What is Vehicle Wrapping - Pros and Cons?

To Wrap or Not to Wrap, that is the Question

We live in an age of customization as the consumer endeavors to own a product that sets them apart from the crowd. One major area of customization is a vehicle – from seat covers to souped-up engines, the design potential is endless. Just as one example, check out some` cool truck wrap design ideas! Vehicle wrapping is something we’ll investigate today, and we’ll check out the possibilities, pros, and cons of this new trend.

What Is Vehicle Wrapping?

Put simply, vehicle wrapping is a method of changing your vehicle’s exterior look without the need for the more expensive and complicated paint job. Vehicle wrapping involves three key stages of design, production, and installation. Generally, a car wrap is a large graphic that you can apply to some, or all, of your vehicle’s surfaces. They are popular due to the ease with which you can change the vehicle’s whole look.

How Do You Wrap a Vehicle?

Wrapping a vehicle is a tricky and fiddly job, so if you’re not confident about doing it yourself it’s best left to the professionals. However, if you do fancy giving it a go, here are a few tips to get you going:

Find a friend. You’re going to need a second pair of hands to help with the application because some panels are long and difficult to hold and apply if you’re on your own.
Find a good space. You’ll need an indoor space to have some protection against the elements as battling wind and rain will only make things harder. Try and find an indoor location, like a garage, and you’ll find it a lot easier.

Find the right tools. Have a rubber-edged plastic blade handy so that you can swiftly smooth out the plastic and work out the air bubbles from under the wrap before it sticks to the vehicle.
Find the right surface. Ensure that the vehicle is thoroughly cleaned and dried before you start applying the wrap as any marks on the surface will cause an uneven finish.

Whether you’re thinking of getting the wrapping done professionally or doing it yourself, there are some pros and cons to consider before you make the leap. Let’s delve into the advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

Customisation – you can create unique designs that suit your tastes and created one of a kind looks that make you stand out from the crowd. Your vehicle is a blank canvas, and the creative potential is limitless.
Cost – a new paint job is a lot of money, so car wraps will save you some money. They’re not necessarily cheap, but they’re lot cheaper than a completely new paint job.
Protection – vinyl wrap offers a layer of protection over the vehicle’s original paintwork from small scratches. It also protects the underlying paint from UV rays because the paint isn’t directly exposed to sunlight.

Durable – a premium vinyl wrap can last from five to seven years so they really are more durable than you might think.

Also Read:

Top 5 Best Sound System for Car

Cons

Quality – as in most areas of life, you get what you pay for when it comes to vehicle wraps. If you go for cheaper option, the products will fade over time, the protection won’t be the same and some might even damage the original paintwork.

Maintenance – vehicle wraps need constant maintenance as they collect dust. Even if you opt for a premium vinyl, to make it last you need to care of your vehicle daily.
Legalities – you will need to inform your insurance company of the change to the vehicles look due to wrapping it. It can be a lot of hassle and a paperwork so if you’re just after a temporary change it might not be worth the trouble.
Condition – vehicle wraps will not work on damaged cars with dents or imperfections. The wrap won’t cover the scratches, but it might even make the damage worse when you take off the vinyl.

Vehicle Wraps for Businesses – Are They Worth the Investment?

A lot of people start to investigate vehicle wraps for the purpose of business, so are they worth the money? In the US today, vehicle advertising generates between thirty to seventy thousand daily vehicular impressions. Messages on mobile billboards like those of vinyl signs on vehicles have a 97% recall rate so it’s easy to see why it’s a good option for businesses, small and big. Wraps are not exclusively for large companies with vehicle fleets as is commonly misconceived. Mobile advertisements can level the playing field for small businesses and big companies and legitimise a small business to become locally recognised as a reliable provider.

How Much Will It Cost?

Obviously, the cost will depend on the size of the vehicle that you want to wrap, but the average cost typically spans between $1,500 to $3,000 including the design, printing, and installation. On the other hand, you will save some money as a vinyl wrap will last longer than a paint job and are undoubtedly more flexible and less permanent. If you opted for a paint job, to update the vehicle it would take a lot of work whereas with custom wraps, you can update the advertisements as often as you want.

How Can I Measure the Benefits?

As the return depends on the business, it’s hard to quantify what the return on investment is on average for car wraps. However, there are ways for you to measure your return once you’ve made the investment.

Create a new phone number to be advertised on the vehicle and keep track of the calls you get through that number.
Advertise a deal on the vehicles only and monitory the calls enquiring about that deal.
Set up a landing page on your website and only advertise the URL on the vehicle wrap.

One customer who tracked their sales and job leads reported that their sales jumped from $42,000 to an incredible $219,000 in just 10 months thanks to the wrapping on his vehicles.