BMW 1M in dark green
Discussion
The winters are long here in Sweden...so with the car off the road for over five months I thought I'd wrap it. I do have some experience of this, having been in the sign/graphics business for the past 10+ years or so. I just took my time with it, being super careful. It took me about 40 hours over 3 months. I did a panel or two each weekend in my spare time. I struggled with the front bumper and it took a couple of attempts but overall I'm happy with how it came out.
Last weekend I finally got the car out in the sun and I'm pleased with the colour. The green looked really bright under the artificial lights in the garage, but outdoors it's much deeper and richer. The vinyl is Avery SW900 Dark Green. The original colour is Sapphire Black. I think black hides the shape whereas the green has really brought out the lines and vents etc. It looks wider too somehow.
I know it won't be to everyone's tastes (I've even seen hate declared for green cars) but here are some photos...
Last weekend I finally got the car out in the sun and I'm pleased with the colour. The green looked really bright under the artificial lights in the garage, but outdoors it's much deeper and richer. The vinyl is Avery SW900 Dark Green. The original colour is Sapphire Black. I think black hides the shape whereas the green has really brought out the lines and vents etc. It looks wider too somehow.
I know it won't be to everyone's tastes (I've even seen hate declared for green cars) but here are some photos...
I'll be honest, the first photo made me think "good god what's he done to it, it looks like a 1950's Defender!", but I think it's just that photo making the wrap look a bit flat because in the others the colour looks great.
You'll almost certainly never see another one either, and that alone makes it worth it.
You'll almost certainly never see another one either, and that alone makes it worth it.
NickofName said:
I'll be honest, the first photo made me think "good god what's he done to it, it looks like a 1950's Defender!", but I think it's just that photo making the wrap look a bit flat because in the others the colour looks great.
You'll almost certainly never see another one either, and that alone makes it worth it.
I was the same - You'll almost certainly never see another one either, and that alone makes it worth it.
first photo "Jesus, that looks terrible. Like it been done with a tin of Dulux"
second pic "hmm, looks better but still very dull and flat"
third pic "quite like that"
fourth pic "that suits the car really well!"
So from now on you must only drive your car in the sunshine, it doesn't like the shade at all.
NickofName said:
I'll be honest, the first photo made me think "good god what's he done to it, it looks like a 1950's Defender!", but I think it's just that photo making the wrap look a bit flat because in the others the colour looks great.
You'll almost certainly never see another one either, and that alone makes it worth it.
Ha ha might start calling it 'The Defender'.You'll almost certainly never see another one either, and that alone makes it worth it.
Thanks for the positive comments. I know green is a love/hate colour (as are black wheels). It does look flat in the first shots. Lack of clouds and reflections are to blame I think. It's nice and shiny in person.
I actually wanted a darker green, something like Porsche Brewster Green, but I couldn't find a good vinyl match.
Oz83 said:
Ha ha might start calling it 'The Defender'.
Thanks for the positive comments. I know green is a love/hate colour (as are black wheels). It does look flat in the first shots. Lack of clouds and reflections are to blame I think. It's nice and shiny in person.
I actually wanted a darker green, something like Porsche Brewster Green, but I couldn't find a good vinyl match.
First of all, I love the car. A definite future classic. Agree with the other in that I didn't like it from the top pictures but I suspect that's just the lighting. It looks great in the last pic. Thanks for the positive comments. I know green is a love/hate colour (as are black wheels). It does look flat in the first shots. Lack of clouds and reflections are to blame I think. It's nice and shiny in person.
I actually wanted a darker green, something like Porsche Brewster Green, but I couldn't find a good vinyl match.
I'm not a fan of black wheels but that's just me. I think the car would look awesome with silver (but then other's would call me boring!) Either way, it's a cracking car.
lockhart flawse said:
Well I like green cars but I think graphite wheels would look a lot better than the black ones...........
nice job on the wrapping - I wouldnt have the patience.
I agree on the graphite wheels. Not a huge fan of black wheels myself, but they looked good on the black car with the shadow line grille and window surrounds. I think they look ok against the green, but if the wheels were graphite or silver, I might have gone for a different wrap colour.nice job on the wrapping - I wouldnt have the patience.
On the plus side they are satin black so they are pretty easy to keep clean and can be touched up easily.
If I ever sell the car they will be refinished in original silver.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The door shuts are still black. I trimmed up to the next panel giving me 5-8mm or so to tuck in. I take a few more shots tomorrow. I guess that's the luxury of wrapping a black car with a dark wrap. But honestly I don't see the point of wrapping the door shuts. I don't drive around with the doors open. And where do you stop? Even if you remove the seals, sill trim etc and wrap as far as possible, the hinges will still be body colour and and there will be joins. If you look closely when the car is parked, you can always tell it's a wrap. There are infills in the recesses on the front bumper that can be seen up close, but aren't visible from 1metre.
For me, a wrap is a simple way of changing the colour so it needs to be done as quickly as possible (for a pro) and it needs to be easily reversible. I really didn't want to remove parts, break any clips or disturb anything that might raise any questions later on.
anomaly said:
Looks great, really different. I really loved my 1M and dearly miss it, the one car I truly regret selling.
Out of interest, how long does the wrap last until it starts to look scruffy?
Avery say the vinyl has a durability of up to 12 years. But I guess it depends on the climate and how you look after it. If you take care not to catch the edges with a wash mitt and don't go too close with a power washer there shouldn't be any problems (providing the wrap has been applied properly in the first place). Out of interest, how long does the wrap last until it starts to look scruffy?
You can buy specific products to seal the vinyl but I'll just use a synthetic detail spray after each wash. It is possible to polish a wrap with a very gentle polish. The wrap is only soft plastic at the end of the day.
But really I wrapped it so I wouldn't have to worry too much about all that. Black cars are a lifestyle. Even with snow foam, two bucket method and a pedantic washing routine, I still ended up with swirl marks here and there. And I usually drive the car in summer evenings and the front gets completely covered in insects. Every time I got home I had to soften them and rinse them off before they baked on and damaged the paint.
I'll still keep it clean but I can relax a bit more. One day I'll just peel the wrap off and have it detailed.
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