Vehicle wraps aren’t meant to be installed and forgotten. Like the rest of your vehicle, your vehicle wrap requires regular cleaning and maintenance. For longer-lasting, vibrant colour, wash your wrap on a regular basis and keep your vehicle away from possible pollutants.
Here are answers to some common questions customers have about the cleaning and maintenance of vehicle wraps.
Wash your wrap once a week or more often if your vehicle is exposed to a lot of dirt or pollutants. Always use a nice automotive sponge or clean, soft cloth to wash your wrap. Rinse vehicle with clear water after washing. Minimize water spotting by using a silicone squeegee or chamois to remove water. Dry with a clean microfiber cloth.
You can bring your wrapped vehicle to an automated brushless car wash, though hand washing is safer and more thorough. Brush car washes may be too rough on the film, degrading it and causing peeling and lifted edges. If a car wash uses water spray and no brushes, it should be safe for most wraps.
Use isopropyl rubbing alcohol to spot clean isolated stains. Rinse area with cool water after cleaning. Don’t use tire dressing to spot clean as it may splash on the wrap and cause stains. Avoid wiping the wrap when it’s hot; this can distort the material and cause wrinkling.
If you want to pressure wash your vehicle wrap, keep it below 2,000 psi. Use a spray nozzle with a 40 degree wide angle spray pattern and keep water temperature below 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the spray nozzle at least 12 inches away from the car edges.
Clean bird droppings and difficult stains immediately. Letting them sit for too long will make them harder to remove and may permanently damage the wrap. Soak the affected area for a few minutes with warm, soapy water to loosen the contaminants. Rinse completely and dry with a microfiber cloth. For stubborn contaminants, use denatured alcohol, 3M® Citrus Base Cleaner, Meguiar’s Gold Class™ Bug and Stain Remover or two parts isopropyl alcohol to one part water. Always test these solutions on a small area that’s not easily noticeable to ensure the cleaner will not harm the wrap. Do not use solvents or oil based cleaning products!
Wipe off fuel spills immediately, then hand wash the affected area. Letting the spill stay the wrap too long will degrade the vinyl. A quick wipe with a wet paper towel at a gas station will clean the fuel affected area decently enough until you can get home to do a more thorough job.
NEVER use any of the following products to clean your wrap:
A professionally applied car wrap will last at least 5 years. Every car we wrap come with a minimum 3 years warranty and maximum 8 year warranty depending on the material used.
Applying specialist car wrapping film to your vehicle will not damage your paintwork, provided the paintwork has initially bonded correctly to the surface. However If you already have stone chips, abrasions, rust patches or your vehicle has undergone a respray then it’s important to remember that when the vinyl is removed it may pull loose paint/lacquer off with it.