does anyone know why this vinyl is flaking & peeling off

[Martin Pearson]

Phill, you know the customer better than us but are you sure he hasn’t had a scrapper at that trying to clear away the ice from his graphics? That looks very much like someone has got something under the edge of the vinyl. I was going to mention power washers but they don’t normally cause that sort of damage at the edges.

[Phill Fenton]

I don’t know Martin – he’s a good customer and I don’t think he knows himself what has caused it. Just that the van was covered in snow and when the snow melted this is how it was underneath.

[Martin Oxenham]

I had a customer last year did that same thing in the snow with a back window.

[Graeme Harrold]

Given the weather we have had lately there has been quite a lot of largeish hail stones, coupled with the cold weather, its possible that the vinyl has been chipped away (especially whilst driving). Ive had something similar in a sand storm. Static vehicles were OK, those driving it suffered damage. Factor in wind chill, and you will have some pretty brittle vinyl that could be easily damaged. Other possibility is driving past a gritter……….

[David Rogers]

Had this happen to me last year when a customer came in with vinyl flaking on a back window.

Not surprisingly just after a few days of hard frost.

Scraper was the culprit although they denied it initially. 🙄

[Neil Speirs]

Looks like a scrapper or summit is to blame, but surely u would stop before doing that much damage?

Is he hoping u will redo it as a freebie?

[Jon Marshall]

Certainly doesn’t look like any sort of vinyl failure I’ve seen. Must be self inflicted in some way.

[Martin Oxenham]

This morning the snow here had frozen, and on the roofs of cars it was solid.
I think he may have tried to remove frozen snow with a brush seeing that there is still snow on the roof of the van.

[Otto Peltonen]

Not caused by snow or cold weather; otherwise pretty much everything I´ve done during the past years would have peeled off. Self inflicted in some way.

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Looks like an ice scraper caused it to me too, either that or someone using a pressure washer.
Love….Jill

[Peter McGarry]

IMO I suspect it been caused by an ice-scraper or similar. I would rule out a pressure wash as the cause due to the way the vinyl is coming away.

From what you can see in the images the majority of the lifting of the vinyl is at the top edges of each section. If it was caused by cold, ice or some sort of chemical reaction or a jet wash, all edges would be affected, not just the top portion.

[Mike Grant]

I would definitely say that this is self inflicted with a scraper. He is pulling a fast one. If it was the material why is the rest of the van not damaged. I’m sure a closer inspection will reveal tell tale scratch marks on the vinyl.

[Chris Wool]

ok lets look at it a bit differently.

all damage is to the top edges of the horizontal edges. my guess is that some form of truck wash is used which in my experience weakens the adhesive in these areas, moisture under that edge freezes and expands.
when the snow was brushed off further damaging the cold brittle vinyl.

if a scraper damaged it would you have attacked the vinyl from that direction ?

:peek:

[Harry Cleary]

I’m with CSI Wool. 😀

[Peter Dee]

Chris & Martin look on the right track.
Pulling frozen snow down the paintwork has to be the culprit.

Of course the customer will blame you but stand your ground.

[Craig Brown]

Why not win a few brownie points…explain how you suspect it has happened then offer to replace it at cost because you value his custom (you know your costs, he doesn’t 😉 )

[David McDonald]

We’ve had a similar problem with some graphics on a bonnet peeling in an identical fashion.

I don’t think looking at the photo it is scraper damage – look at the way the vinyl on the top edge splits downwards and peels out to both sides in more than one place.

Anyhow, we were sure ours was due to water / moisture ingress then freezing / splitting the vinyl. Still have no idea though why moisture was getting behind the vinyl – knowing my customer is wasn’t a truck wash or any other type of wash for that matter!

Go with the replace at cost price as Craig suggests – worked for us.

Cheers
Macky

[Ian Pople]

The S on the second pic looks very suspicious it looks as if it is actually cut.

Ian

[Phill Fenton]

Had another example of this problem today. Different company but same type of van (Transit) – again the problem is lettering above the windscreen peeling.

[Peter Normington]

I had an email from a customer yesterday,
he says some bits of his lettering are missing. I did the van a couple of months ago, but his previous one was fine for over 9 years,
It must be related to the cold weather, in some way, and I suspect it could be the use of a scraper. I will update when I have seen it, depending on the severity I will probably do a foc or at cost repair,
after all I dont want to loose a regular customer.

Peter

[Ian Pople]

is it the same vinyl ?

