrapping a car....

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 9:24am #1

I'm nearly over the line on purchasing an XK but I'm struggling with the exterior colour of car (gold) so I'm thinking about getting it wrapped.

I'm wondering if any of you guys can recommend a good place to get the car wrapped and also what colour you think would suit an XK.

I'm currently thinking about wrapping it blue. Something like the 2011 special edition.

Or

P.s. - Am I mad to be buying a 4.2 V8?!!

charlie1966 · 23-03-2011 9:29am

Shane732 wrote: »

P.s. - Am I mad to be buying a 4.2 V8?!!

No! But I think you are mad to wrap it. Don't worry though, no one listens to me.

Nissan doctor · 23-03-2011 9:32am

Shane732 wrote: »

P.s. - Am I mad to be buying a 4.2 V8?!!

If you can afford to run/maintain it then absolutly not! Cars are for driving and driving pleasure is slowing being removed from the motoring world!

A really good quality wrap(not the type used on company vans etc) would come to the majority of the price of a decent respray. Its only advantage is that it can be removed if needed. But if you don't like the colour of the car then I wouldn't imagine you'd need to remove it so I'd go with a respray. It will look better in the long run as wraps have to be redone every few years or they start looking tatty.

qz · 23-03-2011 9:34am

http://www.revolutionireland.ie/contact.html

Friend used them to wrap his Elise and it looked the business, cheapest quote he got too. Ring up and see anyway. I'd go proper nouveau riche and wrap the bastard in white.

Owen · 23-03-2011 9:38am

If it isn't wrapped properly, a lick of a powerwasher will tear through the cast vinyl in a second. As Nissan Doctor said, the price you'll pay for a proper wrap won't be cheap - surely it'd be just as easy to take the money you're considering paying for the wrap, putting it wth the money you have, and phoning other dealers saying 'listen, I have a deal ready to go through today for my car against an xk for y amount of money, yours is a nicer colour, I'll give you my car, and y+wrap money for a deal today'?

qz · 23-03-2011 9:40am

Will a full respray affect resale value in any way?

Anan1 · 23-03-2011 9:43am

If the colour's a big problem for you then why not just wait for one in a colour you do like? I would have thought one would pay less for a loud blue one than for a more elegant colour.:)

Nissan doctor · 23-03-2011 9:56am

qz wrote: »

Will a full respray affect resale value in any way?

IMO if your worried about resale value, buy a golf diesel.

If are buying a second hand(even new for that matter) 4.2 V8 engined sports car in Ireland you are a moron if resale value is in your list of criteria!

Max_Damage · 23-03-2011 10:11am

From the title, I thought I was going to see a car wrapped around a tree. I was disappointed.

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 10:13am

Nissan doctor wrote: »

IMO if your worried about resale value, buy a golf diesel.

If are buying a second hand(even new for that matter) 4.2 V8 engined sports car in Ireland you are a moron if resale value is in your list of criteria!

I'm buying used.

I've looked at buying new but the depreciation hit is just unreal. Plus if I was buying new I'd probably lean towards an M3. What ever about buying second hand I think you'd be a moron to be considering resale value on a new XK. Plus from my point of view there's some reason value (relatively speaking) there in 2007 XK's with low mileage.

The reason I'm leaning towards wrapping it is that I won't have to get the log book changed, the original colour underneath will be protected and if/when I do sell it on I can sell it as gold or blue.

Any ideas on a rough price of a wrap - I've heard prices quoted of €2,500 for a proper wrap.

23-03-2011 10:13am

Savage choice of car :cool:

Wrap seems a bad idea really given what the lads in the know have said above.

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 10:18am

RoverJames wrote: »

Savage choice of car :cool:

Wrap seems a bad idea really given what the lads in the know have said above.

What are people saying about the wraps?

galwaytt · 23-03-2011 10:23am

I think the wrap is a great idea, tbh.

A fellow P-car and past MX-5 owner I know, is in the graphic's business, and he's just wrapped his own Boxster in a 70's colour and graphic, and, imho, it came out fantastic.

