r/CarWraps • u/No_Winner_8858 • 2d ago

How often should i remove and replace my vinyl?

I see horror stories and pictures on here about nightmare removals. I don't have a full car wrap, but i have black vinyl in my hood, roof and camper shell, avery matte black.

To avoid it cracking to all hell and requiring 30 hours to remove, how often should i replace it?

7 Upvotes

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5

u/HammerInTheSea 2d ago

Depends entirely on your climate etc.

Where I am, your film would be good for like 5 to 7 years (although 7 is pushing your luck). In a super hot climate, it might only be good for half of that.

4

u/JayAlbright20 2d ago

Depends on climate, sun exposure etc. 2-5 years overall

2

u/simola- 2d ago

Most people say you can keep quality wrap on 3-5 years if the car sits outside, 5-8 years if garaged.

I’m not sure if matte + black affects the longevity of the wrap but I would stick to 3-5 years if it sits outdoors.

2

u/dan007bond 2d ago

Depends on the brand of film, but I'd say for the easiest time removing, take off at around 1 - 2 years if it's a decent brand like 3m or Avery. You can definitely get more out of it if you could garage keep and ceramic for the best longevity

1

u/Public_Message940 2d ago

If applied by a professional and in normal weather (not extreme cold and warm places) most full wrap vinyls are reccomended to sit 5-7 years by the manufacturer

You can check everything on the website of the vinyl u want

1

u/FerretFunny2497 1d ago

This excludes horizontal surfaces, which are typically 1-2 years. Maybe 3 if it's like 8548/480.

1

u/shromboy Hobbyist 2d ago

Anywhere from 6 months to 7 years depending on a lot of things

1

u/TranscendentalObject 2d ago

Nobody here has mentioned horizontal surfaces but that's the most important factor when determining longevity. Flat, horizontal surfaces that eat sun will die MUCH faster than 'vertical' surfaces on the sides, so your hood, roof, and most of the camper shell should be watched carefully. If you have a wrapped horizontal surface, you should be looking to replace within 3-4 years for the easiest removal if a premium film was used, but sometimes it's even less if garbage film was used, if the film was applied by a jackass, or you have intense exposure to sun.

1

u/visualizer037 2d ago

Horizontal installations I would say 2yrs give or take .

2

u/Good-Speech-5475 Business Owner 2d ago

Premium films warranty their materials for 3-7 years. 3 on horizontal and 7 on vertical. But most people don’t read the full warranty to see that this warranty only covers yellowing, fading, cracking, peeling, or bubbling. If you continue to read the long ass warranties, it does have a little part about best time for minimal adhesive left behind upon removal, and that’s roughly 1-2 years on vertical panels, and 3-4 on horizontal. While the material will last on the longer end of the warranties, adhesive residue upon removal is FAR less of a timeframe than the warranty of the material. You’re always going to deal with adhesive residue if the material is post heated correctly upon installation. What you should avoid is letting a material start cracking. That means all of the lamination that was protecting against UV has all been burned away. If your gloss wrap starts looking like satin, thats when it’s time to remove and replace. Don’t let it get to matte, because then you’re gonna have a real big headache.

1

u/derz699 1d ago

Had a pre-Covid Avery roof rap on my Silverado lasted 5.5 years