Wrapping the join between plastic bumper panel and rear side panel.

[Jeff]

Should there be a picture attached Simon?

[RobertLambie]

Hi Simon

Do you mean this section shown in the picture, mate?
As in the rubber panel join/seam?

[Simon Worrall]

No the join is the horizontal one in this pic. The plastic bumper is right up against the steel rear panel, there is no rubber or anything between them.

[RobertLambie]

Thanks, Simon

is this a colour change or are you wrapping the rear and side with a print?

[Martyn Heath]

I have been wrapping over it, tucking the vinyl into the join and cutting between the panels, on the assumption that the panels will move against each other and cause the vinyl to fail. But is this really true?
Can you just leave it and expect the vinyl to survive at this point?”

From what I know you are doing exactly the right thing and this is the go-to method for the reasons you stated

[RobertLambie]

Without a doubt, movement occurs from panel to panel on any vehicle.
However, the amount of movement greatly depends on the panel’s position on the vehicle, what the panel is made from, and the direction and shape of the panel.
i.e.
The rigid GRP panel on the side of a truck. A single rigid panel.
however, you must trim the vinyl back from the aluminium frame holding it in place, due to movement and flex of the bodywork. the same applies but more so to the rear doors around hinges and latches.
I cut back the vinyl 5-8mm to accommodate flex and movement but also “dirt and water movement” along these fabricated channels for the grime to catch in and travel along as the vehicle is moving in the rain. Yes, these are big trucks with much more weight and movement happening, but it’s easier to get it into your head that movement is definitely happening!

Back to a car. You have metal and plastic parts… day-to-day the cars are subjected to extreme hot and cold temperature changes. simply by being in the sun during the day and the dark at night. “without the car even travelling”, Those metal and plastic body parts are expanding and contracting in different directions and by different amounts.
If vinyl has “bridged” a panel gap, it too is dealing with the temperature changes and that tiny bridge quickly becomes brittle. more so, if there is anywhere for dirty rainwater or moisture to get in, it WILL run down the panel join channel and add to the possibility of the vinyl splitting and looking grubby.

At this point, it is up to you to decide “will this happen in THIS section/join?”
If it is a colour change. e.g. black to white. if so a slightly wrong cut will expose colour!
I know that some wrappers will loosen the bumper to open the space and wrap into the join, then close it. while others remove the bumper entirely and wrap it separately.
I will hold my hand up here and say that “I loosened a bumper once” it opened by about 15mm and I easily wrapped around and into the join, neat and tidy. and clipped the bumper back into place. However, now those two layers of vinyl were tight between the join and whether it was expansion and contraction, or panel movement/flex it created a slight pucker of the vinyl down the ridge of the join. I learned the hard way!

Looking at this one you have, I am not sure if it’s a print or colour change, but regardless, you have a bumper with an obvious join area for the vinyl?
If you decide to bridge the gap and trim down the join and tuck into it. I would definitely suggest doing a test. simply lay a scrap piece of vinyl down the same join and trim it. do it a few times BEFORE the live job. what this does is gives you a real-life trial to see how to hold your knife or guide your blade down the space available. sounds simple enough but the angle you hold the blade will determine if enough vinyl will fold into this tiny seam. And the last thing you want is wrapping a full side and stuffing up a cut on that area. “, particularly where I have indicated in green boxes”. you need enough vinyl after the cut to still cover the corners. so be sure to have a game-plan for tackling it.

[Simon Worrall]

Next time I will try to loosen the bumper and pull it away, if its not too complicated.🤔

[Simon Worrall]

I printed each panel separately. I did the bottom panel first, with a run of knifeless tape on the upper (opposite) panel, 2mm from the join.

Pulled the string, then a very slight blast of warm air to take away the stress, and tucked it in with a sharp teflon squeegee

Repeat with the top panel.

No visible white…yet.

There was almost no stretching at that point, so it wont pull back.

[Martyn Heath]

looks good. what film you using simon?

[Simon Worrall]

Thanks Martin.

3M IJ180.