Are you looking for a way to advertise your business wherever you go? If you’re looking into a vinyl wrap for your car, truck, or van, you should learn how to maintain your vehicle wrap. You may be wondering, “can you take a wrapped car to a car wash?” DC Wrap Co offers the following tips for caring for your car wraps and the benefits of doing so.
Types of Vehicle Wraps
We specialize in vinyl wraps, but in general, you can find the following types of vehicle wraps:
- Partial wraps: These wraps only cover a portion of your vehicle and offer a cost-effective option for advertising.
- Full wraps: This vinyl wrapping covers your entire vehicle and gives you incredible advertising capability while you’re on the go.
- Chrome wraps: Chrome wraps create a bright and shiny look.
- Metallic wraps: The epitome of style and class, metallic wraps produce shinier results than any other finish.
- Commercial wraps: Commercial wraps focus on advertising and branding.
- Vinyl wraps: These wraps are your most affordable option and have several benefits including great aesthetic appeal and easy maintenance.
Caring for Your Wrapped Vehicle
To care for your vehicle, follow these best practices for vinyl wrap maintenance. With meticulous care, your vinyl film can last about seven years.
Read about 3M’s Product Warranty’s Here
Hand Wash It Regularly
Vinyl wraps can attract dust, dirt, and other debris, which can stick to the car wrap and slowly corrode the paint. You should clean your wrapped vehicles at least once a week. If you travel on a dirt road or accumulate a lot of dust, you should clean it immediately.
Cleaning the car by hand is the safest method and can still effectively clean minor stains and moderate dirt buildup. Hand wash the vehicle with warm, soapy water and a wet paper towel or microfiber cloth. Use a silicone squeegee to avoid water spots.
For more stubborn stains like tree sap, bird droppings, and fuel spills, you can use a gentle detergent. In extreme circumstances, you can use isopropyl rubbing alcohol or a citrus-based cleaner diluted in water to clean your vinyl car wrap. However, you should always avoid cleaning products with harsh chemicals, even for spot cleaning.
If you’re using small parts isopropyl alcohol as a stain remover, don’t let your vehicle air dry. If you want extra assurance your cleaning won’t damage your wrap, you can use cool water instead of warm.
Can You Take a Wrapped Car to the Car Wash?
Regular cleaning with hand washing can feel overwhelming or difficult stains might present too big of a challenge for you. In these cases, many car owners feel tempted to use automated car washes or a pressure washer.
Can a wrapped car go through the car wash? No, because an automated car wash can permanently damage your wrapped car in several ways:
- Sending your car through an automated car wash too soon after you apply the vinyl wrap can cause vinyl surfaces to bubble or peel.
- Exposing vinyl material to an extreme water temperature can affect how well it adheres to the car’s surface.
- Brush car washes can cause significant damage to a car wrap such as scratches or peeling off the edges of the wrap.
- The high-pressure water jets or spray nozzle on a drive-through car wash can blast vinyl wraps apart.
- Car wash soap contains chemicals that can damage your wrapped car.
Remove Stains Immediately
Removing stains immediately is an important part of maintaining your vehicle wrap and keeping it in pristine condition. Stains and dirt buildup can corrode the affected area and prolonged exposure can lead to permanent damage without proper care.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
While we treat your vinyl wrap with a finish that provides some protection against UV rays, you should still avoid prolonged direct sunlight. When possible, park your vehicle in the shade so the sun doesn’t fade or peel your vinyl wrap.
Inspect It Regularly
At least once a week, inspect your vinyl-wrapped car for signs of damage, including:
- Wear and tear
- Peeling
- Scratches
- Fading
When you pair regular inspections with proper maintenance techniques, you can help your vinyl wrap last as long as possible.
Invest in Professional Care
Keeping your vinyl wrap clean and providing proper maintenance can feel overwhelming, especially since you risk causing more damage if you do it wrong. However, when you trust a professional to do your spot cleaning or repair an affected panel, you won’t have anything to worry about. Investing in professional care for your vinyl wrap is an investment in your peace of mind.
Benefits of a Vinyl-Wrapped Car
While you’ll gain the most advantages by combining ceramic coatings and a vinyl wrap, you may only opt for one or the other. What advantages does a vinyl-wrapped car have over ceramic coatings and other methods of mobile advertising?
Improved Brand Visibility
A vinyl wrap provides an excellent way to increase your brand visibility. Whether you run a plumbing company or deliver flowers, a vinyl wrap helps you advertise to customers who aren’t even looking for your products or services. Your company will stick in their mind, so the next time they need something you can provide, they’ll think of you first.
Because ceramic coatings function as a protective layer, they can’t help you advertise your business. If you’re applying a finish on your car for the primary motivation of advertising, you’ll need to prioritize a vinyl wrap rather than a ceramic coating.
Cost Effectiveness
A vinyl wrap offers a more cost-effective method of mobile advertising than other types of coatings. While a metallic or matte finish can often look more stunning, you’ll certainly pay for it. Those finishes tend to look better in large block colors rather than logos and graphics. Vinyl is also a better option if you have an entire fleet of cars that need wrapping on a budget.
Improved Protection
While a ceramic coating offers superior protection, a vinyl wrap can still offer better protection compared to a normal coat of pain. Though thin, vinyl wraps can help protect your paint against scratches, chips, and acid rain.
If your vinyl becomes damaged, you’ll have to replace it, but it pales in comparison to a new coat of paint or even a touch-up. Because it prevents damage to your paint, wrapping your car in vinyl can help maintain its resale value.
Flexibility
One of the best features of a vinyl wrap is the flexible solutions it offers. Unlike paint jobs, you can apply almost any graphic, so you can completely customize the way you brand your car, truck, or van. You can also choose between a partial and full cover without it looking like you didn’t finish the job or ran out of paint.
You can remove a vinyl cover much more easily than a paint job. If you’re changing your branding, selling your vehicle, or simply needing a replacement wrap, the professionals can do it easily without excessive cost or risk of damaging your car.
Are you a relatively new business that is still defining your brand or advertising? Vinyl wrapping is a low-risk method of performing A/B testing or determining which logos and graphics your customers respond to best.
DC Wrap Co Can Vinyl Wrap Your Car
When you need help maintaining your vehicle wrap, you can trust DC Wrap Co. From commercial to personal vehicle wrap, we’re the experts in vinyl wrap care and other solutions that make your vehicle look captivating.
To schedule your appointment to wrap your vehicle, call 757-390-2818 or get a quote online.