His name is Ivan, and his company is www.positivesigns.net - you can tell him galwaytt sent ya

No connection other than as a fellow petrolhead

cjt156 · 23-03-2011 10:23am

Shane732 wrote: »

Am I mad to be buying a 4.2 V8?!!

Yes, yes you are. Good man. Love the XK - a car on my to-do list.

As for the wrap - I've seen a couple of very fine examples (the Porker above on another site for example) and some really tatty ones. Personnally I like the idea; get tired of it & its out with the hair-dryer and back to factory spec.

langdang · 23-03-2011 10:23am

Shane732 wrote: »

What are people saying about the wraps?

Guns don't kill people - wrappers do...

Savage looking car - like the second colour blue OP!

23-03-2011 10:24am

Shane732 wrote: »

What are people saying about the wraps?

Surely you can read the same as I can :P

Nissan doctor wrote: »

.................
A really good quality wrap.........would come to the majority of the price of a decent respray. ................wraps have to be redone every few years or they start looking tatty.

PaintDoctor wrote: »

..........As Nissan Doctor said, the price you'll pay for a proper wrap won't be cheap - surely it'd be just as easy to take the money you're considering paying for the wrap.............

- decent wrap costs almost respray money
- needs to be redone every few years

To me that isn't appealing

galwaytt · 23-03-2011 10:35am

RoverJames wrote: »

- decent wrap costs almost respray money
- needs to be redone every few years

To me that isn't appealing

To me..

- a respray at 'wrap price': wouldn't put it near an XK, nor a powerwasher, for that matter.......a wrap doesn't pretend to be anything other than a wrap, and it's un-doable. A respray is...........always going to irk in the door jambs, the valance's etc.......a full window out, door-off colour change would cost 1000's..........simply not worth it imho, given the depreciation will continue ad nauseam - don't be putting fuel on the money-pit fire.

- needs to be re-done ?: so might a 'wrap-price' spray job.........

knifey_spoonie · 23-03-2011 10:41am

Do it, Get it done in matte red.

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 10:51am

The going rate for a (what Im told is a good) wrap is around EUR1000 in Ireland or £800 in the UK. There are several threads on Octane.ie with great looking Wraps at this price with happy owners.

For people like me with "collector" cars a wrap makes much much more sense than a paint job which absolutely will devalue a car (and likely need even more preparation). I also like the idea a wrap will "protect" the paint underneath.. Ive seen even commercial signage (ie cheaper) wrapped Vans with the wrap removed after 6years that looked absolutely mint underneath.

Wraps can be nearly any colour or finish.
Wraps allow creative colour ideas to be tried out.

to

http://www.octane.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=49222

PS: Shane732 are you really going to buy a car this time round? You seem to post some exotic something you are about to pounce on once a month!?

23-03-2011 10:58am

Matt Simis wrote: »

PS: Shane732 are you really going to buy a car this time round? You seem to post some exotic something you are about to pounce on once a month!?

I reckon he'll buy this one

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 11:35am

Matt Simis wrote: »

PS: Shane732 are you really going to buy a car this time round? You seem to post some exotic something you are about to pounce on once a month!?

It's been a case of the head ruling the heart every time so far. I've nearly shaken hands on two cars to date - one being an E92 330D M-sport (should have bought it) and the other being Cayman S (the total lack of rear seats put me off and made the decision for me in the end). I've also considered buying a secondhand car, something like a JCW or 2002 M3.

I've got an insurance quote of €1,700 on the XK, through a friend, and the tax will be €1,566.... So fixed costs will be €3,266. After that I'm down to maintainence and petrol. The insurance quote isn't hugely different to my current insurance and the only real jump in fixed costs is €900ish in tax.

Re petrol I'm dropping from a 29 mpg to probably 17 - 19mpg at best so it'll be more expensive but sure you only live once.

Being honest I'm not totally over the line with this yet but it's a case of either buy now or NCT my own. If I NCT my own I need to buy 2 rear tyres (bloody runflats!). The XK is well within my budget so it's probably a good choice as my first leap into the 4.2 V8 league!

