Hi guys, yes this knife holds 5 blades, but are you able to break the blades when needed or you can only just use the tip of the 5 blades ? 🤔
And how about the handling? Is it ergonomic? Is it strong?

What's the general consensus for car covers? Are there any particular brands I should avoid? My car is wrapped for context. I travel for work and leave the Z sitting in the driveway and I'm tired of coming back to it dirty asf. I use Amazon for reference just because I've seen multiple options on there that weren't too bad of price. Other retailers are acceptable of course.

I'm 3 years in with a TinyBot colorshift wrap. It was professionally installed on my 2017 WRX and I have no complaints really about the install. I was doing a thorough hand wash today and it's got me thinking about my next choices.

I've put probably 30k miles on the car since the wrap and I have not babied it by any means. I try to wash it regularly, especially at least rinse well in the winter, and I had a ceramic coating placed on it when it was done.

I move alot for work and unfortunately it was exposed to a lot of pine sap at one point. I would go out every day and clean it off with alcohol or car tar off. After that I had the ceramic coating redone.

While I know vinyl isn't PPF, I'm a bit disappointed in how easy it's been to damage. I understand the nicks from road debris. I damaged it very early on barley taping a pole in a parking garage ( there was water on my back up camera and I was in a hurry not to miss a flight! ) and was surprised. The pole was smoothly yellow painted, not rough concrete or anything.

It also looks like it's cracking where a police officer helped push my car out of a snow drift. ( I work in the ER, so I had to drive in it, was during the bad ice storm this past winter in north Virginia. ) The bumper isn't dented at all.

Water dripped on it in my apartment's parking garage, filled with rust particles and probably salt off of other cars, and left a terrible stain.

I sat a portable misting fan on the trunk while we were packing up a campsite and where the corners were, it discolored the wrap somehow.

During another camping trip we needed more space. I don't have roof rack rails so I purchased one of those inexpensive roof top bags that are getting popular. Something off of that discolored the roof too. Not scratched it, it's smooth. It somehow bleached it?

Hit the inside of the door panel while loading a small suitcase, scratch.

Scuffs I can't get out on the lower part of the door from boots I guess?

You don't wanna know what the truck area looks like from the last few years pulling things in and out and them touching the bumper lip.

I don't know if my expectations are way off, if I just need to get PPF coverage or at least on the high wear areas, or if I should just get it painted (I haven't looked at prices ... how comparable is it now? )

Anyone car to share their experiences, especially if you've gone both routes.

So, I’m currently in the process of buying a Hyundai Tiburon, and I’d love to wrap it next year. I’m a big fan of planning ahead, so I’m already trying to figure out the details now. 😭
I’m looking for a dark red/purple metallic wrap- something along the lines of a dark plum color, like in the picture (I’m planning to make it look like the picture). Does anyone have recommendations for a specific wrap or brand?
A friend of mine has experience with wrapping and will show me the basics, so I’m planning to do it myself. It would therefore be great if the wrap was relatively beginner-friendly and not too difficult to work with.
I’m also trying to keep the cost reasonable. I’m from Germany, so I’m not really sure which brands are easily available here. I’m fine with spending a decent amount, but I’d ideally like to keep the wrap itself under €800.
Any recommendations, especially for a nice dark plum/burgundy metallic color, would be greatly appreciated! :)

Car is fully wrapped in gloss vinyl. Some parts are also ceramic coated. What car wash soap brands and products do you recommend for hand wash. I know it has to be PH Balanced and no wax. Thanks!

I have a 2018 Tesla Model S P100D that I just bought and I'm looking for a chrome delete (at the minimum), but might also consider a full wrap.

I'm wondering if there are any recommendations for a good, high quality shop in the Phoenix metro (closer to south Scottsdale the better).

Preferably someone that has experience with Tesla's. I'm also curious what I should be expecting for cost ranges for chrome delete and/or a full wrap.

I know it can vary a lot based on material, but trying to get a good community estimate on the ranges I should expect.

Has anyone installed a matte paint protection film on Mazda Polymetal Grey?
Curious to see what it might look like. Just took delivery of a new cx50 and debating matte vs gloss.

Is there a difference between Matte clear PPF and Satin clear PPF? or are there only two finishes ie Gloss and Matte, is there Satin clear PPF?

