# Car Wraps **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [March 17, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637 "2014-03-17T18:37:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSEnclosures](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jsenclosures/32/6678_2.png) [@JSEnclosures](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JSEnclosures)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 10:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/21 "2014-03-19T10:47:37Z")
a wrap will cost you about as much as paint and look like shit in a few months when all the little edges start to peel. go with paint ---
**Author:** ![stuiephoto](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/stuiephoto/32/6070_2.png) [@stuiephoto](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/stuiephoto)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 11:20am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/22 "2014-03-19T11:20:34Z")
> [@KrazyKid](#): > > no > > and no. Videos and camera shots from 15 feet away can make a turd shine. That stuff lays out like shit, even from a gun, is thick as hell and doesnt leave nice mask lines at trim and gaskets, i can go on for hours. its a total cob job imo. If it floats your boat good for you, from somone who apprecieates quality, it sucks. It chips/pulls easily, cant be touched up/blended out to recover the defect. should I continue? > > define shot and what car. More importantly whats your budget, and at the top of your want list… whats your expectations on the finish. I could paint a car for $1200, or $12000+. Dont get me wrong, I am not saying plasti-dip is an alternative to a quality paint job, but it is a great budget alternative for someone who might not care about having a sub 10 foot car. Plastidip has come a long was just in the past year. Lays on like shit? Looks pretty smooth to me. [![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/b/7/b7d80cb85f43eaeb941d0b1f75efb45aa09743a6.jpeg "Gloss White Plasti Dip - Glossifier over whole car") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovHo3BdAQjM&t=4m2s) Shitty mask lines? [![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/e/2e657e54f81da862347582d40e30d419c449bb3b.jpeg "PlastiDip - Masking, Lines and Stripes on Your Car - How to PlastiDip in Sections") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kBWaSDmj0g&t=3m17s) Chipping? Paint chips too. If you get damage, peel that panel and spray it again. Its just like paint in that you need to apply it correctly and prep correctly ---
**Author:** ![Brenden54](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Brenden54](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Brenden54)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 11:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/23 "2014-03-19T11:25:04Z")
Wrap = waste of time and money, lots of it. Im a tinter and inabsolutely hate wrap. You want your car to look good. Get it painted. Leave wrap to the rich guys with lambos… Sent from my LG-P925g using Tapatalk 2 ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/24 "2014-03-19T11:40:45Z")
@38stang before you do any of this at least have @DetailWNY take a look and see what he can do with the paint you have. ---
**Author:** ![slwrthnu](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/slwrthnu/32/6296_2.png) [@slwrthnu](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/slwrthnu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/25 "2014-03-19T12:16:08Z")
paint\>wrap\>plastidip theres a reason why plastidip is the cheapest, it looks like crap in person. it’s great if you really don’t care what the car looks like. wraps are cool if you have money to spend and like to change colors frequently. paint if your looking to do it once and do it right. ---
**Author:** ![buffalo\_vr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@buffalo\_vr4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/buffalo_vr4)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/26 "2014-03-19T12:43:35Z")
i think wrap is a lot affordable than actual paint job. you can get the whole kit for around $250 [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Entire-Car-Wrap-Auto-Mirror-Chrome-Green-Vinyl-Sheet-Sticker-Film-50ft-x-5ft-/111254413336?pt=Motors\_Car\_Truck\_Parts\_Accessories&hash=item19e747a018&vxp=mtr](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Entire-Car-Wrap-Auto-Mirror-Chrome-Green-Vinyl-Sheet-Sticker-Film-50ft-x-5ft-/111254413336?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19e747a018&vxp=mtr) I feel like it’s very manageable for the warp. get a few buddies and practice on a few panels first. ---
**Author:** ![\_x1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/_x1/32/5108_2.png) [@\_x1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/_x1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 12:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/27 "2014-03-19T12:44:46Z")
> [@drewster99](#): > > Don’t call Nick Pearl. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![drewster99](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/drewster99/32/5468_2.png) [@drewster99](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drewster99)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/28 "2014-03-19T12:50:14Z")