I'll admit I've posted a good few threads about buying cars and do have my doubters here and elsewhere but making that leap into a 4.2 V8 for the first time is a big one!

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 11:41am

Shane732 wrote: »

but making that leap into a 4.2 V8 for the first time is a big one!

Nah, wait till you start eyeing up V12 Aston Martins.. :cool:

911s · 23-03-2011 11:53am

I wouldn't go down the wrapping route with that car, as vinyl wrapping is basically a
short term (6mths. - 3 years approx) marketing tool. If you are anyway fussy about
the appearance of your car and are the type of person who gets pleasure from polishing
and waxing your pride and joy a wrap is not for you, as each time you get close to the
car you will see more and more imperfections.
On the other hand, if you just want a quick colour change and something different then a wrap is exactily what you need as you can transform a car into something
eyecatching or something that really appeals to yourself.
I would also be wary of people offering wraps at sub 1,000 euro prices as
there is no way they can supply a premium cast vinyl, preferably laminated with a cast
laminate, do a perfect prep and cleaning job and hope to make a profit at these rates.

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 12:04pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

Nah, wait till you start eyeing up V12 Aston Martins.. :cool:

Thank God I'm not at that stage!! Is that what you've got on your mind at the minute!?!

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 12:22pm

Shane732 wrote: »

Thank God I'm not at that stage!! Is that what you've got on your mind at the minute!?!

Nah, I have both a V8 4.2 Audi S8 and V12 5.6l BMW to keep me content in parts and fuel at the moment. AMs seem a bit too delicate for my type of car ownership.

Swampy · 23-03-2011 12:27pm

I love the gold. If it's already gold, keep it that way!!!

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 12:31pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

Nah, I have both a V8 4.2 Audi S8 and V12 5.6l BMW to keep me content in parts and fuel at the moment. AMs seem a bit too delicate for my type of car ownership.

What type of mpg do you get out of the S8?

:eek::eek: Is that an 850 you have?

Wow...

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 12:38pm

Shane732 wrote: »

What type of mpg do you get out of the S8?

:eek::eek: Is that an 850 you have?

Wow...

23mpg on the S8 and 19 to 20 on the 850CSi. I want to get an Orange wrap (hence my interest in this thread and wrapping in general) on the CSi, I figure considering some of the crazy colours BMW offered it in, its keeping with the tone perfectly. It would then melt eyes as it melts eardrums at the moment (and um, wallets).

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 4:10pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

23mpg on the S8 and 19 to 20 on the 850CSi. I want to get an Orange wrap (hence my interest in this thread and wrapping in general) on the CSi, I figure considering some of the crazy colours BMW offered it in, its keeping with the tone perfectly. It would then melt eyes as it melts eardrums at the moment (and um, wallets).

23mpg on the S8 is pretty good. I'm working off figures of 17 mpg or so on the XK.

I wouldn't have thought that the XK would be heavier on fuel than a S8.

qz · 23-03-2011 4:34pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

Nah, wait till you start eyeing up V12 Aston Martins.. :cool:

Been doing that for the last two years and doing some serious man-maths as to when exactly I can get a DB9 :pac:

galwaytt · 23-03-2011 5:23pm

Swampy wrote: »

I love the gold. If it's already gold, keep it that way!!!

...ah, but isn't that the beauty of wrap: it's not gold, now, when you don't want it to be.........and when that Austin Power's fad comes back around, you can just put it back within a few hours - and NO spend !

Win-Win it seems to me

Ivan 2 · 23-03-2011 5:37pm

911s wrote: »

I wouldn't go down the wrapping route with that car, as vinyl wrapping is basically a
short term (6mths. - 3 years approx) marketing tool.

OK Hi, I'm Ivan and thats my porsche boxster wrapped.
Yes wrapping is my business but i'm not on here to plug it.
I'm just here if you want to ask questions.

