From a distance, you may be able to get away with having a bad car wrap. However, when people get closer, they will be able to tell instantly if a wrap was installed by an inexperienced installer or was installed in a rush. The facilities, surface preparation, post installation work, experience of the installer, quality of the material, and more are among the factors that determine if a car wrap will be of good quality. Here are six signs that these factors likely were not in play:
1. Too Many Patches
It is not an easy task getting around recessed areas and curves. In order to cover the area, the shortcut of chopping up the wrap into multiple pieces is used. On some vehicle bumper installations, this may be necessary. However, when it comes to overlapping vinyl without producing large visible seems, it is an art best left to the professionals.
2. Sloppy Trimming
Once the wrap is installed, the determining factor of whether it will look like a bad sticker or like a custom paint job is the quality of the final trimming of the vinyl. To achieve a perfectly trimmed edge, lots of experience, proper techniques, and a steady hand are needed.
3. Edges Peeling
To make certain the edges of the wrap will not lift off, most installers work with 3M Primer 94. Unfortunately, the residue from this primer is very hard to remove, and it could damage the clear coat when the wrap is removed. To avoid this, expert installers clean the edges and post-heat every inch of the edge to the temperature recommended by the manufacturer.
4. Creased Edges
The installer needs to ensure that there are no wrinkles and that the edges are squeegeed flat if a wrap is going to look good.
5. Untucked Edges
A simple way to make sure the edges do not lift is to use the vehicle’s weather stripping to tuck the wrap. When trimming the wrap short, the installer needs to have the attention to detail required to avoid cutting the actual weather stripping.
6. Bubbling
With vehicle wraps, North Jersey car owners report bubbling is the most common problem they have. In recessed areas, the vinyl bubbles up. This problem appears a few days or weeks after the installation. There are four main factors that lead to this problem: overstretching of the vinyl, wrong choice of material, skipping the post-heating process, and wrong installation techniques.
You will get what you pay for at the end of the day with vehicle wraps. You are pretty much guaranteed to have issues with your wrap if the installation is rushed. The vinyl will crack or dry when lifting or bubbling occurs. Major sections will then begin to fail as moisture seeps in.
If you are experiencing any of the 6 signs your vehicle wrap was installed poorly or you want to avoid these problems in the first place, contact The Sign Center have trained installation experts to make your wrap look outstanding, and you will be able to attract the attention you want.
