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What prompted doing this was buying some Recaro seats which have very high gloss black backs. At first I thought I would use matt black vinyl but then I became aware of vinyl with a carbonfibre finish. Obviously this has to be absolutely spot-on or it will look shockingly naff. Having found a specialist to do the vinyl wrapping, all that remained was to inspect a sample of the carbon vinyl.
WHY?- Because the standard Recaro black backs are extremely glossy and mark easily.
- Because, like many, I am addicted to the look of carbonfibre.
COMPARISON WITH REAL CARBON FIBRE:This particular carbon vinyl which Raccoon use is subtley textured and the weave is slightly wavy, just like real carbonfibre. It's far less glossy as it doesn't have lots of coats of the lacquer usually used for protection in external use. However, the finish is satin and still catches the light in a visually simulating way.
In photographs it can be very difficult to tell the difference and you have to inspect it very closely to see it's subtley different from real carbonfibre.
SOURCING:I chose Raccoon - They are very experienced in wrapping whole vehicles in vinyl, whether covered in commercial graphics or plain colours for private cars or even dragster motorbikes. Mine were the first Recaro seats and interior trim they had done and they are "thrilled with the results". They have a network of workshops all over the country - I went to Durley near Southampton.
Linky : -
Raccoon Vehicle WrappingContact : - Sam Williams 02380 013273
INSTALLATION:Strictly to be only undertaken by experts. It requires skill and practice and getting it wrong not only renders the material useless but the whole effect would be lost. It doesn't take long when done by an expert but should never be hurried.
The seats and trim should be all removed from the car before wrapping. Two people work together and it's much easier on a bench with plenty of space. Sticky side getting stuck to sticky side would be an absolute disaster!
I've posted a separate thread about how to remove and also replace the aluminium door and dashboard trims here:
Linky : -
How To Remove Alu Strip TrimOn a 5-door car, it's easier to remove the Recaros via the rear doors and replace them via the front doors. Keep the runners in matching positions.
More recently I have carbon vinyl wrapped the centre surround to the head-unit. This serves to visually link with the dashboard and door trims. There are real CF parts available but they are high gloss finish and show too many reflections for my taste.
PLUS POINTS:- The appearance is finer and more material-like than real carbonfibre, hence the vinyl is better suited to interior work.
- It's considerably cheaper than real carbonfibre.
- It doesn't take forever to wait for carbonfibre products to be made and supplied, often from overseas and with added wretched import taxes involving delays, and shipping costs.
- It doesn't take long to apply when done by experts.
- Raccoon have pride in the quality of their work and will take whatever time it takes to get it right.
MINUS POINTS: - It's not the real thing (but does it really need to be?)
SUMMARY:I think the photos speak for themselves. Very close inspection will show that it's not real carbonfibre but, depending on the application, it doesn't need to be. For vehicle interior work it looks far more refined and better than real carbonfibre. As an overall look, what I have done has further reduced that silver and chrome trim which the Mk6 GTI designers have sought to increase in their quest for what they perceive as higher quality and in imitation of Audi. Audi offer a carbon pack option on some of their model interiors - It's real carbon and I think it's a bit too glossy.
Personally I would never consider using carbon vinyl to wrap a bonnet or wing mirrors but I would wrap a whole car in it, unless it was a Zonda R Pagani, in which case it would be
ALL genuine carbonfibre!