I'm just into cars in a big way and the silver boxster came up at the right price last year so i bought it. I'm not a big fan of silver so i decided this year for a change of colour. I went with the blue cos it's nice a bright and well the interior of the car is blue.

First to correct the above quote (sorry 911s), wrapping material can last up to five years. I have taken a few off after 3 years and they where pretty much in the same condition as when they where done first.

911s · 23-03-2011 6:23pm

Ivan 2 wrote: »

OK Hi, I'm Ivan and thats my porsche boxster wrapped.
Yes wrapping is my business but i'm not on here to plug it.
I'm just here if you want to ask questions.

I'm just into cars in a big way and the silver boxster came up at the right price last year so i bought it. I'm not a big fan of silver so i decided this year for a change of colour. I went with the blue cos it's nice a bright and well the interior of the car is blue.

First to correct the above quote (sorry 911s), wrapping material can last up to five years. I have taken a few off after 3 years and they where pretty much in the same condition as when they where done first.

Hi Ivan,

While I cannot argue with the fact that wrapping materials can last up to 5 years (and much longer depending on the materials used and the care
taken afterwards by the owner) a lot of people are using cheaper materials
and offering the wrap at a lower cost. I am sure there is no need to go
into details with you the differences between Ritarama etc compared to
Controltac or Grapitec cast vinyls.
My point is that in my opinion, anybody who derives satisfaction on a
sunny Saturday detailing the bodywork on their car may be dissapointed
by a wrap,while anybody who needs a quick colour change may be very
happy with a wrap - horses for courses.
The removal of said wrap may not be as straightforward either,
depending on the length of time wrap was fitted, how long it was left
exposed to strong sunlight (darker colours absorb more heat), effectively
'baking' wrap onto car. If the original paint underneath was in any way
suspect thery may be problems, and removal of vinyl, no matter how skilled
or experienced the person, can lead to removal of laquer and /or paint

BanzaiBk · 23-03-2011 6:40pm

Maintaining a wrapped car is a pain if you like to keep your car clean. I've worked on about 4 wrapped cars (from the same place) now that all display similar issues with damaged lacquer from bird bombs, sun damage, horrible application with knife edges torn into the paintwork, atrocious door shut work, sightly gaps etc.

Avoid quotes that are anything less than north of 2500 imo. Inspect some of their previous work and check the shuts and engine bay etc.

Great choice of car though, just do not wrap it in matt black!

-Corkie- · 23-03-2011 6:49pm

Great choice of car Shane. I was only thinking of you today for some bizarre reason wondering had you purchased!!!:D

R.O.R here would be a good man to advise you on that as he knows a fair bit about wrapping.(parden the pun).

Mila Kunis would look well in the front seat Shane...:pac::pac:

Bigus · 23-03-2011 7:18pm

good idea with the wrap ... especially as its reversible, resprayed cars are worth nothing, no matter who does the job.

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 7:25pm

BanzaiBk wrote: »

Avoid quotes that are anything less than north of 2500 imo. Inspect some of their previous work and check the shuts and engine bay etc.

Personally I consider anything close to 2500 for a wrap absolutely absurd, you would need your head examined IMO to pay out that much for vinyl.
Im also dubious on using $$ as a direct indication of quality. Any pile of crap can be over priced and its possible to get a competitive quote for anything that isnt simply rubbish as its competitive.

Bigus · 23-03-2011 7:26pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

Personally I consider anything close to 2500 for a wrap absolutely absurd, you would need your head examined IMO to pay out that much for vinyl.

and what about the labour ?

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 7:30pm

Bigus wrote: »

and what about the labour ?

What about it? You kinda need to put in an estimated # of hours to qualify that, which of course varies per car.

unkel · 23-03-2011 7:37pm

Ivan 2 wrote: »

OK Hi, I'm Ivan and thats my porsche boxster wrapped.
Yes wrapping is my business but i'm not on here to plug it.
I'm just here if you want to ask questions.

Hi Ivan and welcome to boards

So to put us straight - how much would a good quality wrap job set one back say on a car like your Boxster or on an XK? Would it make a difference what age the car is or what the quality of the current paint job is?

