Are you looking to change things up with your vehicle in 2020? If so, a car wrap may be just the thing you need! In this Cash Cars Buyer blog article we breakdown the what, the how, and most importantly, the how much it will cost to get the vehicle wrap of your dreams. Read on to discover the ins and outs of car wrapping, endless possibilities await!
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What Is A Car Wrap?
Before we start exploring the wealth of information that is the car wrap universe, let’s take a step back and explain what a car wrap actually is. Vehicle wraps are large sheets of vinyl film with special adhesive that can stick to nearly any surface when properly applied by hand. Wraps come in a variety of shapes, sizes, textures, and styles. It is a lengthy process, requiring careful measuring and design to ensure your vehicle looks exactly as how you imagined it would be. To most people on the street, a proper car wrap appears smooth and supple, no bulges or bulkiness, just a streamlined design with a sheen that can be seen for miles. The possibilities of wrapping a vehicle are endless, from upgrading your personal style to letting the world know of your local business or business affiliation, wrapping a car can get the job done.
What Are The Reasons I Would Wrap My Vehicle?
There are plenty of reasons why wrapping your vehicle is a perfect solution for your aesthetic desires and business promotion savvy.
Endless Aesthetic Options
If you are looking to upgrade your vehicle with flash and style wrapping your vehicle is the way to do it. What is great about wrapping your car is the possibilities and options are endless. Camo? Yes. Hot Pink? Even better. Wrapping your vehicle allows you to use your imagination and explore creative options on something so personal like your car. We all love our vehicles, and in many cases our vehicles are a reflection of ourselves and our unique personalities. Wrapping your vehicle is a method of promoting yourself but also giving others a reason to smile going about their daily lives.
Promote Your Business with Wrapping Your Vehicle
Other than flashing your personal aesthetic one of the great reasons to wrap your car is to promote something. If you have a small business like a food truck or a window washing service, wrapping your vehicle with your brand name and contact information is a fantastic way for potential clients to view what your company is all about, through an activity that everyone is doing everyday: driving. Whether it is driving down the busy highway or just strolling through the neighborhood, wrapping your vehicle is a sure fire way to get eyeballs on your company or your affiliation. Even if you don’t have a business to promote, wrapping your vehicle is a way to spread messages like joy, or a call to action to help save the planet. From local auto shops to the big name brands, we are sure you will be able to find the vehicle wrap that is perfect for you and your aesthetic or business goals. Just don’t forget to put the phone number in an easy to see spot on the vehicle so customers and potential clients can start calling right away!
What Are The Different Types of Vehicle Wrapping?
Another piece of the vehicle wrapping puzzle is what kind of car wrap do you want or need to meet your goals? As with the vehicle design the craftsmanship possibilities are indeed endless. Generally, it would depend on the company you are looking to hire to complete this project. A larger enterprise may have many more options whereas, a smaller operation may only be able to offer two to three vehicle wrapping options. Due to the unlimited nature of car wrap types, designs, and finishes we decided to limit this section to two of the most popular options in the vehicle wrapping industry so you can peruse and choose the perfect fit for your vehicle.
3M Vinyl Wrap Film Series
The 3M Vinyl Wrap Film Series is probably one of the most popular premium vehicle wraps in the vehicle wrapping world due to the versatility, ease of installation, and premium quality of the material. One of the main perks of going with a 3M Vinyl Wrap is you will be able to choose between Matte, Satin, Gloss, Straight Fiber, Carbon Fiber, or Brushed Metal allowing you to truly customize every square inch of your vehicle. In addition to the types of vehicle wraps there are also a wide variety of popular brands that consumers can choose from in the car wrapping industry.
Matte Wrapping
Matte Wrapping is another very popular option due to the aesthetic look and physical feel of the material when applied to the vehicle. Matte wrapping involves the same wrapping process as vinyl wrapping but the aesthetic outcome will be different as compared to the vinyl wrapping. Matte wrapping contains less of a sheen and more of a muted but sleek look for those who may want to use darker colors on their vehicle wrapping project. Whichever type of vehicle wrap you choose, be sure to discuss your goals and budget with your project manager as those details are incredibly important to work through at the beginning of the customizing process.
How Much Would It Cost Me To Wrap My Vehicle?
The short answer. It depends. There many factors and variables that are involved when choosing the perfect wrap for your vehicle. We have boiled it down to three main components when budgeting out a price point. Those three factors are brand, type of vehicle wrap, and installation.
