Getting your car ready for wrap day.

A good wrap starts before the film comes off the roll. A little preparation on your side means the installer spends the time on the install, not on fixing what arrived with the car. Here is what helps, and what to expect afterwards.

Before drop-off

• Wash the car. We decontaminate every panel anyway, but a car that arrives clean lets us see the paint properly.
• Fix dents and chips first. Film follows the surface; a dent stays a dent, and a chip can lift the film around it. Paintless dent repair before the wrap is money well spent.
• Tell us about repainted panels. Aftermarket paint can pull away with the film on removal. We will check adhesion and talk through it.
• Remove aftermarket accessories you want kept, such as phone mounts, dash cams with wiring in the door jambs, and bumper stickers.
• Leave fuel below half. We may need to lift the car or move it between bays.
• Bring the spare key if the car has one; it speeds up moving the car around the shop.

What we do with the car

Wash, clay and alcohol-wipe every surface that gets film. Remove the parts that need removing for clean edges: badges, handles, lights or mirrors depending on the vehicle and the design. Lay the film panel by panel, work it into recesses with heat, trim and post-heat the edges so the vinyl remembers its new shape. Reassemble, inspect in daylight, and let the adhesive set before the car goes out.

Pick-up and the first week

• Expect a walk-around with the installer. Look at the edges and recesses together.
• No washing for 48 to 72 hours. No pressure washing for two weeks.
• Small bubbles can appear in the first days as the film out-gasses; most disappear on their own, and we look at any that do not.
• Park out of direct sun for the first few days if you can.
• Keep the care sheet we give you in the glovebox. It is short.