Bigus · 23-03-2011 7:46pm

Ivan 2 wrote: »

OK Hi, I'm Ivan and thats my porsche boxster wrapped.
Yes wrapping is my business but i'm not on here to plug it.
I'm just here if you want to ask questions.

I'm just into cars in a big way and the silver boxster came up at the right price last year so i bought it. I'm not a big fan of silver so i decided this year for a change of colour. I went with the blue cos it's nice a bright and well the interior of the car is blue.

First to correct the above quote (sorry 911s), wrapping material can last up to five years. I have taken a few off after 3 years and they where pretty much in the same condition as when they where done first.

Saw your boxster on the M6 motorway as you were pulling in with your mate in the other boxster an Sat morning.
Your car looks great, especially the porsche Logo on the side,
though My wife hates it, but it sure does stand out
Well done

Vertakill · 23-03-2011 8:09pm

BanzaiBk wrote: »

Avoid quotes that are anything less than north of 2500 imo.

Wtf? That's a ridiculous amount of money. Never heard of them being that expensive before.
Without sounding too crass, where exactly are you pulling that figure from?

http://vimeo.com/1953515

Pretty cool video there of wrapping. Not sure if these guys are pros or complete noobs so dont blame me if these are sh!t - it still looks good!

Here's a great DIY job :pac: :

http://crazytopics.blogspot.com/2006/12/audi-s4-covered-with-tape.html

BanzaiBk · 23-03-2011 8:29pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

Personally I consider anything close to 2500 for a wrap absolutely absurd, you would need your head examined IMO to pay out that much for vinyl.

Correct body prep and labour, a proper finish. I've seen prices quoted here for 2100 for a "small hatch" which included door shuts and boot shuts and 2700 for a wrapped 5 Series. Both were solid colour casts.

Vertakill wrote: »

Wtf? That's a ridiculous amount of money. Never heard of them being that expensive before.
Without sounding too cross, where exactly are you pulling that figure from?

I'm not pulling it from anywhere lol, I've come across and heard about plenty of wrapped cars during the course of my nixer job. Sure is a ridiculous amount of money and it's something I'd never do myself.

The prep required for a quality finish is hefty and sure if you just want to change the colour regardless of fit and finish then go for it.

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 8:48pm

-Corkie- wrote: »

Great choice of car Shane. I was only thinking of you today for some bizarre reason wondering had you purchased!!!:D

R.O.R here would be a good man to advise you on that as he knows a fair bit about wrapping.(parden the pun).

Mila Kunis would look well in the front seat Shane...:pac::pac:

No I still haven't purchased but I think I may have found "the one". I'm being offered what I think is a pretty good deal.

There's a few things holding me back:

I don't know a whole lot about the garage and am a little worried purchasing something like this from them.

There is only a 3 month warranty on it too.

Plus they still haven't been able to show me a service history (it's my understanding that one does exist)

The guys have had this car for a long time... I was told they got it in before Christmas but I know the owner of the garage had the warning lights reset on it last August in Spirit Motors, which means it was in there garage since August.

The first time I went to drive it the battery was dead and she was empty on fuel (probably the short of a 4.2 V8's life!!)

I'll spend the next few days contemplating it and then decide. Hope I don't bit*h out this time!!! It cost my a lovely E92 330D M-Sport last time :mad:

Mila Kunis would look good with me even if it was in a Ford Ka!!

:p

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 8:50pm

Vertakill wrote: »

Wtf? That's a ridiculous amount of money. Never heard of them being that expensive before.
Without sounding too crass, where exactly are you pulling that figure from?

http://vimeo.com/1953515

Pretty cool video there of wrapping. Not sure if these guys are pros or complete noobs so dont blame me if these are sh!t - it still looks good!

Here's a great DIY job :pac: :

http://crazytopics.blogspot.com/2006/12/audi-s4-covered-with-tape.html

I know someone who recently bought a Nissan GTR and got stone guard protection on the front and side of it. When he was getting it done he was told that a full wrap would cost about €2,500.

