Vehicle Wraps

Quality cast vinyl, applied correctly and removed with the proper technique, does not damage the original paint. It can even protect it from scratches and sun. Application and removal workmanship quality is what matters here.

Vinyl lifespan varies with the material class, whether it is laminated, whether the vehicle is parked outside or in a garage, and the climate. Three classes are in use. Monomeric vinyl is the economy option and lasts 1 to 2 years, which is enough for flat panels and short campaigns, though it lifts early on recessed surfaces. Polymeric vinyl is the standard for commercial fleets and gives 3 to 5 years, holding well on gently curved panels. Cast vinyl is the most durable and goes beyond 5 to 7 years, staying free of cracking and fading even over deep channels and rivets. Adding a laminate extends both colour stability and lifespan further.

We do both. In fleet wrapping every vehicle is wrapped in the same design language. Planning it in one go gives both visual consistency and a cost advantage.

Businesses whose vehicles are already on the road. Haulage and courier firms, auto services, florists and anyone making deliveries drive through the city all day. Branding for haulage and courier vehicles is the work we do most, because those vehicles pass through dozens of neighbourhoods a day. Rather than travelling blank, that vehicle can carry advertising. The same design language is used on a single vehicle and on a fleet, otherwise the vehicles do not read as belonging to one brand.

Once the design is approved, a single vehicle usually takes a day, varying with workload. For a fleet we plan around the number of vehicles. The time really depends on the area being covered. A commercial vehicle with lettering on its side panels is not the same job as a vehicle wrapped completely. We give an exact time after seeing the vehicle.

The two are made differently and that decides lifespan directly. Cast vinyl is poured in liquid form and cured, leaving no tension inside it, so it settles onto curved surfaces and does not shrink back over time. Calendered vinyl is thinned by passing through rollers, retains tension, and wants to pull back in heat. On flat surfaces and short-term work calendered is enough and costs less. On curved bodywork, and where long life is expected, cast is needed. We write which one we are using into the quote, because the difference does not show on day one.

Purpose decides as much as budget. Lettering and a logo alone is the most economical option and enough for most commercial vehicles, since the real job is getting the business name read. A partial wrap covers the lower body or one section, giving the vehicle coherence while staying under the cost of a full wrap. A full wrap changes the colour of the vehicle entirely and gives the strongest visual effect. We use this test. If your vehicle is already in your brand colour, lettering is enough. If it is not, a partial or full wrap is worth considering.

It can be changed, and the method has several advantages over paint. Vinyl can be removed, so the vehicle returns to its original colour, which helps at resale because the factory paint is preserved. Painting cannot be undone. On the choice side vinyl is broad, with matt, satin and textured options. Our one caution concerns the registration document. Where the colour of the vehicle would differ from the one recorded, the relevant regulations have to be checked. That is not our field of expertise and we would rather tell you so.

The quality of the work shows exactly at these points. Door handles are removed, the vinyl is folded underneath and the handles are refitted. Where nothing is removed the vinyl is cut around the handle and that cut lifts in time. The curves around headlights and bumpers are where vinyl is stressed most, and heat forming is needed there. Panel gaps are pressed in as well, otherwise the vinyl bridges the gap and splits at the car wash. These details affect the price, but they are what decides how the vehicle looks a year later.

They will, because we produce a template on the first job. The template records which text sits on which panel and at what size. A new vehicle bought six months later gets it applied directly if it is the same model. If it is a different model the template is adapted to it while the design language stays intact. Fleets run without a template end up like this. Every vehicle comes out slightly different, the lettering sits at different heights, and side by side they do not read as one brand. That lowers the value of the fleet investment directly.

Materials and workmanship are considered separately. Vinyl manufacturers state an outdoor life for their own products and we write which product we used into the quote. On the workmanship side, we put right anything caused by the application, such as bubbling or edges lifting. What falls outside is equally clear. Accidents, scratches, holding a pressure washer against an edge, and leaving the vehicle parked under trees for long periods are external factors. We say all of this up front so there is no argument later.