[Hugh Potter]

HI Pete,

early december i put my web address on the car, just something simple on three sides (glass) using rainbow chrome exterior,

after the first lot of snow melted i noticed several letters misplaced and a couple of dots missing, almost like how glaciers move rocks! I can only imagine that the damp somehow got under the metalised film and expanded when it froze with the snow on top, as it melted, some moved, one dot was on top of another letter and stuck! very odd and i fixed it before taking any photo’s,

it only happened on the side which was completely covered in snow for about a week, the other sides which were clear were not affected.

[Warren Beard]

this is weird, just had a call about a job I did 2 or 3 weeks ago and the vinyl is peeling/flaking off.

Guess where ?

Above the windscreen 😮

everything else on the sides and back are still perfect 😕

What the 👿

[John Childs]

Well, above the windscreen is the most difficult place to apply vinyl, having to lean from one side or the other, and stretch towards the middle

Could it be that these decals just aren’t being applied with the same pressure that the rest of the graphics get?

:peek:

[Warren Beard]

quote John Childs:

Well, above the windscreen is the most difficult place to apply vinyl, having to lean from one side or the other, and stretch towards the middle

Could it be that these decals just aren’t being applied with the same pressure that the rest of the graphics get?

:peek:

:yes1:

[Lynn Normington]

the ones on our van weren’t above the windscreen but yet to see them 🙄

Lynn

[Martin Pearson]

As well as being about the most difficult area to apply vinyl to it is probably the part of the van that heats up the quickest with people using hot air to clear windscreens. Might also have something to do with it if this is where people seem to be having most of the problems.

[Phill Fenton]

quote John Childs:

Well, above the windscreen is the most difficult place to apply vinyl, having to lean from one side or the other, and stretch towards the middle

Could it be that these decals just aren’t being applied with the same pressure that the rest of the graphics get?

Good point John. In actual fact, because of the difficulty in applying I usually apply the lettering wet above the screen – simply because it allows me to slide the decal into position, measure – then reposition before applying. Alll other lettering I apply dry. So it did occur to me was it because the lettering was originally applied wet that was causing the failure.

Either way, I have adopted Peters philosophy and will be rectifying both FOC in order to give my clients the benefit of the doubt. Both are valued customers that provide me with repeat business.

[Ben Hansen]

This is strange!! a day after reading this, i had a customer call me.. a van i did last week with the highest grade of (avery)vinyl had started to split on edges off the van and in some places the vinyl had actually snapped apart.this was on the bonnet and the rear window, both sides had been heavily covered with stickers but no problem?? i never had this problem until i read this post!!! 😉 Just thought id mention it 🙂

[Adrian Yeo]

As this all appears to be happening around the vicinity of the glass on a vehicle, could it have something to do with strong screen wash or de-icer that peeps may be using?

Maybe affecting the adhesive on the edge of the vinyl, that lifts and lets in water, that freezes, expands then peels?

….I’ll get me coat

😳

[Paul Humble]

Same thing happened with us on the Helen Russell window decal, she has complained but not yet let me see the car so I have a feeling its scraper damage.

[Adrian Yeo]

Theres a Howdens unit opposite me that I have just noticed has a similar problem but thats on a facia board. All the edges are lifting on the lettering 😮

Sure that was not like it before the snow and cold

[Nick Atkinson]

hi ive had the same problem on the works van only notice this week after the snow had cleared ofjust above the screen and on a bonnet of a van done about 4 months ago definatly to do with the snow
nick

[Hugh Potter]

quote nick atkinson:

hi ive had the same problem on the works van only notice this week after the snow had cleared ofjust above the screen and on a bonnet of a van done about 4 months ago definatly to do with the snow
nick

i’ll go with that, further to my initial reports of letters migrating on glass, a WRU sticker i have on the rear window has also lifted and curled on the ends of the welsh feathers, i never used my wipers / de-icer, some warm water when icy before the snow which did nothing but no chemicals, slushy snow was cleared with a large rubber car valeters squeegee so no force against the stickers at all.

[Steven Arnold]

I am not sure how you can answer this question without asking what grade of vinyl was used in the first place.

[Phill Fenton]

It was Oracal 551 series vinyl.

So any idea what caused it?

[Steven Arnold]

Clearly thats a polymeric film, and is quite up to the job.

The only time i have seen this is when we applied some graphics to a vehicle, in a warm environment, and then is being subjected to sub zero temps straight after application.

Its got to be one of the great vinyl mysteries of all time !