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Vehicle care

Care for your vehicle graphics like you would any fine paint finish. Using high quality products designed specifically for car care and these cleaning and maintenance procedures will help keep your vehicle wraps looking their best.

cleaning

Wash whenever the car appears dirty. Contaminants allowed to remain on the vehicle wrap may be more difficult to remove during cleaning.

Rinse off as much dirt and grit as possible with a spray of water.

Use a wet, non-abrasive detergent car wash and a soft, clean cloth or sponge.

Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

To reduce water spotting, immediately use a silicone squeegee to remove water and finish with a clean microfiber cloth.

Pressure washing – a big no-no!

Hand washing is the preferred cleaning method with warm water.

Difficult contaminants

Soften difficult contaminants such as insect splatter, bird droppings, tree sap and similar contaminants by soaking them for several minutes with very hot, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

If further cleaning is needed, test one of these products in an inconspicuous area to ensure no damage to the wrap film: Meguiar’s Gold Class™ Bug and Tar Remover or 3M™ Citrus Base Cleaner.

Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) (two parts IPA to 1 part water) or denatured alcohol may also help. Spot clean the contaminants.

Do not use rough scrubbing or abrasive tools, which will scratch the film. Wash and rinse off all residue immediately.

FUEL SPILLS

Wipe off immediately to avoid degrading the vinyl and adhesive. Then wash, rinse and dry as soon as possible.

Window graphics

If a scraper must be used, pay close attention to the edges of the window graphic to keep the scraper from affecting the material. Scrapers may be used on glass surfaces only.

Note*

Watch out for small imperfections that can occur over time due to weather changes and/or installation obstacles. Things such as lifting and bubbling need to be brought to our attention right away so that we can determine the best remedy. However, small bubbles may be present initially due to trapped air, but will disappear in a short time.

what to expect from a vehicle wrap

what is a vehicle wrap?

A vehicle wrap consists of a design printed on special vinyl with a gloss or matt laminate. It is installed (or wrapped) directly onto the surface of the vehicle.

what is the benefit of wrapping my vehicle?

A wrapped vehicle is an amazing marketing tool with remarkable impact. Just like a mobile billboard, your vehicle can grab the attention of tens of thousands of views per day. It provides brand recognition, credibility and trust that the consumer is working with a well-established business, even if you are just starting out or have been in business for over 20 years.

how much does a vehicle wrap cost?

The vehicle type and size will determine the cost of the wrap. (Please request a quotation based on your particular requirements).

how long does the entire process take?

Developing your design is the process we focus a large amount of the time on. The length of time depends on how much direction and available high resolution and or vector art you already have for the graphics. After the design stage is finalised and goes into production, installation will be scheduled upon approval of artwork.

will there be visible seams or flaws?

Quite simply, YES. This is not a perfect product and applied by hand. Since vehicle wraps are meant to be viewed no closer than 2metre to 3metres, there will be visible seams and imperfections, with air bubbles that may appear from time to time. On certain inverted areas and body contours, you may see some lifting of the vinyl. We will touch up those areas for free for the first year.

We use a special primer adhesive on those areas, but can’t guarantee those vinyl “lifts” won’t happen. We can’t replace a panel just for a simple vinyl lift, but we will do our best to work it back into the valley of the inverted contour. Seams may appear at different places from one side of the vehicle to the next.

The viewing distance is recommended to minimise any pixelation and or rasterisation of images or solid colours that are visible when viewed closer than 2metres.

You can expect that the vinyl wrap may have small wrinkles, bubbles and minor imperfections as there are limitations with the vinyl. Please understand that this is not paint. If you expect a perfect vehicle graphic that is flawless, then an airbrushed paint job is the best way for you to proceed.

will my vehicle wrap be continuous or seamless all the way around the vehicle?