> [@)><(((x>;4591722](#): > > Why not? Short version: Years ago a friend of mine paid him a TON to WRAP his racing fairings for his bike, Nick said they would be done in a few days. Every day he called, Nick told him there were some tricky areas and he just wanted to get it right. After a couple weeks, my friend finally went to pick up his fairings, and they were SPRAY PAINTED. He basically said “sorry dude, couldn’t get the vinyl to work on this,” and told my friend to get off his property. Wouldn’t want that to happen to a car. ---
**Author:** ![38stang](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/38stang/32/7479_2.png) [@38stang](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/38stang)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/29 "2014-03-19T13:27:18Z")
> [@Onyx Z32](#): > > @38stang before you do any of this at least have @DetailWNY take a look and see what he can do with the paint you have. Will do man, thanks. Looks like wrapping is out. I’d consider plastic dip if I get bored but ill most likely have it painted some some day. Pay to play I guess. Just not an appearance guy and its hard to justify the labor rates people charge to paint. My car have been about what it does first more than how it looks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![KrazyKid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/krazykid/32/6371_2.png) [@KrazyKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/KrazyKid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/30 "2014-03-19T13:59:14Z")
> [@buffalo\_vr4](#): > > i think wrap is a lot affordable than actual paint job. you can get the whole kit for around $250 [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Entire-Car-Wrap-Auto-Mirror-Chrome-Green-Vinyl-Sheet-Sticker-Film-50ft-x-5ft-/111254413336?pt=Motors\_Car\_Truck\_Parts\_Accessories&hash=item19e747a018&vxp=mtr](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Entire-Car-Wrap-Auto-Mirror-Chrome-Green-Vinyl-Sheet-Sticker-Film-50ft-x-5ft-/111254413336?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19e747a018&vxp=mtr) > > I feel like it’s very manageable for the warp. get a few buddies and practice on a few panels first. Go try to cover a basketball with a piece of paper and let me know how well that turns out. Then add glue to the mix. Yeah a heat gun helps, until ya fuck up and melt it then your trying again. Or squeegee an air bubble smack in the middle of a panel and its surrounded with dried glue so you cant push it to an edge. Materials are cheap. Hell I can put $250 on the table and get enough base/clear to respray a car… the JOB will still cost you $1-2k if you dont want it to look like utter shit. And again… when you get sick of the wrap have fun peeling it off. The glue it leaves behind is the worst stuff on the planet to deal with, even with grease/wax remover you use for paint prep hardly touches it. And thats AFTER you spend years peeling the shit off, and it doesnt come off in big pieces either! Leave it to the busses and billboards man… the last one I took on at my shop was an enclosed trailer they wanted it peeled off and painted… $3k was the price, 3 guys had 25 man hours JUST in peeling and removing glue! I lost my ASS on that and wont do it again. > [@drewster99](#): > > Short version: Years ago a friend of mine paid him a TON to WRAP his racing fairings for his bike, Nick said they would be done in a few days. Every day he called, Nick told him there were some tricky areas and he just wanted to get it right. After a couple weeks, my friend finally went to pick up his fairings, and they were SPRAY PAINTED. He basically said “sorry dude, couldn’t get the vinyl to work on this,” and told my friend to get off his property. > > Wouldn’t want that to happen to a car. Sounds like the guy who brought me a bike tin set to paint, brought it initally to a dude to do for “cheap”. sat there for a month, finally went over and was going to take it back, dude said he would do it that night. Next day he comes to get them, was a paint by number flame job, that looked like it was rattle canned, tiger striped, utter shit. Dude grabbed them and walked away, paint guy said “hey man you owe me $200 for trying”… hahahah so the “you owe me xxx$ for trying thing stuck and we use it all the time joking around” lol > [@stuiephoto](#): > > Dont get me wrong, I am not saying plasti-dip is an alternative to a quality paint job, but it is a great budget alternative for someone who might not care about having a sub 10 foot car. > > Plastidip has come a long was just in the past year. > > Lays on like shit? Looks pretty smooth to me. > [http://youtu.be/ovHo3BdAQjM?t=4m2s](http://youtu.be/ovHo3BdAQjM?t=4m2s) > > Shitty mask lines? > [http://youtu.be/2kBWaSDmj0g?t=3m17s](http://youtu.be/2kBWaSDmj0g?t=3m17s) > > Chipping? Paint chips