Tuition Detail - Full Vinyl Wrap on BMW 335D - Hexis Lime Green - Part 1!!

[RussZS]

Vinyl Wrapping seems to be a growing market here in the UK - not everyone is a fan of this but we'd noticed an increase in demand for this service so have decided to seek out tuition from one of the best Vinyl Wrappers in the UK to ensure we can get started from the very best position.

We have recently seen some very poor work from local installers who charge quite a premium for cutting on panels, poorly prepared panels and leaving some edges exposed to a vehicles original colour so I was keen to ensure that if we're to entertain entering the market space then we do so with the knowledge on how to avoid these issues.  With us being a detailing company already we understand the importance of panel decontamination and general cleanliness.

The tuition took place over 3 intensive days in one of the best detailing bays I've had the pleasure of working in.  The environment has allowed us to configure our forthcoming unit build to ensure it is optimised for detailing, window tinting and vinyl wrapping.

The 'test subject' was one of MCC's very own cars - this silver BMW 335D.  This 335D is standard styling wise aside from the genuine BMW Carbon Spoiler (which had recently been bonded on and would need removing!) but has been tuned to 'Stage 2' which is 355BHP and 520lbft - a beast of a car!  The interior is red leather which clashes with the cars new colour but this will be recoloured in the coming week on the back of our training session with LTT a few months back.

Here's the 335D before we started:


DSC04901 by RussZS, on Flickr

As you would expect we started with a full exterior decontamination of the paintwork.  The process was:

- Wheels, tyres and arches with AS Smart Wheels and G101 with various brushes
- Car Snow Foamed to begin to break down the loose dirt and debris
- Hand Washed with Swissvax Wasch Pudel and AS Shampoo
- Treated to IronX and Tardis to safely remove any fallout and tar
- Paintwork clayed with AS Reglaze and Dodo Juice SN Clay
- Fully dried


DSC04904 by RussZS, on Flickr

The next part was to begin removing parts of the car which would hinder the wrapping process and also obstruct our ability to wrap the car as thoroughly as possible.

Roof rails removed:


DSC04907 by RussZS, on Flickr

Wing mirrors:


DSC04909 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04912 by RussZS, on Flickr

Front bumper:


DSC04914 by RussZS, on Flickr

Side repeaters:


DSC04915 by RussZS, on Flickr

Side skirts:


DSC04918 by RussZS, on Flickr

Alloy wheels:


DSC04919 by RussZS, on Flickr

Those hubs need a painting!


DSC04920 by RussZS, on Flickr

Door handles:


DSC04926 by RussZS, on Flickr

Petrol cap:


DSC04940 by RussZS, on Flickr

Fully stripped:


DSC04941 by RussZS, on Flickr

The car was also debadged and the bonded spoiler was safely removed and the residue removed too:


DSC04948 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04950 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next the bumpers and skirts were cleaned outside to ensure the rear of them were all clean so that when we're handling the panels later on, no dirt is transferred from the rear of them:


DSC04955 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next we began to get to understand the various vinyl films available, the technology behind them and the importance of using the respective preparation products to ensure a perfect bond between the film and its surface.

We started off with an APA satin black film and shown just how mouldable it was and how it can be restored with a bit of heat:


DSC04957 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04958 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04959 by RussZS, on Flickr

Impressive stuff!

I'd previously used a few pieces of 3M DiNoc Carbon effect film on interior pieces but never involved a heat gun into the process - the difference is considerable!


DSC04961 by RussZS, on Flickr

The prep products which are used to ensure the adhesive on the film bonds correctly to the surface which is to be wrapped:


DSC04962 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next up we had a look at applying film to a panel and the best way to do this to ensure a clean install - we started with this test piece of gloss orange film:


DSC04965 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04969 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04970 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04973 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04974 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04975 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04976 by RussZS, on Flickr

We then practiced cutting along panel edges safely and removing the correct amount to ensure the original paint colour is not showing.

