Custom car wraps are all about flexibility and letting you spread your message, sometimes in a colorful and unforgettable way. To that point, Nascar fans have probably already seen those cool YouTube videos of a car wrap being stretched and positioned into place on a vehicle.
When it comes to car wraps that level of customization is no longer exclusively for the pros. Vinyl car wraps have become absolutely ubiquitous on the roads today: fleet vans and company vehicles of all shapes and sizes are getting the head-turning custom treatment.
But are car wraps really that much better than a custom paint job? That’s for you to decide but in terms of affordability, options, and the ability to quickly change things up there’s a strong case to be made for vinyl car wraps.
Car Wraps: Get Noticed on a Budget
A car wrap is sometimes called a second skin for your vehicle because these things are made out of vinyl and literally stretch to fit the exact dimensions of your car, van or truck.
When you’re ready to switch, concentrated heat and careful peeling can give you the blank canvas you need for another wrap. You might decide later, for instance, that you want to design a specialty car wrap with a carbon fiber texture, chrome finish, or brushed metal appearance.
- Figuring the Cost
A straight apples-to-applies cost comparison between car wraps and custom paint jobs is difficult because there are so many factors at play: the paint color, extra wrap textures, the quality of the paint, and the size of the car wraps.
Generally, though, the average cost of a car wrap (with professional installation and labor included) will still be significantly more affordable – sometimes twice as affordable – as giving a custom paint job to the same surface area.
The starting cost for partial vinyl var wraps can be well under $1,000. Typically, custom paint jobs start at twice that amount, so certainly in that sense a partial car wrap wins out.
A vinyl car wrap can be designed to cover one section of your car (e.g., the hood or side panels) or stretch the entire length of the vehicle. An adhesive-backed vinyl can be applied to your vehicle in as little as one day and vastly increase your exposure.
- Unique Car Wrap Options
Vinyl var wraps can be used to change the finish and color of your vehicle. Three-dimensional patterns and new alligator-skin 3-D effects are now affordable options because of advances in car wrap technology.
When it comes right down to it, car wraps are usually more affordable than a custom paint job. Not only that: A vinyl car wrap lets you change things up more affordably if your branding direction changes.
Another consideration is that, unlike a custom paint job, a professionally installed vinyl car wrap actually protects your paint rather than jeopardizes the resale value of your company vehicles.
When you go to resell one or all of your vehicles, you can simply have your vinyl wrap removed to reveal a vehicle which has had its paint protected for years.
Professionally installed wraps protect your underlying paint job against the elements and give you all of the benefits of a custom paint job without the hassles.
- Long-lasting Value
Vinyl car wraps also tend to last longer without needing to be touched up: the car wrap manufacturer 3M routinely provides 7 year warranties on their car wraps.
Five years isn’t an unreasonable amount of mileage to expect out of a professionally installed car wrap, and a full wrap could take only a day to professionally install. Contact us for more information.