too. If you get damage, peel that panel and spray it again. > > Its just like paint in that you need to apply it correctly and prep correctly Again, camera tricks. How many have you see in person? I hate buffing man, if I could plastidip cars and make a living doing it AND be proud of my work ill put my base/clear guns in the trash and just sling some plastic shit. Here is an example. This is one of the few bottom of the barrel full paint jobs we did at my shop. IRC this was around $2k including body work, no metal work just a cheap “cave and pave” type job to meet a price point for the young kid. quick cut and buff but its still going to have a few fisheyes and dirts in it here or there, gaskets not pulled, etc, everything masked, nason base and keystone overall clear. ![http://i61.tinypic.com/30253jb.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) ![http://i58.tinypic.com/294np69.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) ![http://i60.tinypic.com/24cwp54.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) ![http://i58.tinypic.com/dn0dmp.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) Camera hides alot doenst it. I could walk around that car and pick out every little flaw, and my honest grade on the car itself would be a 6-10. Simply because to hit a price point alot cant be done time is money; blocking the entire car out, slick sand primer, blocking again, higher end materials and clear, blocking the clear, reclearing, blocking again, then buffing, etc. what was done on this car as you can see behind the honda in one pic up there. this is a $5k job and it shows. ![http://i58.tinypic.com/2w4k9wl.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) When you can read the serial numbers on the payment in the paint, you did something right. ![http://i60.tinypic.com/210c6wy.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) and here is the tank that the “pay me for trying” deal came from. He decided to ditch the flames and go flakenasty. Again, flawless and you can see people walking up as I took the pic. IRC that tank and 2 fenders was a $5-600 job. so its not crazy to get show winning results on a budget, it just needs to be done right and you cant have unreasonable expectations. ![http://i60.tinypic.com/sy8ci0.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/2/f/2f0984456f8dd47c5beb0a68b72c3d6cf62ef2aa.jpeg) - - - Updated - - - labor rate is $55 an hr nys state MAX for body work. its the HOURS it takes to cary out quality work that makes the bill so high. Materials can get crazy too. I shot stuff thats $28 a pint up to $360 a pint X 2 for pearl tricoats ($720 in base coat alone, just enough to cover a hood and blend out 2 fenders). Like i said initially what is your budget and more importantly what are your REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ON THE OUTCOME. > [@38stang](#): > > Will do man, thanks. > > Looks like wrapping is out. I’d consider plastic dip if I get bored but ill most likely have it painted some some day. Pay to play I guess. Just not an appearance guy and its hard to justify the labor rates people charge to paint. My car have been about what it does first more than how it looks. > > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![stuiephoto](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/stuiephoto/32/6070_2.png) [@stuiephoto](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/stuiephoto)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/31 "2014-03-19T21:00:56Z")
@38stang I am getting my track car dipped in the beginning of April. I can swing by for you to check it out if you’d like. This is the color I have chosen. [ATTACH=CONFIG]32014[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]32015[/ATTACH] ---
**Author:** ![Choda](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/choda/32/7347_2.png) [@Choda](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Choda)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/32 "2014-03-20T19:17:12Z")
Solid post krazykid. :tup: ---
**Author:** ![02NismoSpecV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/0/74df32/32.png) [@02NismoSpecV](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/02NismoSpecV)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/33 "2014-03-21T05:52:46Z")
i plan on buying a few roles of vinyl and trimming cutting my own design when it comes time to make the track car look nice. sure i could do bodywork and mask lines and peel and tape but im not looking to spend a fortune. and i dont have and crazy lines and shapes i really have to cover ---
**Author:** ![Choda](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/choda/32/7347_2.png) [@Choda](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Choda)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/34 "2014-03-21T06:28:58Z")
38stang how bad is your current paint? I dont remember seeing any rust holes or big dents/scratches… Might be worth having it painted. ---
