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The Risks And Problems Presented By DIY Car Wrapping

Writer's picture: Ollie BrownOllie Brown

If you want to give your car a new look, vehicle wrapping is one of the very best ways to do it. Instead of a complex new paint job, you can fit it with a whole new livery that is as simple or as intricate as you like.


A question that may be asked of the process is that of who does the job. Should it be left to the experts like ourselves, or can it be done on a DIY basis?


This is not unlike the way some people handle other car matters. While many folk would think nothing of letting the mechanic tackle any issue their motor has, some petrolheads will happily spend half their weekend under the chassis with their big toolbox in use.


It is true that someone with sufficient skills could have a go at DIY wrapping. Indeed, across the Atlantic, US Autos has produced a feature on the ‘best DIY wraps’, claiming that the main benefit of this is that the cost is lower and the best designs are not always available from the wrapping centres that can do the job.


However, all this can come back to the old saying: just because you can do something does not necessarily mean you should. After all, the best-looking wrap and the biggest cost saving can be squandered if the job of applying it goes wrong.


Even some of the how-to instruction guides inadvertently hint at this. For example, Turtle Wax gives a long list of instructions on how to do the job.


These include fixing scratches, dents and bumps on your car first, cleaning it thoroughly, having the garage at the right temperature, careful measurements, and delicate operations to deal with tricky bits, like curves. All these are technically sound pieces of instruction, but betray the fact that there is a lot that can go pear-shaped.


Indeed, car blogger Jan-Lucas Ganssuage writes of many things that can go wrong in DIY wrapping jobs, from using the wrong vinyl to failing to clean the car properly and not applying the correct level of post-wrap heating.


Some folk might read all that and decide they are still confident enough to have a go at doing the job themselves. Others might conclude that an investment like this should be put in the safe hands of those who are the very best at it.


Indeed, considering the process we use in car wrapping is so extensive, it is clear that a DIY job carried out with the level of detail, care and effort we use would be extremely hard to replicate.


We don’t just clean the car thoroughly and have a temperature-controlled environment; we even partially dismantle the vehicle to ensure the wrap is applied correctly in every nook and cranny, rather than awkwardly squeezed into those difficult-to-reach corners.


The result is a smooth and attractive look every single time. Some people just might be able to achieve that with DIY work, but it is unlikely to be very many - and even those who have might only have done so after multiple failures.


For these reasons, it really does make sense to let the experts do the classiest of jobs and provide the best results.


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