Shane732 · 23-03-2011 8:50pm

unkel wrote: »

Hi Ivan and welcome to boards

So to put us straight - how much would a good quality wrap job set one back say on a car like your Boxster or on an XK? Would it make a difference what age the car is or what the quality of the current paint job is?

Would be very interested in hearing the answers to those questions!

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 9:04pm

Shane732 wrote: »

I know someone who recently bought a Nissan GTR and got stone guard protection on the front and side of it. When he was getting it done he was told that a full wrap would cost about €2,500.

I think someone in a new GTR will always get a supercar price to virtually any car related question they could ever ask.. Even if the garage wasnt inflating the price, I would hazard a guess a low £$ figure would have (or assumed to) insulted or alarmed the GTR owner.

Vertakill · 23-03-2011 9:27pm

Shane732 wrote: »

I'll spend the next few days contemplating it and then decide. Hope I don't bit*h out this time!!! It cost my a lovely E92 330D M-Sport last time :mad:

Backing out of a deal is nothing to be ashamed of if it's not right. It's like knowing when you should lay down in poker. May kill you to do it at the time, but it could turn out to be a great decision.

Worst thing to do is pressure yourself into buying a car beforehand, as you might uncharacteristically overlook some negatives about the car because you're so adamant on buying it.

Matt Simis · 23-03-2011 9:34pm

Vertakill wrote: »

Worst thing to do is pressure yourself into buying a car beforehand, as you might uncharacteristically overlook some negatives about the car because you're so adamant on buying it.

Well its not like he is driving 100miles at 4am in the morning to view/buy it..

R.O.R · 23-03-2011 9:50pm

I've only ever wrapped two vehicles - Fiat Doblo passenger versions which arrived in white, just on the day the company that ordered it decided their new corporate colours were Silver. No chance of cancelling orders for them, and didn't want re-spray (effect resale value) so we got them wrapped by Uni-Graphics of Monaghan.

Cost €1,300 + VAT for each vehicle, and at that price Uni-Graphics made nothing on the job with the 3M vinyl and amount of labour it took.

One of them was involved in a fairly heavy front end collision a few months later, so had to be fixed up - resprayed in white, then the front half re-wrapped at a cost of about €800 just for the wrap.

That was a few years ago when it was quite new, and things have moved one, but I'd still be wary if you are in any way particular about the car.

In Cannes last year there was an McLaren SLR (Dubai Plates) parked up with a Matte Black wrap. The front of it was absolutley peppered with stone chips which had gone through the vinyl, and parts of the front had started to peel. Can't imagine if someone is going to splash out on an SLR (722) that they's skimp with a cheap wrap.

Had to organise removal of partial wraps that had been on black vans for 4-5 years and that cost a small fortune. Each van had to be baked in a re-spray oven for 6 hours before they were able to remove the wrap. Being a partial wrap, they then had to buff the paintwork on the non-wrapped bits of the van to try to bring it in line with the colour of the covered parts.

911s · 23-03-2011 10:02pm

Shane732 wrote: »

Would be very interested in hearing the answers to those questions!

A good quality solid colour wrap can cost anything from approx 1400 euro up to 2,500 depending on car ie. complex curves, bumper / splitters with numerous cut-outs etc, size of roof or bonnet (vinyl may have to be stretched to cover bonnet / roof in one piece to avoid joints) Condition /age of paint not too important when fitting - only when removing!!. Can take more than 1 full day to prep car properly ie. removing
tar spots etc. as vinyl will magnify any imperfections, bumps etc in paintwork. A car like the jag or 997 etc can take 2 days to fit, one main fitter with a helper when required when fitting larger panels, more help if stretching roof or bonnet panels.
There are people in this country producing an 'acceptable' job for 750ish , but normally don't touch bumpers or mirrors, vinyl not laminated.
Full colour printed wraps don't cost much more than the quality solid wraps as the 'busy' printed backgrounds are more forgiving than solid colours and are easier / faster to fit.

Wrapping a car....

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