Typically, the rule for installation is to install the graphics on the sides of the vehicle first, then the front and then the back. When we install the back we aim to make a clean transition from the graphics on the side to the back, but there will be a hard line between the two graphics if the body lines of the vehicle are not in favourable places. The same is true to for the front of the vehicle. On passenger vehicles, in almost all cases, it is next to impossible to line up the sides with the back graphics and sides with the front graphics. A compound curve is a part of the vehicle that has two surfaces going in two different directions, all compound curves require us to stretch the vinyl or a piece in the vinyl to cover these areas. This causes issues with the artwork not lining up and the only cure is to use a generic solid graphic background in these areas. Some vehicles have body indents and as we cannot stretch the vinyl enough without increasing the tension beyond its limits, we are forced to cut the vinyl and cover only the areas that are viewed from straight-on. Areas around door handles, mirrors, bumpers, lights, wiper motors, aerials, roof racks etc are very difficult to make look perfect, and it is common practice in the industry to cut the vinyl around these areas and piece in extra vinyl to cover the extra body areas that the original vinyl could not cover.

our commitment to quality, our commitment to you.

as we have no control over how you care for your vehicle, we must take precautions on what we can guarantee.

  • •We recommend hand washing all wrapped vehicles. Absolutely no pressure washing.
  • Vehicles must be delivered in a clean condition, you will be advised on cleaning condition upon booking (please be aware this could delay fitting time and may possibly be chargeable)
  • If you have waxed your vehicle repeatedly, it must be de-waxed before we can brand it.
  • You may see some imperfections on certain hard line contour areas.
  • Even though we always try to minimise overlapping panels, we can’t always guarantee that.
  • We use the best quality films available to us.
  • We always over-laminate the film for extra fade and scratch protection for full digital prints only.
  • Any warranties given are for wraps and graphics applied to a good factory paint job. Warranty is at our discretion.
  • It is the client’s responsibly to check and approve all artwork including colour, size, type/text (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and vehicle specification. Any changes a er approval will incur further costs. Elite Signs & Graphics Ltd have made every effort to make the colours and finishes on screen as close as possible to the colours and finishes of the final product. However, we cannot guarantee an exact match in colours and finishes. If you require a scale ‘wet-proof’ please request one (this may be chargeable).
  • It is the clients responsibility to read through this disclaimer before booking in for vehicle work, payment of a deposit and/or agreeing on visual.
  • The customer is agreeing to this disclaimer by sending the final digital proof back, with an emailed agreement; by verbal agreement during time of 1:1 design meeting ; payment of deposit and/or agreement of booking through social media/phone calls.
  • Graphics are custom made at the time of purchase, therefore there are absolutely no returns on graphics, once proof has been signed/agreed. Be sure you have picked the right colour and graphics, before ordering because once an order is placed, you can NOT change it.
  • Any unauthorised reproduction of graphic work, without the express written permission by Elite Signs is strictly forbidden. If you wish to own the design work, you must express this when quoting is given (to ensure cost reflects design credentials).
  • All deposits are non refundable, as the deposit confirms booking allocation, shop space and material outlay. However Elite Signs will make every effort to re-book any authorised cancellations, to still meet the clients requirements.
  • We inspect the vehicle for imperfections and 99% of the time have no problems when removing the film if the wrap is taken off.
  • If you have a less than perfect paint job, there can be minimal lifting of paint or clear coating.
  • We will inspect the vehicle for troubled paint or rust areas and note that there is not a guarantee that the film will hold up on those spots.
  • With over 25 years of vinyl application experience, you can trust that we will treat your vehicle with the same care that you would use yourself.
  • Never attempt to take off the wrap yourself, always let the professionals here handle that for you.
  • On certain inverted areas and body contours, you may see some lifting of the vinyl. We will touch up those areas for free for the first year.
  • We use a special primer adhesive on those areas, but can’t guarantee those vinyl “lifts” won’t happen. We can’t replace a panel just for a simple vinyl lift, but we will do our best to work it back into the valley of the inverted contour.
  • Plan on leaving your “cleaned” vehicle with us for a minimum of 3-5 days- subject to custom booking.
  • Elite Signs & Graphics Ltd are fully insured to work on your pride and joy.
  • A “vehicle wrap” is not a paint job, but can save you thousands of pounds for such detail. YOU WILL GET NOTICED IN YOUR NEW VEHICLE !

If you have any queries, or comments please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime.