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  • Vehicle Colour Change Questions

    Posted by Stephen Ingham on June 19, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Hi all, i have a few questions regarding colour changing a vehicle if anyone can help please?

    I have a 4×4 motor i use for personal use and occasionally go off roading and green laning in and i am considering wrapping it to cover and protect from minor scratches etc.

    My first question if i were changing the colour would i need to declare it to DVLA?
    Secondly, to what extreme would most people go in say door shuts etc?

    Any help is always much appreciated

    Cheers
    Stephen

    Martin Pearson replied 10 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Stuart Taylor

    Member
    June 19, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    Hi Stephen

    No to DVLA as its not classed as a permanent colour change – However I know it is prudent to talk to your insurance company as it may be classed as a modification, or they may want to charge an additional premium as it would add additional cost to repairs if damaged.

    Regarding how far you go depends on how much time/money you want to spend on it. Covering all elements including sills, door inners etc well add a lot of time and some of these areas are quite complex as well …. also depends on how different the original paint colour will be to the new wrap to how much it would show or stand out on opening the doors/boot etc.

    If you’ve never wrapped a full vehicle before then i would advise you either bring in a specialist wrapper or invest in a decent wrap course and be prepared to redo a number of times before you’ve mastered the art ….. quite different fully wrapping a car than normal vehicle or sign graphic application.

    Finally you may want to consider a paint protection film instead of a full wrap if you’re actually just wanting to protect the paintwork. Standard PVC films will protect only very minor abrasions but any stones etc will still break down a wrap. Paint protection film being much thicker and Urethane rather than PVC will protect most that will be thrown up by a dirt track …. other than hitting a tree/wall or other vehicle 🙂

    Hope this helps

    Stuart

  • Stephen Ingham

    Member
    June 19, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    Hi Stuart, thanks for the reply.

    I am experienced when it comes to wrapping, i have done lots over the years i have been in the industry, although most are printed not colour change.

    Some years ago i attended the Roland Wrapping course, very informative.

    What are the available options on the protection films are they just clear?

  • Stuart Taylor

    Member
    June 19, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    Hi Stephen

    Yes Paint Protection Film is clear. Standard product we carry is 3M Ventureshield. Most products on the market have a gloss finish to match standard paint finishes but Ventureshield (and others) are now adding Matt finishes to either go over a Matt wrap or on Matt painted finishes.

    Application of PPF is the total opposite to normal Film wrapping …… lots and lots of water !!! front and back – Lots of videos on Ventureshield and other PPF on YouTube to show methods

    Also, most people only cover front bumper, bonnet, wing mirrors and sometimes wings with a PPF ….. possibly down to cost as PPF is generally much more expensive than a standard PVC film

    Stuart

  • Martin Pearson

    Member
    June 19, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    Stephen, not an expert by any means of the imagination but when it comes to how far do you go with the wrap I think it is really down to personal choice. From the outside with the doors shut you won’t know it’s wrapped but the difference in time taken makes a big difference.
    It could take you as long to wrap the door shuts on their own as it takes to wrap the rest of the car :lol1: :lol1:

    More bit’s to remove as well if your looking to get the best possible finish, bit I wasn’t sure about (and still aren’t) is the bit with the door hinges on. Not sure how you would get a really good finish without removing the door 😕

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