Brand
One of the biggest choices you have to make as a consumer is choosing what brand of wrap you would like for your vehicle. The options are endless, and can usually fit most budget types while still receiving a quality vehicle wrap. However, the sticking point is choosing one!
Premium to Online Purchasing Your Car Wrap
These vehicle wrap brands run and range the gamut from premium brands like Anderson Dennison costing you a pretty penny to even finding and ordering a car wrap on Ebay, less expensive but also not as high quality for the aesthetic value. From our Ebay research we discovered you can purchase an entire vehicle wrap for less than $300 but unfortunately, as most of us know from shopping online, it can be difficult to ascertain a product's quality just by viewing photos and reading the descriptions provided for the product. The risk involved when purchasing a vehicle wrap online is not being entirely sure of the quality, or even if the wrap will look like it does in the photos presented. If you do decide to buy online, research the product, read reviews, and inquire if there is a refund policy just in case the product is not what you had initially envisioned.
Completing Your Own Research
In terms of choosing a brand it may benefit you to complete your own personal research before pulling the trigger. Speaking with your local auto body shop is a great way to discuss options, prices, and they might even be able to throw a discount your way! Lastly, we suggest using a vehicle wrapping quote tool which allows you to enter in your vehicle, desired brand, design, and even your budget so you can view an estimation of the cost of the finished product before driving out to the auto body shop or even getting on the phone.
Type of Vehicle Wrap
As we previously discussed, there are a wide variety of vehicle wraps, all having their distinctive pros and cons in terms of aesthetic presence and price point. Another factor to keep in mind is many vehicle wrapping companies will allow you a set price. Meaning, they won’t charge you by the square foot but rather by the entire product creation, from start to finish giving you a flat fee for the entirety of the vehicle wrapping project. Below, we access and price four of the most popular car wrapping types.
Vinyl Matte
If you are looking for more of a matte design then a matte wrapping may be the way to go for you. For a vinyl matte vehicle wrap, the average price according to CreditDonkey is between $2.00 and $3.50 per square foot. If you are looking at a mid-size four door sedan that matte vehicle wrap could cost you around $2,000 and could be even more expensive depending on the size of the vehicle..
Chrome
Chrome vehicle wrapping per square foot is a little more expensive than the vinyl matte starting at $8 per square foot and upwards depending on the quality of chrome you desire for your vehicle wrap.
Vinyl Gloss
Vinyl Gloss is another cost-effective option, ranging between $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot.
Carbon Fiber
Carbon Fiber is a vehicle wrap option that generally hits the sweet spot for most vehicle wrap enthusiasts. Per square foot, carbon fiber usually ranges between $3 to $7.
Installation
One of the other bigger questions that needs to be addressed to create an accurate price point is if you will be completing the vehicle wrap yourself or you will be going to a company or auto shop that specializes in wrapping a variety of vehicles. There are many pros and cons for either direction of installation and it ultimately boils down to your own personal time limits and restrictions to complete the vehicle wrapping process.
Wrapping Your Vehicle At Home
Of course, if you wrap the vehicle yourself, that will be no labor cost for you, only the time that it takes to complete the process. According to experts in the field, for a novice completing the job solo it could take 2 to 3 full days to wrap the vehicle. Be aware that when completing this project at home, the end result of the vehicle wrap may not look exactly the way you desired the first time around. If time is on your side though, perhaps purchasing one or two vehicle wraps and completing the project at home would be the perfect solution to save some cash and break out those tools collecting dust in the garage!
Professional Vehicle Wrapping at an Auto Shop
The other option is to go to a company that specializes in vehicle wrapping or your local auto body shop to see if they could complete the project. When being completed by a professional, the size of the vehicle and the complexity of the wrap job are the two main factors that will affect the final price of the finished product. On average, some wrapping shops estimate the cost for partial wrapping of sedans and SUVs can start from $300. If you need the wrapping coverage of 40% of your vehicle it will cost you from $600 for sedans and to $900 for certain SUVs . If you need to cover up to 60% of your car, you will need to calculate at least $1,600 for a sedan, and at least $1900 for an SUV. If you need to cover 100% of your sedan you should expect to pay between $2800 and $3400 according to SmartMotorist.
Wrap Up Your Vehicle Cost Estimation with Research, Research, Research
At Cash Car Buyers, we are excited to help start you on your journey to discovering the vehicle wrap of your dreams! After reading this article, start to compile your dream list and let your imagination soar! Research your closest auto body shop or vehicle wrap company and book an appointment. Lastly, be sure to chat with your local auto body shop or the company you will be working with to lay out all the details, costs, and ultimately the vision for your car wrapping project.