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Questions for Wrangler owners who have vinyl wrapped their rigs!

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Hey everyone!
I just placed my F/O for 2019 JL Rubicon and I am SO excited!

I am seriously considering vinyl wrapping this bad boy the minute it gets in my driveway, but I wanted to reach out to folks who have tried vinyl wraps before to see if this is the right path for my new Rubi!

How has your vinyl held up over the course of a few years?
How durable and resistant is your vinyl to rock chips, and trail scrapes?
How did the paint hold up underneath when you removed your vinyl?

Is there any other protection/product I should look at before heading down this path?

Thanks in advance for your feedback and comments, feel free to add any information you think is useful in this regard as well!
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Mark P

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Hey everyone!
I just placed my F/O for 2019 JL Rubicon and I am SO excited!

I am seriously considering vinyl wrapping this bad boy the minute it gets in my driveway, but I wanted to reach out to folks who have tried vinyl wraps before to see if this is the right path for my new Rubi!

How has your vinyl held up over the course of a few years?
How durable and resistant is your vinyl to rock chips, and trail scrapes?
How did the paint hold up underneath when you removed your vinyl?

Is there any other protection/product I should look at before heading down this path?

Thanks in advance for your feedback and comments, feel free to add any information you think is useful in this regard as well!
 

Mark P

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Congrats,enjoy the wait. I did my 2013 black jk when I purchased it, still shines up nice. did the hood edge, grill, and headlamps.3m I believe it is, I already have a set for the new jl (just waiting for it to show up)
 

mdelzer

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Do you want vinyl or PPF? They are very different products from each other. If you want to change the look you can do vinyl, but if you just want to protect from scratches, chips, etc. PPF is where it's at. How much you PPF is up to you and your budget. Most reputable shops will charge between $1500 and $2000 depending on material and area of the country you are in to do just the grill, front fenders, hood, and windshield frame. Some ceramic coatings can help protect your paint, but they are not as durable as PPF.
 
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Thanks for the replies fellas,

I am more interested to hear your experiences with both. Most importantly I am trying to figure out if a wrap will provide any scratch protection at all from branches on the trails. My area is very overgrown on most of the trails.
If PPF is the way to go then Ill be looking at that, was just thinking a wrap might be a less expensive way to go along with having the option to customize my colour a bit
 

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TurboTodd

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Thanks for the replies fellas,

I am more interested to hear your experiences with both. Most importantly I am trying to figure out if a wrap will provide any scratch protection at all from branches on the trails. My area is very overgrown on most of the trails.
If PPF is the way to go then Ill be looking at that, was just thinking a wrap might be a less expensive way to go along with having the option to customize my colour a bit
Ceramic is like adding a super thick clear coat and should be done right away after you get it and do a paint correction, performed by the same folks doing the ceramic coating. Any imperfections in the paint will be more visible when applying ceramic if not corrected. Go with a 3M product and you will be very pleased, but not sure its the type of protection that you are looking for against scrapes and impacts on the trail. Although it will help with minor scuffs and will minimize light scratches. I used to sell this product a lot to luxury and exotic customers and it is amazing, water beads right off and has a wet look. The color pops in the daylight.

We have wraps on our shop Jeeps and other vehicles I have seen over the years and here is my take. The vinyl is a soft material so not going to protect much against sharp objects like tree branches and what not. If you do a partial wrap, the area not protected will be exposed to UV from the sunlight and over the years will fade a bit whereas the paint under the wrap will be like new. The vinyl will harden over the years and loose pliability and likely start cracking. Depending on how crazy you get on the trails, expect to reapply it multiple times over the years, definitely not a one time deal. When you are shopping for an installer, ask to see his/her previous work. Look at the seams where the body panels meet, that should be the only place where you can tell a wrap was done, and the cuts should be super clean.

I am not familiar with PPF but a co-worker says its a cool product and the best brand on the market is XPEL. But he says, "finding an installer may be tough"

Another recommendation that would offer the kind of protection you are looking for is a "rhino lining" type used for truck beds and such. I have seen a handful of these in person and it looks really good, in my opinion.
 
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Ceramic is like adding a super thick clear coat and should be done right away after you get it and do a paint correction, performed by the same folks doing the ceramic coating. Any imperfections in the paint will be more visible when applying ceramic if not corrected. Go with a 3M product and you will be very pleased, but not sure its the type of protection that you are looking for against scrapes and impacts on the trail. Although it will help with minor scuffs and will minimize light scratches. I used to sell this product a lot to luxury and exotic customers and it is amazing, water beads right off and has a wet look. The color pops in the daylight.

We have wraps on our shop Jeeps and other vehicles I have seen over the years and here is my take. The vinyl is a soft material so not going to protect much against sharp objects like tree branches and what not. If you do a partial wrap, the area not protected will be exposed to UV from the sunlight and over the years will fade a bit whereas the paint under the wrap will be like new. The vinyl will harden over the years and loose pliability and likely start cracking. Depending on how crazy you get on the trails, expect to reapply it multiple times over the years, definitely not a one time deal. When you are shopping for an installer, ask to see his/her previous work. Look at the seams where the body panels meet, that should be the only place where you can tell a wrap was done, and the cuts should be super clean.
Th
I am not familiar with PPF but a co-worker says its a cool product and the best brand on the market is XPEL. But he says, "finding an installer may be tough"

