11 Reasons to Wrap Your Vehicle Instead of Painting It

AUGUST 12, 2021| SpeedPro of Denver

WHY A WRAP IS THE BETTER CHOICE

When you want to change your vehicle’s appearance, you can choose between painting it or wrapping it. Both options allow you to outfit your vehicle with a new look, but there are some major differences between them. Vehicle wraps offer several key benefits compared to painting. For example, it could be less expensive to wrap and the wrap provides higher and long-lasting quality, greater protection and more design options. Vehicle wraps’ advantages make them an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes, whether they’re looking to save money or create a one-of-a-kind design.

As you consider the main wrap vs. paint pros and cons, you’ll find that vehicle wraps offer several benefits over paint. Some of the top areas where vehicle wraps excel include better quality, more durability, lower costs and faster installation when compared to paint. By learning more about the top advantages vehicle wraps have over paint, you can make a more informed decision when choosing between the two.

Here are some of the top reasons to choose wrapping your vehicle instead of painting it:

1. BETTER QUALITY
While both paint and wraps’ quality can vary by the type you choose, vehicle wraps tend to be of higher quality than paints. A poor-quality paint job may look good a first, but over time, it’ll fade, crack and scratch. Even paint jobs featuring better quality paints can suffer damage more easily than wraps, as they don’t offer the same level of protection against the weather, sun exposure and road hazards. A good vehicle wrap will keep your vehicle looking its best long after a paint job would. An experienced wrap vendor uses long-lasting, durable materials designed to protect your vehicle’s appearance. Since vehicle wraps don’t fade as fast as many paints do and won’t chip, they offer higher-quality visuals and protection. This level of quality attracts businesses of all sizes, as it helps them get more for their money.

2. LOWER COSTS
Alongside choosing wraps for their better quality, you may want to know more about wrap vs. paint costs. Since a good paint job can cost more than double the cost of a professional vehicle wrap, many companies with fleets choose them over paint. The lower costs allow buyers to save money while getting an attractive look meeting or exceeding a top-tier paint job and reduces the overall expense of wrapping multiple vehicles. Additionally, paint jobs require more maintenance, leading to higher costs down the road. Vehicle wrap maintenance is much easier, saving your business money.

3. MORE DESIGN OPTIONS
Another area where quality vehicle wraps beat paint is the number of options they provide to buyers. With a vehicle wrap, you can select from many different colors and design options, including holographic effects and details that can be difficult to manage with paint but are simple with vinyl. Custom vehicle wraps can match the exact color palette you want for your vehicle. You can also outfit a wrap with custom designs to advertise your business, such as lettering, logos and specialty graphics.

4. HIGHER VEHICLE RESALE VALUE
When it’s time to resell your vehicle, quality wraps can help you keep its value higher than paint will. For many buyers, a vehicle featuring its original manufacturer’s paint in good condition is incredibly valuable. We all know that as vehicles get driven around, the paint can get scratched or chipped. Additionally, exposure to the sun and other weather elements can cause the paint to fade and wear down. Damage or wear to the original paint can reduce the vehicle’s resale value. If you own a vehicle and want to change its appearance while keeping the original paint job, a vehicle wrap is perfect. Vehicle wraps allow you to retain the vehicle’s original paint job, as a high-quality vehicle wrap won’t damage the paint and will provide a protective cover over it. Once you decide to sell the vehicle, the paint will often look like it did on the day you first wrapped it, raising the vehicle’s resale value when compared to damaged paint.

5. FASTER INSTALLATION
A major benefit of wrapping your vehicle instead of painting it is that it can be a faster process. A new paint job can take weeks to complete as the company paints your vehicle and waits for the paint to dry between each coat. This waiting period can be inconvenient, and for companies that need their fleet on the road, it can result in lost revenue. When you decide to wrap your vehicle, the process usually only takes a few days. A large format printing and installation studio only has to print out your desired wrap and then install it on your vehicle, getting it back to you in less than a week. Some companies can even wrap your vehicle in only a single day. As a result, you get your vehicle back faster than if you’d gone with paint.

6. LONGER LASTING
While high-end paint jobs can last for a while, a low-end paint job may only last for a couple of years. A cheap paint job will often start chipping, wearing and fading in just two years, leaving you to pay for another coat of paint. Even if you receive the best paint job money can buy, it’s susceptible to damage from scratches, inclement weather, rocks and other environmental harm, as well as minor fading. Since you likely want your vehicle looking its best for as long as possible, you may want to turn to wraps. Wraps feature durable vinyl designed to last up to 10 years and offer greater protection from scratches from rocks and other environmental dangers. Additionally, you can select vinyl wraps with a UV-resistant coating to keep your wrap’s colors as vivid as the day you first installed it on your vehicle for many years.

