[ElEmEnT EcStAcY]

Hey everyone! So I was up pretty late last night working on some vinyl wrap for my E.....I've been wanting to do this mod for a long time now.....I've seen several other SC's with this done before, just not sure what materials they used ( i assumed they got it done at a body shop). I got a few estimates from several body shops and it was way too expensive to get this done. I decided to go to this Graphtech in Daly City and buy some vinyl instead. The materials ended up costing me $46. I have to admit that vinyl wraping is very difficult :-( I ended up wasting 1/2 of the material that bought :-(.....well after about an hour of repeated failures, I ended up figuring out the right technique. After all was said and done, I only had enough vinyl to do the driver's side....but I'm freakin stoked! I love the way that it came out! Here's a few pics:

 

[Jojo]

I like it! Good job!

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[scorsone]

Looks nice with the silver SC. Any sign shop can sell you the vinyl and pre-tape it for you. For not much more they will install it for you. While you wait even.

 

[juice]

Looks real good! I did this to my ASM as well a month ago...

I measured and made some patterns before attempting this. I first did the passenger side as I wanted this side to be my trial and error side rather than the driver's side. Don't know why but I did it that way..haha!

I'm already wanting to redo mine as now I've done it and know how to make it better and easier.

Mine looks similar to yours except for your painted side mirrors, and you have no vent visors like mine. I'll post pics up as soon as I get the camera from the wifey!

 

[rymo926]

nice job don, very nice. I should come by and check it out in person.

 

[bloateus]

vinyl wrap your whole car for 120.00


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[ElEmEnT EcStAcY]

Wow! That guy must have some major skills....personally I think that applying big pieces is probably easier in the long run....or maybee i'm just terrible at vinyl wrapping...or both...lol anyways.....I decided to do it my self, because the graphics shop around here quoted me for $250 to do the job. I figured a diy @ 1/5 of that price seems more reasonable.....if anyone has got suggestions on shops that do great work at a descent price let me know please. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Willing to go on a quick drive, but not a journey. Thanks!

 

[ElEmEnT EcStAcY]

Hey Rymo....i'm doing the passenger side in a few minutes....what I don't finish tonight, i'll be doing at the shop tomorrow....swing by if you have a chance dood!

 

[ElEmEnT EcStAcY]

ok....so i ended up staying awake much later than i should have doing the passenger side :roll: I think I'm going to do the driver's side again this weekend. Now that I have the technique down, the passenger side looks way better :grin:

 

[Eww-an E]

Looks good,I like it. 8)

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

Great...! Now, you can do MINE...!!! Big D in Da House...!!! LOL!!!

LBD

 

[elle717]

how hard was it to do the side mirrors

 

[E_BikeR]

That looks really nice. I did my EX-P a while back and the right kind on vinyl for automotive installs holds up very well.... even in black. There is a matte version of the black that matches the black plastic cladding really closely too.... SEEN HERE

My old vinyl install

Keep up the good work!

 

[ST_Element]

I would love to matte black my E! I might have to give this a try.

 

[ST_Element]

Also my question is how long will something like this last though? Ive been cutting vinyl stickers for about a year now and Ive experimented with all types of material and in my expereince the cheap vinyl just doesnt last very long on small designs, much less an entire car.

 

[scorsone]

no, a good automotive grade vinyl will last 5-10 years depending on many factors cheap indoor vinyl will last a year or two outside in the elements.

It is worth the extra few bucks to go with premium vinyl or even a 3M ControlTac vinyl. It is also easier to work with.;-)

 

[ST_Element]

I found this:

http://getcarbonfiber.com/matte-flat-black-vinyl-wrap-film/

Says that the vinyl is good for up to 5yrs outside. Hmm...

Also if anyone else finds a better site, let me know. Im seriously considering doing the entire Element in matte black. Im a graphics student as well, so I may be able to talk one of my instructors who used to do body wraps to use it as a class experiment and get some true hands on training for my portfolio too!

 

[scorsone]

the E is pretty wrap friendly. All of the lines are simple and there are now heavy creases or curves to work into. The hardest part would be the roof.

 

[ST_Element]

the E is pretty wrap friendly. All of the lines are simple and there are now heavy creases or curves to work into. The hardest part would be the roof.

And I imagine that a heat gun would pretty much take care of the rakes up there.

 

[scorsone]

Exactly, they are really pretty smooth in the world of vehicle wraps so a little heat will allow the vinyl to stretch in to the folds. Just make sure the vehicle is super clean and not freshly waxed!!!

You will wan to remove all of the taillights and door handles if you really want a good wrap. if you can't remove it make sure you clean inside of the crease as best as you possibly can. Any dirt will cause problems with the vinyl adhering in the long run. Luckily the E has panels that are sized to allow solid sheets of vinyl to cover them and not have to tile/seem anything.