uksignboards.com | Renault Traffic application problems

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Renault Traffic application problems

Posted by Shane Drew on 10 January 2007 at 09:29

Hi friends.

Over the last 3 weeks I’ve part wrapped the rear sides of 3 of these vans, and I was passing one in the street today, and I see it has ‘popped’ on the indented areas. Not everywhere, just on the straight indented edge, if that makes sense.

I rang the company when I got back to work, and asked them to bring the van back so I can redo it under warranty. The driver had not even noticed 😕

Anyway, I did all of them in Oracal 3951 with 290 laminate. I didn’t use the command fluid, and I did them dry. I don’t understand what has caused the failure, but I’ll do it again anyway.

I’m thinking, as 2 (one on each side) of the 6 signs have failed so far, (I’m not confident the others will not fail now either) I would give Avery ezy apply cast a try with 1030 laminate.

Can anyone tell me if they have had any problems with it lifting on a traffic tho? I’ve never used it before, is it easy to apply dry?

I’m going to lose on this job anyway, but the client is happier if I change the brand when I replace them, just in case it is the material, and not me. 😛

cheers all

Dennis Van Der Lingen replied 18 years, 9 months ago 6 Members · 11 Replies
11 Replies

John Childs

Member
10 January 2007 at 10:02

Hi Shane. Sorry to hear you are having problems.

We’ve done plenty of Trafics without problems, and I don’t understand why you are because the swages aren’t really that deep.

I would give Avery 1005, with the matching laminate, a go, but do you need the ezy apply version? I’m sure you are perfectly capable of fitting the ordinary stuff and could probably do without the extra expense.
Shane Drew

Member
10 January 2007 at 10:34

Thanks John,

My Avery distributor only sells the ezy apply now, so I have no other option in that regard.

Cheers
Robert Lambie

Member
10 January 2007 at 11:23

this maybe an obvious yes… but did you use a laser heat temp on the recessed areas? i know that the oracal stuff is supposed to be taken up well above the 100 degrees mark, i could be wrong but i heard around 180 degrees?

another thing, and this has happened to me not so long ago…
when you wrap a van you heat it in as you go along. once wrapped you go back and take each area up to the required temp. "slow process"
on big vans with lots of recesses its easy to bypass/miss an area, or… worse still… if two people are heating the van, one may think the other has done a section when none have. again, I’m sure you wont have been as daft as me but it can happen. 😉

a tip: when a van has been wrapped and you are doing the whole heating in process. as you heat the areas, tear off and stick bits of masking tape on the areas that have been heated properly. when you do this it is easy to stand back ans see where you have missed.

i know you have said its happened on same areas on two vans, so that tells you it may not be the case of it being missed, but maybe that area needs more heat?
Shane Drew

Member
10 January 2007 at 11:54

I’m starting to think you may be right Rob. I was doing two vans on my own and running out of daylight at the time, and I was in a rush. I may have missed the areas in the final heating process.

Problem is, I can not say categorically that I was systematic in the heating of the final process.

I do have a laser heat temp kit but I must confess that I was not that consistent with checking the temps with this job…. sort of went on experience not actually checking the heat as I went. It may have bitten me on the backside with this one. A lesson well learned I suspect.

I’d never have gone to 180 deg tho. I usually stick around the 120 – 130 to be honest. Its my first failure using 3291 tho, so I’m more than likely guilty of not being consistent, rather than the material.

Thanks for the replies friends. I’ll put this one down to operator error. How do you kick ones own butt then?
Lee Attewell

Member
10 January 2007 at 12:19

You crack me up Shane 😀

Hey just another thought…Have they released this model with Teflon paint? I heard that it’s coming out now on a lot of new European models. Might be worth a looking at mate.
Robert Lambie

Member
10 January 2007 at 12:27

shane, it happens mate… by the time you get to the end of a big wrap your bored and wanting home, i know i do 😕
like you i am normally up around the 120 degree mark but i was told the guy manfred recommends 180 i think…
when you heat as high as that i think the vinyl begins to pittle if thats how to decribe it… sorta losses its sheen a bit… then again that may just be how quickly its taken to that temp.
Shane Drew

Member
10 January 2007 at 22:08

quote Lee Attewell:

You crack me up Shane 😀

Hey just another thought…Have they released this model with Teflon paint? I heard that it’s coming out now on a lot of new European models. Might be worth a looking at mate.

Yeah Lee, I was told I had to clean these models (and Mercedes etc) with Autoglym cleaner before signing them. I only just found a supplier here, and only started using it yesterday on another Traffic. The only thing I noticed when using it was that it really took the shine off of the paint.

Not cheap either 🙁

Rob, I might have to buy a new heat gun, Mine has a thermostat that prevents overheating (whatever that means) although when I accidently picked it up by the tip the other day, it felt hot enough to me 😕
Paul Hodges

Member
12 January 2007 at 12:49

Shane,

at the end of the day, meths is as good a de-greasing cleaner as any of those expensive cleaners.
We’ve used the Avery one also but to be honest, none of them are better than meths.

I think it’s more difficult to make sure you clean all the appropriate areas on the paintwork…so easy to miss parts!
John Childs

Member
12 January 2007 at 16:53

quote Paul Hodges:

I think it’s more difficult to make sure you clean all the appropriate areas on the paintwork…so easy to miss parts!

Good point.

It’s also very important to make sure that we do actually clean the grease off the van, and not just move it around.
Shane Drew

Member
12 January 2007 at 23:45

Thanks all,

appreciate your time and help.

Got my first re-do next Thursday.

In truth, I am very fussy when I clean, but I think in retrospect I may have been a bit tardy on the final heating process 😳 😥

It was one of those days. One other lesson I’ve learned is that I will not do two on the one day again, by myself.
Dennis Van Der Lingen

Member
16 January 2007 at 20:49

you can also cut the vinyl in the recess.

it’s what we do standard when applying in recesses

– we apply the vinyl in the recess with heat
– stabilize it
– then let it cool and cut with a blade in the deepest point of the recess throwout the entire recess

that way if you’ve made a mistake (like not enough heat in the stabilizing process) the vinyl won’t pull out of the recess but only pull open the cut line a little that you’ve made.

if you don’t overdo it with the pressure you won’t cut the paint and in the end the customer doesn’t mind a 1 or 2mm cut opposite to a 5 cm bubble