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Old Apr 22, 2013 | 08:56 PM
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Infinity
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 425
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From: S. NJ
Default Re: Chrome Wrap a Crossfire

As part of a cross promotional project with 3m I had mine wrapped a few years back and here is some things to consider.

If you intend on wrapping the car make sure you get some examples of their work. Typically you hear guys tell you about the 10' rule, if they do tell them thanks but no! That phrase is a way for them to tell you that no car will look good closer than 10', that is a sure fire way to tell if the guy is a quick and dirty installer, or one that takes pride in his craftsmanship. This is a very time intensive process, mine took the installers two full days the first time, plus a half a day fixing issues. I would say $2000 on the cheap side and $7000 on the high side is the range. The pitch is that it is cheaper than repainting the car, easy way to judge is check a few body shops in town and inquire about repainting the car (chrome colors are available too) this way you can make a sound judgement. If you are at 6k for a wrap and 10k gets you a nice custom paint job I would say save the cash and do paint.

Next ask if they have wrapped similar car styles. Pay close attention to the size of the body panels and their shape. Our rear bumper is pain to wrap because of the shape and creases and the width of a roll of film, mirrors and front bumper are also difficult. If they heat the material or stretch it too much it shows up big time. Watch for seams, last thing you want to see are seams with chrome.

As for care, most products say no to automatic car wash services and mainly say to use alcohol to rub down the finish, or some special cleaners that don't have a wax or shine agents in it. Some films such as the carbon fiber looks are extremely sensitive to such products and turn white.

Next is durability. While I am not familiar with the chrome products, ask the seller if they use a clear vinyl top film. Commercial printed wraps do and that is why you don't get as many issues as with some of the recent films being marketed to car enthusiasts. Remember a small nick or cut will show paint and patches might stand out with chrome.

Warning! Watch the silver trim on our cars and the prep solutions used for cleaning the car prior to film application...if you wind up pulling the film off later there is a good chance it will cause the clear coat on those parts to lift from the part which sucks big time! I had to replace all the silver trim on the car. Painted car had no issues.
 

Last edited by Infinity; Apr 22, 2013 at 08:59 PM.
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