How long does Vinyl Car Wrap last?

Making the decision: (Wrap vs. Paint)

Deciding which route to take when you have to change the outlook of your ride is a pain to deal with. It’s a major investment, both in terms of time and money.

Being hasty in this decision may leave you scratching your head, thinking where you went wrong when the money you spent doesn’t end up paying off.

The first thing you need to establish and take care of is whether or not you even want a Vinyl Car Wrap. And whether a paint job is going to suit your needs in a heftier way!

To find that out, you’ll need to take a long hard look at your vehicle’s current paint job. Bear in mind that a Vinyl wrap will not cover up a damaged paint job.

What the Vinyl Wrap won’t do?

At most, a vinyl wrap is going to provide you with a new look and a fresh feel for new paint. Kind of like an illusion but not in a shady way.

Your vinyl wrap seller is going to be totally transparent in letting you know what you must expect from it.

There’s no reason for deception as the vinyl wrap market has been overcome by the paint job market with a huge margin.

This goes to show most vinyl wraps are going to deliver what their description entails.

Initially, they have been used solely for marketing purposes of avoiding advertisement charges, but as time goes on, customers are flooding into this cheaper, more convenient alternative to a paint job.

Addressing the concern:

Now that you’ve wrapped your head around getting your car wrapped (Pun intended), let’s address the real, most common question there is.

How long is this conventional method going to last?

How long should you expect the wrap to last:

A one-word answer to this question is almost entirely impossible. As with everything, the life of a Vinyl Car Wrap also depends on factors other than its quality.

Average lifespan

Generally, under normal conditions, a Vinyl Car wrap can last around 6 to 7 years while it still looks decent.

This figure is subject to change with respect to the conditions provided to the wrap. Its Lifetime is bound to reduce under harsh climate and excessive sun exposure.

Pushing the wrap to its limits:

If you wash your car more than twice a week, regardless of whether you want to or have to, the Vinyl Wrap will give up on you much earlier.

This reduction in durability can range from 5 to 6 years, meaning you may have to change or modify your ride’s exterior after a time span of as short as one year, if you’re not careful.

Giving the wrap what it wants:

Alternatively, for a vehicle provided with comfortable conditions to its exterior, the Vinyl Wrap’s lifespan has proven to extend over time.

Similarly, this extension can range from 3 to 4 years as well. This means that you can expect the 10-year lasting of the Vinyl Wrap, promised by your seller, actually to be true to its word!

What the doctors (auto shop workers) recommend?

However, it is recommended that you change your Vinyl Wrap at least after seven years of usage no matter what condition it’s in.

This is because even a healthy-looking wrap will be harder to remove as time goes by, and the pseudo paint starts to set into the nooks and crannies of your vehicle’s pores.

Applying external extension chemicals can extend the lifespan of your Vinyl Wrap, too, but we’ll discuss that later on. Right now, the bottom line is this:

The general life span of a Vinyl Wrap:

Under normal conditions: 6-7 years
Under harsh conditions:1-4 years
Under comfortable and lenient conditions: As long as 10 to 11 years
By conditions, we mean the factors that affect the durability and lifespan of your vehicle’s exterior.

Factors affecting the life span of Vinyl Car Wrap:

Numerous factors play a role in influencing the longevity of your Vinyl Car Wrap. Some of these are under your control, and some of them, naturally, can’t be dealt with.

What you should take away from this are ways you can extend the lifespan of your Vinyl Car Wrap. That’s what will truly answer the question of how long does a Vinyl Car Wrap last.

The factors affecting a vinyl car wrap’s duration are:

Vehicle’s exposure to the sun on a daily basis
Amount of time the vehicle spends on the road
Number of times your vehicle is washed in a week
The general climate of the area where your ride spends most of its time
Amount of care taken regarding exposure during the initial weeks of the newly installed wrap
The quality of cleaner used for washing your car on a regular basis
External protection chemical compounds applied or not?
How well the Vinyl Wrap was applied in the first place
Quality of the Vinyl Wrap

Notice how the quality of the Wrap is at the bottom of the factors list. This isn’t a coincidence. That’s a factor that least affects the well-being of your Vinyl Wrap, which is why it is mentioned at last.

That does not mean you should not take care of choosing the right Vinyl Wrap while making the purchase.

Obviously, not all of them offer the same perks. Otherwise, a constant price could’ve been determined, and market competition would be eliminated.

But what it does mean, is that the duration of how long your Vinyl car Wrap will last is more up to you than it is up to the seller or the mechanic!

How you can extend your Vinyl Car Wrap’s life span:

Essentially, logic would dictate that dealing with all the above factors will increase the duration your Vinyl Wrap is going to last. But it’s easier said than done.

This is how you can go about dealing with hindrances you may experience with respect to the durability of your Vinyl Car Wrap.

Your car doesn’t need vitamin D from the sun:

If you live in a place with low moisture and high temperature with a burning hot sun raining down on you during the day, you may be thinking there’s nothing you can do.

Well, not quite! Avoid exposure to the sun and try parking your vehicle in the garage, during the daytime or at night.

So, you can keep that morning sunlight from hitting your vehicle on a Sunday, too, as you rest in bed.

Try covering the exterior of your car with a thick coverall if you don’t have access to a garage, so there isn’t any direct confrontation with UV rays of the sun!

Delay your impulsive trips after a fresh wrap:

Understandably, the amount of time you spend on the road is not something to be altered, but you can still look into unnecessary daylight ventures being called off into the evening.

You don’t have to do this for long. Just take extra care in the first 3 to 6 weeks after you’ve had a fresh Vinyl Wrap installed. Once it sets in, you’ll be good to go!

Wash when you need to, not when you want to:

Washing your vehicle twice a week is absolutely fine, but any more than that and you risk damaging the color of your Vinyl Wrap. Don’t do it unless you absolutely need to.

Take extra care while choosing the quality of the cleaner you’re applying while washing your car.

Non-abrasive material is your best bet in ensuring a healthy exterior for your car.

Positive externalities:

The external chemical compounds we mentioned earlier are basically protective ceramic coatings.

They make your vehicle give off a shiny look and avoid dirt particles from being attached to the vinyl wrap.

There’s a lot of them in the market, and you can choose whichever suits you best!

Is applying Vinyl Wrap worth it:

Fortunately, there is a one-word answer to this question, and it’s YES! If you’re still reading, it means you’ve come across the fact mentioned above: “The vinyl wrap won’t fix a bad paint job.”

Now, if that’s not the problem you’re facing, a Vinyl Wrap can more than cater to your needs.

If you’re looking to promote your brand or want to get the perks of a temporary sort of tattoo for your vehicle, the Vinyl Wrap is your answer.

If you keep it away from dust and excessive sun exposure, your Vinyl Wrap will pay off in no time.

There’s also the added benefit of not having to remove the original paint. A paint job would require the original paint to be removed from scratch before the new paint can settle in.

That’s not the case with a vinyl wrap. You’re not in it for the long run, and you’re not at risk of permanently scarring your ride either, in case the job isn’t done well.

The sacrifice you don’t have to make:

You can enjoin upon the perks while they last and move on to the original paint when you want, having it look still fresh because of the protective layer that the Vinyl coating provided it with!

The resale value of your car remains intact as well if the original skin is preserved!

Final Thoughts:

A vinyl car wrap will last as long as you make it last. This does not mean that the wrap can be a replacement to a paint job, but it can give your ride a crisp and ultra-modern look that nothing else can. How long it will last is only partially up to the wrap and mostly up to you!

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