A car can be your biggest asset, but they depreciate fast. A new car can lose 11% value on average as soon as you buy and drive it home. And while you can keep your vehicle running well, the paint jobs tend to degrade over time.
Fortunately, a vehicle wrap can protect the exterior and help you maintain value. If you’ve never heard of or used vehicle wraps, here are three important things that you need to know.
You Can Buy Customized Protection with Vehicle Wraps
Vehicle wraps are custom made vinyl wraps that go over your car. They’re like a big sticker, and they’re applied over your car’s exterior with cuts made for doors, windows, and other necessary spots. Instead of getting a new vehicle or paint job, a professional can wrap your vehicle to protect it, and you can choose from different colors, finishes, and patterns.
Different Types of Vehicle Wraps Are Available
Anyone looking for a vehicle wrap will come across many options, including these common ones:
- Full Vehicle Wrap
This popular vehicle wrap covers your entire vehicle, except for doors, mirrors, windows, etc. It’s a great choice if you want a more consistent look.
- Partial Vehicle Wrap
A partial vehicle wrap can cover the hood, trunk, doors, roof, or the sides of a vehicle. This way you can cover damage or wear while saving some money, but also put graphics and ads onto only a small part of your car.
- Wraps with Ads and Graphics
The most common car wrap is an advertising wrap that lets you add your logo, contact information, etc., onto your vehicle. This is an effective and affordable way to advertise your business. Moreover, sometimes you might get a commission from placing a company’s ad on your car.
Vehicle Wraps Don’t Have to Be Expensive
Cost usually plays a significant role when people consider purchasing a vehicle wrap. Fortunately, vehicle wraps are an affordable solution when compared to a fresh paint job, even if the wrap requires as much labor.
Vehicle wrap prices will vary, but a standard full car wrap costs from $2,000 to $3,000 with installation, according to Vinyl-Ink. A partial wrap costs much less, as little as $500 depending on what part of your car you want to apply it to. However, keep in mind that you might be charged more for installation due to scratches, dents, and other issues that need to be fixed beforehand.
At first, vehicle wraps may seem pricey, but painting your car takes longer and costs more. Also, before painting starts, a lot of prep work might be necessary, which can cost $1,300 on average, according to Angie’s List. And when the paint is applied, the total can range from $2,400 to $7,500 with an average of $5,000 – almost double the cost of a vehicle wrap!
Secrets to a Perfect Vehicle Wrap
Before you buy a vehicle wrap, however, know that High quality car wraps require experience and knowledge in many different fields that include design, material, and production.Let’s briefly discuss each of these categories:
Design: The world is not flat, neither is the surface of a car. The designer must have extensive experience and the right tools such as the latest vehicle templates to create a car wrap design that will fit a specific vehicle properly without having the image or the message distorted or sliced into pieces.
Material: There are many high and low quality vinyl manufacturers out there. Top brand names that have been around for years and offer the best car wrap vinyl include: 3M, Avery, Oracal and Arlon. Just like everything else, with car wraps you truly get what you pay for. If you care about the quality and longevity of the wrap then you want to make sure that the wrap shop is using high quality vinyl.
Production: Each manufacturer’s vinyl has its own unique print profile. What is a print profile you might ask. Simply put it’s a code specifically created for that particular vinyl which tells the printer exactly how much ink to lay on the vinyl in order to get the best results. Many print shops don’t bother with this step and tend to use one profile for all media. This results in dull, over or under saturated images that just don’t look right.
Consider Buying A Vehicle Wrap
Bottom line, vehicle wraps have many advantages, including an affordable price and customization options, and flexibility. It can also protect the resale value of your car, or even increase it.
Of course, you should explore your options and compare different prices before deciding what to do. Doing your research online is the easiest and quickest way.
Sources
- “Car Depreciation: How Much Have You Lost?” Trusted Choice, Greg Lewerer, 14 May, 2018,
https://www.trustedchoice.com/insurance-articles/wheels-wings-motors/car-depreciation/ - “Seven Secrets to a Perfect Car Wrap,” FESPA, 2 May, 2014,
https://www.fespa.com/en/news-media/features/seven-secrets-to-a-perfect-car-wrap - “FAQs about Vehicle Wraps,” Vinyl Ink,
http://vinyl-ink.com/frequently-asked-questions/ - “How much does it cost to paint a car?” AngiesList,
https://www.angieslist.com/articles/how-much-does-it-cost-paint-car.htm
