Today's vinyl wrap experience

[HEADPHONES]

With my ever losing battle with oxidising headlights no matter what coating I used after polishing, I committed myself to try a wrap to protect them.

 

Being aware of my limited skills I bought 3 pieces with the plan to try wrapping a spare old rear light cluster I have lying around

The size and curves being similar to the front headlights would be a good training exercise.

 

Armed with a heat gun and some spray lube (750ml water and a teaspoon of shower gel)

I made quite good progress.

Just needed to use my fingernail to tuck the edges in tight.

[HEADPHONES]

So I repolished one of the headlights and then wiped down with alcohol. Re wiped with water.

Then started my wrap.

All went well til I peeled off the protective top layer.

No bubbles but some cloudy patches similar to when celotape sticks against itself adhesive side to adhesive side and when you pull it apart it isn't clear anymore.

I thought maybe I used the wrong lube so tried again with JUST WATER........

May as well have tried using it dry....... total mess

Going to order another FOUR pieces as I'm adamant to nail this

[SPAXY]

good on you mate,keep going on it.the lad who does my window tinting uses johnson baby shampoo,not sure why maybe the lowish chemical content,maybe worth a try on a test piece.

[Andy_Muxlow]

That’s a great idea. Good luck and keep going. 

[davey_83]

Keep at it pal, coatings are crap and don't last.

 

Done mine x3 times now for the pair and 90% is good enough. Careful not to get fingers on the sticky part of the film that will end up on the headlamp and to clean all areas around the lamp also. All good practice as these lamps look fairly flat however are far from.

[veeg33]

I would recommend fairly liquid + water. Spray on both surfaces, headlights and also the film (sticky side). Lots of water to stop it from sticking when you position/work on the film. Start from middle and work you way out with a squeeze or credit card. Once you 'squeeze' the water out, the film will stick to your headlights. Depending on the film quality, you want to consider to either cut the film to size ie no folding at the edges or 3-5mm extra to fold it. Both have their pros and cons.

 

To size - No risk of edge unfolding due to film not sticking to headlights well but you might peel it whilst washing your headlights (I supposed you can take care whilst washing them).

 

Folded - Looks better but as above, the edges might start to unfold after some time

[davey_83]

Where possible I've folded the film for the lamps even using cheap wrap and as long as the surface is clean and you post heat the edge to seal, it won't fail and that's 3yrs on.

[HEADPHONES]

Is it me or the material?

I get this milky cloudiness and this is my third attempt.

If I do a small patch that doesn't need stretching or lifting to reposition, it's all good.

But I have to heat and stretch to get round the curves right?

[Umster]

Material. Though I'd leave it on for a few days and see what happens. 

 

When it comes to wrapping, I would always recommend to pay a professional and someone who's willing to offer a "lifetime guarantee". Worth every penny imo, I've had air bubbles/water spots get in and they've offered to replace the wrap for me. 

[davey_83]

Those areas you shouldn't need heat at all.

 

https://youtu.be/IFuNQSM6Yhc

 

This is the only section ideally you want to be adding fitment heat. 

 

[HEADPHONES]

Just finished my 4th attempt of the day.

I finally have to admit defeat.

I've run out of film anyway

I'm pretty sure it's because I'm taking too long and the adhesive doesn't like being repeatedly squeegeed.

Didn't even peel off to reposition at all this time, holding the heat gun between my knees and using 2 hands to stretch round the bottom left corner.

 

 

[HEADPHONES]

This last roll had some creases in it but I thought I'd use it up to practice with.

You can see the row of perfectly straight lines.

Hopefully these disappear with time.

If not no biggy as it can be peeled off.

[davey_83]

Bar those defects, application looks great. Is this being applied wet or dry? 

[HEADPHONES]

I was wetting underneath and ontop every 30 seconds or so.

[davey_83]

See how they look in a few days 

[ilogikal1]

As much use as YouTube videos are, drop our resident professional a message and see if @zippypooz has any helpful advice/input for you. I suspect whether it's user error or media issues, he will be able to identify it.

[HEADPHONES]

I did some digging on the subject late last night and found this

[HEADPHONES]

So I didn't rip the wrap off and thought I'd take Davey's advice.

This morning there's a big difference.

Pics show last night Vs this morning

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by HEADPHONES

[zippypooz]

So, start at the most curved end of the light first when ready to apply, use johnsons baby shampoo, only a little as if you use too much it wont adhere well. Always keep your hands wet when touching the film. Usually those marks appear when theres water left under the film or if its been stretched too much OR if not enough liquid has been used. Sometimes it will vanish after a few days but ideally you dont want it there in the first place. When trying to stick the edges down, squirt with clean water to remove the soapiness and then squeegee down. To be fair youve not done a bad job considering you did it on your own! An extra pair of hands always helps! Well done though!

[HEADPHONES]

20 hours ago, zippypooz said:

20 hours ago, zippypooz said:

When trying to stick the edges down, squirt with clean water to remove the soapiness and then squeegee down

 

That's a great tip thanks

I used one teaspoon of Johnson's baby shampoo to 750ml water. I didn't even cheap out and buy Tesco's own brand 

I'll be ordering another 4 pieces and I'm pretty confident I'll nail it now

Edited August 2, 2021 by HEADPHONES

[HEADPHONES]

Looking even better now, but it was a defective sheet to begin with so I'll redo when I get more supplies.

[Andy_Muxlow]

That looks great!

[zippypooz]

Nice job!

[Loadmaster]

What a difference!

[davey_83]

You'll be a pro before long, well done looks great