Vehicle Prep for Wrapping

By: Lowen Certified

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

How to properly clean a vehicle’s surface

Before you begin a wrap project, the most important thing to remember is to properly prep the vehicle. Without this step, the film simply won’t stick. Dust, dirt or even oils from your hand can cause the film to pull away from the surface if it’s not sanitized beforehand. Here are some tips to keep in mind when a customer brings the vehicle in. 

 

First, standard prep includes washing the vehicle with soap and water–no wax—about 24 hours in advance. Touchless auto wash is OK, but be sure to blast out the wheel wells and undercarriage manually. That is where most of the tar and road grime accumulates. 

 

The next day, take your 610 tape and squeegee five-inch long strips around various, inconspicuous parts of the vehicle. Once you’ve done that, let them sit about 15 minutes and one-by-one rip them away from the vehicle to check for clear coat or body color. 

 

You’ll want to make sure that the paint is intact, because the film will stick to loose paint rather than the vehicle, which will produce patches upon removal. 

 

If you’re ready to go after this, apply an isopropyl alcohol solution all over the vehicle body. 

There might be some areas that are difficult to clean where bugs, adhesive or tar contaminants might still be. In this case, you can use a solution like xylene. Be aware of using xylene though; if it is left on the vehicle paint too long, it will cause damage. Always test before use. 

 

Next, apply prep-sol to the entire area that you are getting ready to wrap and alcohol again. Once the body is dry, you are ready to apply the material. 

 

Finally, saturate the vehicle again with isopropyl alcohol, and remember to do smaller scale alcohol wipe downs as you go panel by panel and that the area is completely dry before applying the graphic.

 

If you follow these steps prior to wrapping a client’s vehicle, you are insuring the material life of the product as well as making sure that removal will go smoothly when it comes time to re-wrap.