**Author:** ![Mike93](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mike93/32/7325_2.png) [@Mike93](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mike93)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/35 "2014-03-21T06:45:44Z")
If you’ve got the time to strip the car down (lights, trim, badges, etc.) and there’s pretty clean body work I’d imagine to have it resprayed wouldn’t completely break the bank. ---
**Author:** ![KrazyKid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/krazykid/32/6371_2.png) [@KrazyKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/KrazyKid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 10:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/36 "2014-03-21T10:12:44Z")
If its a “scuff n shoot” job its not that bad. Body work takes up alot of time and materials. If there arent dents, creases from hard hits, rust that require patch work, etc then it can just be cleaned, wiped with wax and grease remover, pull trim, lights, etc on the outside, scuffed and masked. You dont even need to paint jambs you can use jamb masking (a sticky 1/2" dia foam roll of sorts that you close the door into the jamb) which allows for slight overspray both base and clear to blend into the existing jamb paint to save money on alot more labor/materials. Even if there are a few tiny dings you dont care about leaving you can just scuff over them and let them stay. Heck if the clear is just shitty on the existing paint, you can DA that, just blend a little base into panels that you burn through on and reclear the car. there are ALOT of things you can do. You need an honest body/paint guy to look at it and put options on paper. here is a “looks good driving by” job we did for a cheap as possible job. Literally the cheapest materials we could get from Autobody Supply, only “body work” was done on the bumpers to fix some parking issues, DA the leading edge of the hood for rock chips and a skim of iceing bodyfiller, blocked for 30 seconds and spot primed, scuffed the car and base/clear. We were actually shocked at how well it looked, we even buffed the roof/hood/trunk to see how nice we could actually make the bottom of the barrel paint job look. ![http://i62.tinypic.com/vilj6d.jpg](http://i62.tinypic.com/vilj6d.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/37 "2014-03-21T12:32:00Z")
Damn that is a cheap price. It costs me $800 just to fix paint on my font bumper, lol. ---
**Author:** ![choko](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/choko/32/7240_2.png) [@choko](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/choko)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/38 "2014-03-21T15:25:54Z")
Krazy :tup: good work on that vette Alot of people dont realize the work that goes into auto body. Lately i been getting stuck doing black paint jobs :lol: some random stuff i’m currently doing. Don’t mind the dirty black 944 front./ had to build a custom hood You can spend $1k for a bomb or $10k+ plus [ATTACH=CONFIG]32047[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]32048[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]32049[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]32050[/ATTACH] ---
**Author:** ![KrazyKid](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/krazykid/32/6371_2.png) [@KrazyKid](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/KrazyKid)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/39 "2014-03-24T06:03:51Z")
at my old shop I had a white 5gal bucket in the corner. Thought about painting the side of it to say “I told you so” but never got a chance. People think paint job and then think back to the last accident they were in and try to extrapolate out the damages and what they “paid”… $500 got me a hood, fender and bumper… well an entire car cant cost much more than $1500. Um, that’s your deductible, look at the est. No lie, I had to explain all that out to someone because that’s what they thought. So the bucket… that’s for the customer to sit on and watch. They don’t think there is 40 hours to strip, prep, block out, find lows/highs, body work out, high build primer, block again, primer again, block again, prep again, base, clear, unmask, reassemble/align, wet sand, buff, polish. Then they realize why a good paint job is a $5K starting point. The bucket also comes in handy when the “I want a stainless turbo back exhaust” customer gets the $1200 est and says no way that takes 12hrs to build… yeah well you can add the filler rod for me for 4 hours straight at the tig bench alone. lol ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 6:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637/40 "2014-03-24T06:24:47Z")
> [@KrazyKid](#): > > So the bucket… that’s for the customer to sit on and watch. 👏 On the same note, I once pulled up a chair and sat in front of a friend’s car in a Cleveland shop while the mechanic worked. He asked if I was going to sit there the long, and I told him I was going to sit there until the car was done. This mechanic had this car for 2 or 3 YEARS without completing it. 1 day later we drove home with the car :tup: [Previous page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/car-wraps/268637.md?page=3)