7. EASIER COLOR AND DESIGN SWAPPING
When you want to change the look of your vehicle, wraps have the edge over paint jobs. If you choose paint, you need to repaint the entire vehicle to get a new look, which can take a lot of time to accomplish. Additionally, it’s often difficult to place special effects and finishes on your vehicle with paint, limiting your options when you decide to change your vehicle’s appearance. Unlike paint, you can quickly swap out older vehicle wraps for new ones, allowing you to update your branding or style as needed. The wrap can be cleanly removed and the new one applied to give the vehicle to give it a whole new look. Vehicle wraps can also more easily facilitate effects, colors and finishes that paint can struggle with. For example, color shift, satin, pearl and chrome finishes are much easier to add to your vehicle with wraps instead of with paint.

8. SIMPLER MAINTENACE
Paint requires more maintenance than vinyl if you want it to look its best for a long time. Generally, owners must wax their vehicles to protect the paint and wash it regularly to prevent contaminants from harming the paint. When owners don’t wash their vehicle’s exterior, contaminants, like pollutants and microparticles, will form in the paint’s pores and corrode the paint. Regular washing and reapplying protective coats can take lots of time and cost money. Vehicle wraps offer an attractive alternative to paint, as they don’t require such intensive maintenance. You won’t need to wash your vehicle as often since vinyl doesn’t have pores like paint that allow contaminants to embed themselves in the wrap. Washing vinyl is easy as well, with simple maintenance requirements. If you operate a fleet, you can save money since you don’t have to devote as much labor or budget to keeping your vehicles looking their best.

9. SAFER AND EASIER REMOVAL
Paint can be difficult to remove. When you need to take off a coat of paint or restore a scuffed panel to its former glory, it can be a time-consuming, laborious process. You’ll often have to remove paint manually using a sanding device. You may also need to pay for mechanical or chemical paint removal solutions if manual options aren’t ideal. Manual removal requires lots of hard work, and mechanical paint removal can damage the vehicle. In contrast, vehicle wrap removal is straight-forward and doesn’t require an intensive process. Removing a vehicle wrap usually involves heating the decal, peeling it off by hand and then using an adhesive remover. As long as a wrap is removed in a time frame that doesn’t exceed the manufacturer’s instructions, which can be up to 10 years, it won’t typically damage the paint underneath it. Because of the wrap’s design, vehicle wrap removal is a safer and simpler process than paint removal.

10. GREATER PAINT PROTECTION
When you place a wrap over your vehicle’s paint, you’re installing a level of protection over it to keep it free from damage. Vehicles that don’t have wraps on them put their paint in harm’s way, as it’s exposed to weather, environmental hazards and dangers on the road. For example, if your vehicle kicks up a rock while you’re driving, it can hit the paint, chipping it or scratching it. Additionally, prolonged sun exposure can cause a paint’s color to fade especially here at Mile High! Wraps prevent damage to your paint by covering your vehicle with vinyl. Vinyl vehicle wraps are much more resistant to hazards and other dangers than paint, helping your vehicle maintain its great looks year-round. You can purchase thick vinyl wraps to safeguard your paint from rocks and scratches from other vehicles.

11. MORE TEXTURE OPTIONS
Another main area where vinyl shines is in its texture options. Paint only comes in one smooth texture, with any rough textures coming from contaminants lodged in the surface. This lack of textural options can be a major downside to buyers who want to personalize their vehicle and really stand out while driving. Vehicle wraps can come in various textures to give your vehicle a particular feeling when you run your hands over it. Besides their ability to change how a vehicle feels, textured wraps can also change the look of the vehicle significantly. Since different textures react to light in various ways, they can change your vehicle’s appearance a great deal, providing them with more depth and elegance and drawing more eyes to a company’s graphics. Some popular options include satin, gloss and matte vehicle wraps.

SOME COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT VEHICLE WRAPS
As you consider investing in vehicle wraps for your fleet of one or hundreds, here’s a couple more common questions about wraps:
• Is it possible to wrap a vehicle yourself? Unless you’re an expert wrap installer, it’s not recommended to attempt to do it yourself. It’s much safer (and more efficient) to allow a professional to install vehicle wraps, as putting on a wrap correctly can be a difficult process for those who aren’t trained to install them. By sticking to professional installation, you can avoid bubbles and wrinkles in your wrap, ensuring your vehicle looks its best.
• Do you have to have to replace the entire wrap if a section is damaged? Accidents can happen, and sometimes a vehicle wrap will get damaged. One benefit of vehicle wraps is that you often don’t have to replace the entire wrap when you need to repair a specific area. Instead, you can purchase a partial wrap exactly matching your full wrap’s design and color, with a professional lining it up seamlessly with the rest of the wrap’s design.
• Can you wrap a leased vehicle? While leasing companies have varying restrictions for their vehicles, they generally allow buyers to use vehicle wraps. Since wraps can protect a vehicle’s paint and usually won’t harm it, many leasing companies are happy to allow clients to wrap their vehicles.

CHOOSE SPEEDPRO DENVER TO DESIGN, PRINT & INSTALL YOUR VEHICLE GRAPHICS
What can we design, print and install to transform your vehicle? We offer full wraps, partial wraps and decals. Contact us at 303.426.4199 or denver@speedpro.com. Check out our impressive portfolio at www.speedpro.com/denver/portfolio then give us a call to get started!