Thinking about getting a wrap

[parabolica]

Paint on my 2003 3.0 has seen better days, especially as a truck decided to kiss the near side of the car 2 weeks ago; although most of the damage t-cutted out, there are still some scratches, plus my second-hand replacement rear wing has faded/flattened paint (knew this when I bought it but thought it would polish up, which it didn't but not all that well) and the side skirt under the door has historical scratches and botched paint repair on it (before I bought it). I don't think a detailer/paint corrector would touch it and if they did, for the expected cost I could probably get the whole thing wrapped. I'm not talking anything crazy/garish; I'd probably keep the original colour so I don't have to update DVLA etc.

Has anyone had their car wrapped? Thoughts/opinions/did you regret it? Also if anyone has any recommendations in the London/Surrey/Kent area, I'm all ears!

 

[Joycey]

I've had a car wrapped in the past and also done a bit of wrapping. I quite like wrapping because you can change the colour to something unique and have fun with it, it also hides a lot of sins. You'll find some places will charge as much as a respray so hunt around for good rates. You'll find its anything from £300 - £600 for just the wrap depending on company and quality (3M or Hexis etc) And in total anything between £1500 - £2500 depending on who does the wrapping.

I wrapped my old Z3M and although it looked great when it came to removing it 4 years later it took the paint off the front and rear bumpers. So expect that to happen.

That's my little insight

 

[IRD]

I don’t know a lot about wrapping but my understanding from what I have read on this Forum is that often paint imperfections could well show through the wrap. You could do with someone recommending a company who will advise honestly about the suitability of your car for wrapping. It isn’t a cheap process especially if you are not happy with the outcome. Good luck with your research.

 

[parabolica]

Thanks; when I say scratches, I don't mean huge gouges or broken body work; they are pretty fine i.e. wouldn't show up if you took a picture of them, but you can see them with the naked eye looking up close. Think I maybe need to get some quotes for all the various work to get an idea of what is best long term; paint correction, wrap or total respray. I like the idea of a wrap as it's pretty low maintenance and from what I understand, low-level damage/scratches are self-healing. I guess that might depend on the material used though.

 

[IRD]

Thanks; when I say scratches, I don't mean huge gouges or broken body work; they are pretty fine i.e. wouldn't show up if you took a picture of them, but you can see them with the naked eye looking up close. Think I maybe need to get some quotes for all the various work to get an idea of what is best long term; paint correction, wrap or total respray. I like the idea of a wrap as it's pretty low maintenance and from what I understand, low-level damage/scratches are self-healing. I guess that might depend on the material used though.

A good company will tell you if it will work well.

 

[metal licker]

One of our forum members has just set up a business doing this, he's a up north but might be worth a road trip - https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=103467#p1510133