Unwrapping a wrapped car
Discussion
Voldemort said:
Has anyone?
Is it a specialist job or do you just work up a corner and start peeling?
What state is the actual paint in? As fresh as the day it was wrapped or have you found issues - either in/on the paint surface or the wrap being used to disguise other sins?
I've done it. If the car's been wrapped properly, then your biggest problem is going to be removing the various bits of trim. Getting the wrap off big panels is pretty easy - either do it on a warm sunny day, or use a heat gun as has already been mentioned. You don't need massive amounts of heat - just gently warm it. The paintwork underneath should be pretty good, but we lost a bit of paint on the inner part of a front wing when we did it.Is it a specialist job or do you just work up a corner and start peeling?
What state is the actual paint in? As fresh as the day it was wrapped or have you found issues - either in/on the paint surface or the wrap being used to disguise other sins?
You'll need a good set of trim removal tools. If it's a modern car, find the detailed manual online - the one the franchised garages use. Get some spare trim clips. Work out which trim clips are not re-usable (e.g. plastic pop-rivets) and make sure you buy enough of those. Check youtube for model specific videos.
It took me and the owner of the car about 2 full days (i.e. 4 person days) to unwrap it - learning as we went. Most of the time was spent either researching how to remove various items, or contorting ourselves to reach awkward bolts to remove bumpers etc.
When my vw up! had its advertising wrap removed i had the choice of paying the company that fitted it or remove myself. It was pretty straightforward, a hairdryer on low setting (keeping it moving) , and slowly peeling off. I used some of autoglyms tar spot remover for any sticky spots on paintwork.
As said if you bought it wrapped then expect to find something that may have been hidden.
My experience of removing a wrap was on a car I bought with the bonnet wrapped. I understand wraps can last up to 5 years but where I was keeping the car outside and the previous owner garaged it, it perished in the first hot spell after buying and the carbon pattern started to separate so I decided to remove it.
Now I'm not sure if it was because the wrap was old (applied in 2007ish) and been on the car too long but it was a nightmare. It didn't want to peel, it wanted to break into thousands of tiny pieces and left the glue behind. When it took the lacquer with it I had get a bodyshop to remove it along with the glue and repaint the bonnet. It's entirely possible it's the age of the wrap but I have heard similar stories. I'm sure if you remove them after a couple of years you get that experience of simply peeling them off with some heat but seems the glue separates and stays on the bodywork if you're unlucky. Removing that is a challenge.
I'd perhaps trust original paint to handle a wrap and be removed fine, a repaired panel I'm not so confident with. Given the choice based on that experience I'd never want another wrapped car.
My experience of removing a wrap was on a car I bought with the bonnet wrapped. I understand wraps can last up to 5 years but where I was keeping the car outside and the previous owner garaged it, it perished in the first hot spell after buying and the carbon pattern started to separate so I decided to remove it.
Now I'm not sure if it was because the wrap was old (applied in 2007ish) and been on the car too long but it was a nightmare. It didn't want to peel, it wanted to break into thousands of tiny pieces and left the glue behind. When it took the lacquer with it I had get a bodyshop to remove it along with the glue and repaint the bonnet. It's entirely possible it's the age of the wrap but I have heard similar stories. I'm sure if you remove them after a couple of years you get that experience of simply peeling them off with some heat but seems the glue separates and stays on the bodywork if you're unlucky. Removing that is a challenge.
I'd perhaps trust original paint to handle a wrap and be removed fine, a repaired panel I'm not so confident with. Given the choice based on that experience I'd never want another wrapped car.
I've unwrapped a car using a heat gun. Very easy to do but worth taking your time. I had a wing that needed respayed after taking it off but i already knew this as it was me that got the car wrapped in the first place.
Worst decision i ever made was getting the car wrapped. It was a black car and i was fed up seeing and trying to cover up scratches so i got the car done in white. Guys done a great job and looked fantastic at first. Then came the stone chips which showed as black and the fading of the white turning yellow after about 3 months. Never again.
Worst decision i ever made was getting the car wrapped. It was a black car and i was fed up seeing and trying to cover up scratches so i got the car done in white. Guys done a great job and looked fantastic at first. Then came the stone chips which showed as black and the fading of the white turning yellow after about 3 months. Never again.
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