Another recommendation that would offer the kind of protection you are looking for is a "rhino lining" type used for truck beds and such. I have seen a handful of these in person and it looks really good, in my opinion.
THANK YOU! This is exactly the feedback i have been looking for!
There are some XPEL retailers in my province, and that seems to be the best choice for the level of protection I am after. Covering the unit in rock guard is not on the list for consideration, maybe if this was an old TJ or something but not on my nice new JL!
 

mdelzer

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FWIW, which PPF material is better is hypothetical unless you find a shop that will do any of the major brands that you want and their installers are best of the best. You will likely see that there is a lot of shops that install it, but none of them will likely let you pick between 3M, Xpel, Suntek, STEK, etc. Find the shop that is proven to do the best installs, then go with the more top of the line film from whichever company's product they sell. If you get hung up on a superior product vs install you may get a great product with a crappy install that either looks bad or worse the edges lift at which point the panel with lifting edges will need to be redone. A reputable shop will warranty against lifting, but that said they will know how to get the best install so that lifting isn't a problem and they don't need to worry about warranty repairs very much.

As @TurboTodd implied, vinyl wrap will not do much to protect your paint vs a PPF. A good PPF can self heal and in some cases even have small scratches or imperfections corrected by a skilled detailer. Vinyl on the other hand is done once it is damaged.

In some cases ceramic coatings can also help protect your paint. My detailer had a customer whose kid wrote his name on his car with a ball point pen. In the end all the damage was to the ceramic coating and he was able to fix it 100%. It's also common to do ceramic coatings over PPF, but you would not want to do PPF over a ceramic coating because the PPF won't stick as well. The biggest benefit to a coating on PPF is to add more hydrophobic properties to the film. STEK, I have been told is the OEM supplier for PPF for brands such as Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes and that at least some of their products are "ceramic coated" from the factory and do not need another coating on top of them.

I originally decided not do do PPF. About 2 months into owning my Jeep someone hit it with something in a parking lot at a construction site. At glance I first thought it was a rock chip but after the fact I realized it was more like someone hit it with a piece of window molien while pulling it out of a truck. There was 3 spots, two were right on the front edge of the hood and the third was at the top of the grill. PPF would not likely have saved the hood from damage and in both cases I would have had to replace the hood and grill film in order to repair the damage caused to them. It would have been close to $1000 to replace those 2 pieces. Instead my detailer did the paint chip repair for $50 and I would have to point out the spot for anyone else to notice it.
 
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FWIW, which PPF material is better is hypothetical unless you find a shop that will do any of the major brands that you want and their installers are best of the best. You will likely see that there is a lot of shops that install it, but none of them will likely let you pick between 3M, Xpel, Suntek, STEK, etc. Find the shop that is proven to do the best installs, then go with the more top of the line film from whichever company's product they sell. If you get hung up on a superior product vs install you may get a great product with a crappy install that either looks bad or worse the edges lift at which point the panel with lifting edges will need to be redone. A reputable shop will warranty against lifting, but that said they will know how to get the best install so that lifting isn't a problem and they don't need to worry about warranty repairs very much.

As @TurboTodd implied, vinyl wrap will not do much to protect your paint vs a PPF. A good PPF can self heal and in some cases even have small scratches or imperfections corrected by a skilled detailer. Vinyl on the other hand is done once it is damaged.

In some cases ceramic coatings can also help protect your paint. My detailer had a customer whose kid wrote his name on his car with a ball point pen. In the end all the damage was to the ceramic coating and he was able to fix it 100%. It's also common to do ceramic coatings over PPF, but you would not want to do PPF over a ceramic coating because the PPF won't stick as well. The biggest benefit to a coating on PPF is to add more hydrophobic properties to the film. STEK, I have been told is the OEM supplier for PPF for brands such as Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes and that at least some of their products are "ceramic coated" from the factory and do not need another coating on top of them.

I originally decided not do do PPF. About 2 months into owning my Jeep someone hit it with something in a parking lot at a construction site. At glance I first thought it was a rock chip but after the fact I realized it was more like someone hit it with a piece of window molien while pulling it out of a truck. There was 3 spots, two were right on the front edge of the hood and the third was at the top of the grill. PPF would not likely have saved the hood from damage and in both cases I would have had to replace the hood and grill film in order to repair the damage caused to them. It would have been close to $1000 to replace those 2 pieces. Instead my detailer did the paint chip repair for $50 and I would have to point out the spot for anyone else to notice it.
Sounds like I should stick to my origional plan which was 3m for grille/hood/ forward facing fender components and eventually do my vinyl wrap for the fun of changing colour.
 

StingRubi

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All great points that you are getting here. My oldest son has his own Vintl wrap business and my youngest heads another vinyl wrap business in nearby city. I have gotten my Gladiator Vinyl wrapped and they are planning on doing something with my wife’s JL Rubicon she just got two weeks ago. The biggest advise I can give you is make sure you look at the tucks, seems, edges and the key is does the shop do inside door jams and how much wrap is done behind the tucks and edges. Someone with experience will not do shortcuts and this is where the biggest difference will be as far as longevity. DO NOT apply any ceramic or PPF to the Wrangler if you plan on vinyl wrapping any portion of the vehicle, whether is just hood accents of side flare accents. All vinyl work should be done first and then you can do your ceramic or PPF. If anyone tells you different, good luck!! Not a cheap date with what you trying to do but by owning a Wrangler, you already knew that!! Any other questions , feel free to ask.
 

adahl

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Hi! Do you wheel? How well does the ceramic hold up to pinstripes and rock spray? What made you choose ceramic over PPF? Thanks much!
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