After this, we moved onto the installation of the Hexis 30000 Kiwi Green film which had been selected for our 335D.  This stuff isn't cheap at nearly £25 per metre.


DSC04977 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04979 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04982 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04985 by RussZS, on Flickr

After the bonnet was completed, we moved onto the door:


DSC04991 by RussZS, on Flickr

Test fitting after measuring up:


DSC04992 by RussZS, on Flickr

Preparing the panel:


DSC04993 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04994 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC04997 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05000 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05001 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05003 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05006 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next the door handle recesses were moulded:


DSC05008 by RussZS, on Flickr

Centre first:


DSC05009 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05010 by RussZS, on Flickr

The film was then heated up to 90 degrees to reset its 'memory' to ensure it doesn't pop back out at a later date:


DSC05012 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05014 by RussZS, on Flickr

The OS front wing was next but the pieces was taken from the NS drivers cut cut out from the passenger side piece of film:


DSC05017 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05018 by RussZS, on Flickr

Magnets used to hold the film in place:


DSC05020 by RussZS, on Flickr

The following pics are from the rest of the installation process:

It's very green!


DSC05027 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05025 by RussZS, on Flickr

Rear parking sensors removed and wrapped individually (this is not the case for every sensor as some will not work correctly!)


DSC05030 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05031 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05033 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05037 by RussZS, on Flickr

Rear bumper:


DSC05039 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05040 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05044 by RussZS, on Flickr

Starting to look like a car again!


DSC05046 by RussZS, on Flickr

Bootlid done in two pieces:


DSC05052 by RussZS, on Flickr

Door handles wrapped in APA Satin Black:


DSC05056 by RussZS, on Flickr

[RussZS]

Unfortunately we ran out of time by the end of the third day with the roof, skirts and wing mirrors still to complete - which we will do in the next few days.

We also have a set of CSL wheels which will be fitted to the car and we need to refit the carbon spoiler soon too.

We're still debating what colour to wrap the roof, wing mirrors and what colour to recolour the wheels, so any suggestions would be most welcome :)

Some 'finished for now' shots:


DSC05061 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05062 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05065 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05066 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05068 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05069 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05070 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05071 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05072 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05073 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05077 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC05079 by RussZS, on Flickr

So in summary I felt that we have achieved our objective of starting off on a very strong position and am extremely happy with the quality of this overall wrap, despite it being our first attempt.  We will now follow with another 5-6 cars quite quickly which will also be full strip down colour change wraps, including my own Edition 30 before I sell it.

I'd like to thank our 'tutor' (non DW Supporter so can't name him!) for his excellent tuition and welcoming attitude over the period of the course.

If you have any questions then please fire away and I'll answer them for you.

I'd also welcome suggestions with regards to roof/wing mirror/wheel colour :)

Thanks,
Russ.

[andrewparker]

Amazing work there!

Result not to my taste mind

[RussZS]

Indeed but it certainly gets a lot of attention

Just wait until you see the recoloured blue interior!!   

[zerolag]

Skilfull job.  How much does a wrap like that cost?

[jimojameso]

Looks very high quality work! Well done 

[RussZS]

Thanks all :)

Skilfull job.  How much does a wrap like that cost?

The biggest factor on price is the colour of the vinyl which can range from £12 per metre for gloss white, right through to £130 for chrome!  The satin wraps like this one are around £25 per metre, with around 15m being used on a Golf sized car.

Generally our service will be from around £900 upwards, but that includes full strip, proper detailing based prep and wrap into the door shuts etc.  That's 2 people for 2-3 days too.

[Deako]

Quite good value really Russ. I know who to hit up for a gloss black roof!!! Excellent work!!! 

[Nodz]

Brilliant work Russ, I was following this on Facebook when you was doing it and it does look good.

[TANNER]

Really informative thread! Looks a highly skilled procedure to get it right.

[Hedge]

Nice work Russ. A very bold colour choice mind.