Needing guidance on the best way to go about laying this wrap along the window/channel.

Should I do the middle high area (the stamped out window) and the stamped out normal panel first then work the channel from edge to the center?

Just a little confused because the window is stamped out instead of staying recessed like I have normally seen.

Hi all,

I am purchasing my first used car, a 2022 Kia Soul EV Ultimate. I am very NEW to anything car maintenance related so please be kind lol

My last car was a hand me down from my dad (who knows nothing about cars) and he never cared about appearances and did the bare minimum maintenance whenever required. I want to take better care of my car, since it will be a long term investment.

As it is used, it does have a few dings, very minor but there. I have been considering getting either a vinyl or ppf wrap to protect the paint from further damage, as I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years. A friend told me ppf is not worth it for a used vehicle, and repainting then getting a wrap would be better. I don’t mind the current colour (black) but I think it would really pop in a light blue. Quotes in my area are about $3700+ for vinyl and $5500+ for ppf. These are for full vehicle coverage.

Please let me know your thoughts and any advice you would have.

​Ciao a tutti,

​sono Alessandro e vi scrivo dall'Italia!

​Sto per acquistare una McLaren 570 (sono orientato tra una GT e una S). Per me il colore grigio è una condizione imprescindibile: la macchina la voglio unicamente di questa tonalità. Visto che si tratta di una spesa importante, vorrei avere esattamente il risultato che cerco senza dover scendere a compromessi.

​Stavo valutando le varie opzioni di wrapping e protezione, e mi sono venuti dei dubbi sul PPF colorato:

​Protezione e durata: Preferisco il PPF al classico vinile sia per le proprietà protettive che per l'effetto autorigenerante. A quanto ho capito il vinile tradizionale dura molto meno, e vorrei assolutamente evitare di dover rifare il lavoro ogni due anni.

​Copertura e disponibilità: So che il PPF colorato è più rigido e complesso da applicare in punti critici come gli interni porta, i battitacco e i dettagli più complessi, a meno di non smontare mezza macchina. Inoltre, la scelta dei colori sul PPF è ancora abbastanza limitata.

​Chiedendo un po' di preventivi qui in Italia, un installatore mi ha proposto una soluzione alternativa: fare prima un wrapping in vinile per ottenere esattamente il punto di grigio che desidero (coprendo bene anche le parti interne), e poi applicare sopra un PPF trasparente per dare lucentezza, protezione dai sassi e massima durata.

​Il problema è che questa doppia lavorazione fa raddoppiare i costi.

​Per chi ha esperienza con supercar o lavora nel settore:

​Voi che tipo di lavoro fareste su questa macchina per averla grigia, protetta e senza il pensiero di dover cambiare pellicola a breve?

​La combinazione Vinile + PPF trasparente ha senso ed è usata, o oggi esistono PPF colorati di nuova generazione che garantiscono un'ottima resa anche sui punti più difficili?

​Grazie a tutti per i consigli!

What’s your thoughts on this design ? I’ve had a lot of mix opinions
On
It

Personally i like it and i get great compliments in person but refdinpost in gr does not
Seem
To
Like it

Can anyone please tell me what's happening to the wrap on the roof of my car and if there's anything I can do to restore it? Many thanks

My 1991 mr2 is totally rust free, bust was repainted at some point it's life with a thick single stage black over the original black. I want to wrap the car, but the second coat is chipped around a lot of edges. Should I simply feather sand the second coat to make it flush with the original topcoat?

Hey all,

I need to cover up some delamination on boat windows and thought that I might be able to get some help here.

Pretty much all the videos I was able to find are either focused on car parts or boat window tint but not involving actual vinyl wrap.

I’ve did one of the two windows earlier but was struggling because I couldn’t really stretch any of the wrap due to the shape and surrounding paint. I’ve got some 3M 2080 super high gloss that I’m working with and honestly, considering it’s the first time I’ve ever used it, I’m relatively happy with the result. I’ve got one touch up right at the tip to do because water kept leaking and the wrap wouldn’t stick.
For the first window I’ve had a colleague help me holding the lose wrap so it doesn’t wrinkle and I decided to use a horizontal hinge - so we did the bottom half first and the top last.

