Anyone Ever Vinyl Wrap Their Jeep?

Making my jeep actually look good has always been secondary to making it run good, but after 1947578284 years of tinkering I might be mustering up the courage to beautify it. I've looked into these vinyl wraps everyone seems to be doing in the wrangler world and it looks very DIY friendly and cost effective, but I have some questions about it, if anyone on here has ever messed with it.

For one I'm wondering how durable vinyl is for a woods trail jeep. I drag a lot of branches down the side of this thing and if vinyl is going to shred on the first trail that's a dealbreaker. I've read in some places that vinyl is actually more durable than paint, is that right?

Also wondering how vinyl will work on a less than perfect jeep body. I have some rust that I'd have to do my best to stabilize and I guess bondo. Also have some old bondo work that needs to be redone. But does the body have to be in pristine condition for vinyl to work or can I get away with covering up some problem areas? I also wonder about longevity. This stuff is still relatively new I guess, but I hope it wouldn't start peeling off after a couple of years of abuse. If it did, I guess you'd just lay another patch over the top?

Interested to hear your experience with vinyl.

 

Now that new jeep can look old!

 

That's awesome

 

If only the leak was simulated…

 

Only one?

 

I have some experience with wheeling a wrapped vehicle, and a fair amount of time around them in general. The actual surface of the wrap is durable; it would be hard to start a tear in the face of the wrap. But catching the edge of a body panel, or worse yet, the edge of the actual wrap, that’s where they’re the weakest. Knicks and small tears are more common than a whole rip down your side. I’d be inclined to say your satisfaction would rely on the type of finish the wrap has and the quality of the component itself.

I’ve seen some wraps cover some bad body sections, and it covers it with a uniform color, but it does telegraph through.

Keep us posted if you go this route.

 

"Now that new jeep can look old!"

I'm never real impressed by Mastercard authenticity.

 

I usually tend to agree, although I have to concede that the effect is impressive albeit disappointing when you realize it's on a 3 month old mall crawler. I guess it's no different than the "worn" new jeans we wore in the 80's..

 

At first I though this concept was kinda dumb.. Then I realized that it would save me a lot of effort that is basically wasted on an old jeep im going to dent up anyway. I could also change the effect without a paint booth..

 

I have been strongly considering wrapping my jeep in a satin finish. There are a couple wrap colors that are really close to the factory Empire Blue color of my jeep.

 

Don't leave plastic on the trail!
Or anything else.

 

I spent a lot of time and money making my 1964 Tux look like new, and can't understand why they want to make a new Jeep look Old? But I am Old School, and lived it the Rust Belt all my life, got to laugh about it. I had an Older Lady ask me what made my Jeep Antique when she saw my plate, I told her it was over 50 years old, she just looked at me and walked away, I had to smile at her.

 

Just for kicks, I stopped by a local wrap shop this morning to see what it costs to wrap a cj5.

they estimated $2000 - $3000 including body, dash, and window frame if desired.

the vinyl he quoted is guaranteed 5-7 years if kept outside. Longer if garaged

Not sure how well it would hold up off roading.

 

Not to mention changing your mind later on and doing something different

 

Yeah I don't know how that compares to a having a paint shop powder coat it for you. I'm mostly interested in the vinyl wrap because it looks more DIY friendly than paint and might last longer than a home-done paint job. I think it's a good bit less than that to wrap it yourself. I'm seeing prices around $1500 worth of material and some basic tools

 

How easy would it be to repair a torn section if torn by brush, roots, rocks, etc.? Most paints aren’t all that difficult.

 

Spraying your own paint is not that difficult. Prep is everything. Yep, might end up with an occasional entombed bug but it works. Anymore, for a real trail Jeep, I think you may as well rattle can it because it isn't going to stay pretty. I have the same thoughts on fancy wheels. I don't think I own a Jeep wheel that doesn't have a case of rock rash.

Powder coat? Do yourself a big favor and forget that stuff. It can be applied so it lasts but in my experience that very rarely happens. Most of it ends up looking like my JK bumber---It actually promotes rust out.

 

I don't get it???

 

Jeez, with all the salt on our roads here, you can get the real deal in no time.

 

I agree wholeheartedly!