A genuine concern for many looking to get a car wrap is whether it will cause damage to the paint of their vehicle. There is a few factors that need to be taken into consideration in answering this question.
Firstly, it is unlikely a car wrap will damage OEM (original manufacturer) paint on a car so long as the paint is in good condition, in fact, where the wrap is on the paint it will protect the paint from external damage caused by sunshine UV rays or scratches and stone chips.
It should be considered, when doing a partial wrap, or something less than a full wrap, that expose parts of the paint after the wrap is installed will still be exposed to the elements and a potential damage. These parts of the paint will of course still suffer the usual degradation that an unwrapped car would suffer.
If the paint on the vehicle is not OEM, that is it has been repaired by panel shop or re-sprayed at some time in the past, it is completely unknown as to if the wrap will damage the paint. In most cases non-factory paint is not applied to the same strict standards as OEM paint and how well the paint adheres to the vehicle is unknown.
Secondly, consideration when asking this question is to consider how long the wrap is going to stay on the paint. Most wrap vinyl manufacturers suggest that a wrap is replaced or removed between four and five years. That way it should come off cleanly, leaving minimal glue behind. Any period beyond that, especially if the wrap has started to deteriorate and crack, the paint may begin to sustain damage and the vinyl removal will be a lot more difficult which also risks damaging the paint in the removal process.
In the case of a full wrap of a brand-new vehicle it would be very unlikely that the wrap would damage the paint if removed in the 4- 5-year range. In fact, the wrap will protect the paint and once removed the paint should look brand-new and give the car a greater value than if it was never wrapped.
In the case of a partial wrap, when removing, there could be visible signs of the areas that were wrapped and those that were not. In this case a simple detail or cut and polish should balance up the look of the paint.
Of course it is important to care for your wrap in order to help it last longer and reduce their possibility of damage happening to your paint while the car is wrapped.
At Tradie Wraps we recommend removal of graphics before the 5 year mark. This will reduce the possibility of paint damage and also give the opportunity to freshen your brand if you plan to keep the vehicle long term.
©Tradie Wraps™ 2022
