How to wrap Z4 Coupe roof!
Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:31 pm
Hello all,
Here's my experience with wrapping my E86 roof in black. Difficult: 6/10
What you'll need:
- 1x BMW Z4 E86
- Vinyl wrap 3m x 1.52m - £35.89
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321614960363? ... EBIDX%3AIT
- Felt tipped squeegee - £1.90
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321508705192? ... EBIDX%3AIT
- Clay bar / clay mit - £10.94
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321803616839? ... EBIDX%3AIT
- Spray bottle filled with soapy water
- At least one helpful friend will make it considerably easier
- Heat gun / hair dryer
- Sharp craft knife
- Preferably a warm, dry day
Time to complete: 2-3 hours
1. Thoroughly clean & clay roof. I used a clay mitt for this (you can also get this exact one from Halfords). I highly recommend it. Make sure to lubricate with soapy water! Roof should feel perfectly smooth, like glass.
2. Lay vinyl over roof and secure half down with masking tape. I found it easier to do half at a time.
3. Peel back the un-fastened half of the sticky side of the wrap.
4. Thoroughly lubricate (with soapy water from your spray bottle) both the roof & sticky side of the wrap and then place vinyl onto roof.
5. Lubricate the top of the vinyl and methodically use the squeegee (felt side) to smooth the vinyl onto the roof (start from the middle!). The vinyl is virtually free to move on the roof, making it a lot easier to work with.
6. Use the squeegee to push out all the bubbles and create a smooth surface.
7. For creases: get a friend to pull the vinyl to smooth out the crease while you heat it up (with the gun until the vinyl appears to shrink), remove heat, smooth with squeegee. If you get a crease / bubble that you can't smooth out with this method, pull the vinyl up off the roof and lay back down with a bit of heat. Repeat two methods until perfect. Too much heat WILL damage the vinyl! So be careful. Only heat until it starts to shrink then remove heat straight away. 8. Get that half nice and smooth and try to smooth out the edges as much as possible. They don't have to be 100% perfect yet.
9. Repeat for 2nd half. 10. Using the craft knife, cut the vinyl along the front edge on the rubber strip. Cut about 5mm extra.
Here's my experience with wrapping my E86 roof in black. Difficult: 6/10
What you'll need:
- 1x BMW Z4 E86
- Vinyl wrap 3m x 1.52m - £35.89
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321614960363? ... EBIDX%3AIT
- Felt tipped squeegee - £1.90
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321508705192? ... EBIDX%3AIT
- Clay bar / clay mit - £10.94
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321803616839? ... EBIDX%3AIT
- Spray bottle filled with soapy water
- At least one helpful friend will make it considerably easier
- Heat gun / hair dryer
- Sharp craft knife
- Preferably a warm, dry day
Time to complete: 2-3 hours
1. Thoroughly clean & clay roof. I used a clay mitt for this (you can also get this exact one from Halfords). I highly recommend it. Make sure to lubricate with soapy water! Roof should feel perfectly smooth, like glass.
2. Lay vinyl over roof and secure half down with masking tape. I found it easier to do half at a time.
3. Peel back the un-fastened half of the sticky side of the wrap.
4. Thoroughly lubricate (with soapy water from your spray bottle) both the roof & sticky side of the wrap and then place vinyl onto roof.
5. Lubricate the top of the vinyl and methodically use the squeegee (felt side) to smooth the vinyl onto the roof (start from the middle!). The vinyl is virtually free to move on the roof, making it a lot easier to work with.
6. Use the squeegee to push out all the bubbles and create a smooth surface.
7. For creases: get a friend to pull the vinyl to smooth out the crease while you heat it up (with the gun until the vinyl appears to shrink), remove heat, smooth with squeegee. If you get a crease / bubble that you can't smooth out with this method, pull the vinyl up off the roof and lay back down with a bit of heat. Repeat two methods until perfect. Too much heat WILL damage the vinyl! So be careful. Only heat until it starts to shrink then remove heat straight away. 8. Get that half nice and smooth and try to smooth out the edges as much as possible. They don't have to be 100% perfect yet.
9. Repeat for 2nd half. 10. Using the craft knife, cut the vinyl along the front edge on the rubber strip. Cut about 5mm extra.