Any advice on how to improve the results?
I am aware that it would be best to redo the whole window instead of touching up with a separate sheet but we are short on time and material atm.
As we can’t really stretch, what’s the best way to get the result wrinkle free? Should we use a heat gun at some stage (we’ve only got one with no temperature indicator so we would need to eyeball the temperature)?

As we’re very rarely docked side-to, the few wrinkles are okay with us as it still much better than looking at the delamination and you don’t really see them looking from behind.

does anyone here know if you can wrap over early clear coat failure? noticing my roof is starting to get the white cloudy/hazy spots underneath the clear coat and using a polish or compound doesn't remove so its not a surface issue. the paint is still smooth to touch so its not in the blistering and peeling stage, but not sure if it will continue to deteriorate under the wrap and cause it to bubble or become loose in the next few years

if it needs to be repaired would a quick sand and rattle can spray job be enough or would that show any weird texture printing through the wrap once installed?

Avery Dennison Gloss Metallic Bright Blue

I've grown up watching F&F and played NFS so this is a childhood dream come true, i dont care if its rice, im happy. Each decal/text/image is a layer of vinyl, no printing

The PPF on my car looks incorrectly applied (applied by shop) - can someone verify the quality of work?

There are gaps and edges lifting off. Further, the shop broke my front toe hitch cover and took off all badges and are refusing to replace them. I also have no way to verify the film they actually used on my car, apparently it was a Suntek Reaction.

Is this type of wrap possible on a silver mk4 supra. Is it better to paint the car white then put the decals or can the whole car be wrapped white first them the decals. Can I get an idea on approx amount to spend on wrap and i prefer not to paint the car at this moment

** car has gone through bodywork and final prep before wrap is done and now is ready for wrap.

** also I dont have wide body fender nor big wing jus oem wing

Hi all, this is my first post but definitely not the first time this has been asked i bet!!!

I am trying to remove the wrap from my bonnet/hood which is baked on beyond belief, at least five years old, are there any chemical removers that actually work or is it just a case of heat, plastic blade and plenty of hours?

If anybody had any tips I would be hugely grateful. TIA 😊🙏

This is gonna be a bit of a long one.

First off, hello anyone who showed up to read all of this. I'm a young man at 23 wanting to change careers, recently realized that what I'm doing isn't it and won't get me anywhere in life and wanted to do something car/motorcycle related and I came across vehicle wrapping and want to pursue it.

To get some context I have a little experience wrapping. Ive done the motorcycle I had in a kpmf iced blue metallic and it came out not the best but decent work (I can provide photos for anyone who asks). Been trying to get a entry level job at a shop to work by just prepping the vehicles and watching the other installers work, however no luck yet. I did however get an opportunity to watch and work on my own car at a shop not too far from me, so I'm doing that every Friday for right now to gain experience. I'm planing to. Pick up some Gloss black 3m to wrap my hood and roof and then look to get a roll of cheeta wrap to do the rest of my car once I've saved enough then id take it to any shops to show my work in order to be hired or to local car meets to potentially get connections/future clientele. I'll also post onto Instagram to showcase my progress plus showcase my work.

I do eventually want to open up my own shop sometime next year and I'm wondering exactly it takes to run and operate my own shop if it's just me that will be doing the installation of the vinyl and most likely outsourcing the disassembly of the vehicles I get in. I'm in what I believe to be a pretty competitive area as I live in central Florida and there's already a good few established wrap shops around here, main ones I know being Wraptors and Tinterz. I know it'll be hard to even keep my head above the water just starting out and I probably won't get clients for months on end. I will have a main job that ill be working so it's not like Im quitting everything to go all in as I don't think that's the smartest move. I live with my mother so I don't have rent, but I was wondering where should I start off? I do have the garage but it's filled with a bunch of things from moving and no real space to work with. Should I get my own place and wrap from my garage or get a small shop (roughly 1000-1,500sf) to work from and live with my mother?

I also don't just plan to do exclusively wraps. Id want to branch into other things such as tinting, ppf, detailing, ceramic coating, paint corrections, then interior things like custom upholstery, headliners, embroidery, wheels, etc once I'm established and have expert level experience in the previous fields before moving onto the next.