Wrap Your Fast Ford? We've Put Together Tips, Tricks, Questions and An

What most of us can recognise when we see it, is that wraps are COOL. Whether it's a race tribute livery wrap like James created for his Q767R Mach 1 (above), in honour of the V8 Supercar series in Australia that inspired him, or an OEM factory look "colour change" wrap like our Satin Viper Green and gloss black combo Q767 Dark Horse, or even a full on super cool custom design that you create yourself or are inspired by someone else (like our awesome Fiesta ST wrap), then wraps give you the flexibility and ability to completely change the look of your car. You don't even have to do the whole car. You can wrap your wing mirrors, your spoiler, the roof, whatever you like! And of course, for a Mustang, then your local wrapper can provide you with the custom stripes of your dreams! Double? Single? Asymmetrical? Contrast? Subtle? Bold? Outlines? Faded? Even just stripes have a thousand options and that's before you even get to the colour itself!!

Q767 Dark Horse in Arlon Satin Viper Green

Steeda Q767 Dark Horse Mustang wrapped in Satin Viper Green

Steeda Fiesta ST in custom 3M livery

James Q767R Mach 1 in Arlon custom race livery

Well as i said, we all know that wraps can be super cool. But I bet, that like me, we dont know much else about wrapping. So I asked the pros and will try and answer some basic questions here and also provide a great links library for those who want to go into more depth. So lets go!

Question One: How Long does a full wrap take?
Well that's a "How long is a piece of string question". How complex is the wrap? How long will just designing it take? How long will applying it take? What car do you have?

So let's put aside the designing stage that can take a lot of back and forth with your designer or just you and your mates, and cut straight to the installation.

Industry standard timelines for a full body wrap are 1–3 shop days for a simple saloon and up to 2–5 days for a complex car with a variety of shapes scoops curves etc like a Mustang. Arlon PCC’s FLITE Technology® is designed to speed installation and repositioning, which can compress time versus conventional films, which is why the actual wrap you chose can have an impact. They aren't all the same.

Simpler wraps can be quicker and beware those who cut corners on the install process..... But of course your budget can also help you decide how to do things.... The main thing is to consult carefully with your installing dealer before the install, so you can work out the design and install that best suits your aim and budget.

Question Two: Durability / Expected Lifespan ?

This is a very common question / worry. We asked our experts at Arlon and they told us that just like paint, taking care of your car and protection / exposure is very important to how long it will last. Left out in hot sunshine all the time will punish a car a lot more than a car in temperate areas of northern Europe, and a garage pampered car will be protected best of all (just like paint basically!) . Also the type of wrap has an impact on its durability.

As a guide the Arlon warranty says that for vertically oriented panels in temperate climates (Zone 1):
PCC Black / White is warranted up to 10 years;
Solid Colours up to 8 years;
Metallic / Pearls / Aluminium up to 5 years.

Horizontal exposures (like roof and bonnet) can reduce durability substantially.

Arlon divide things in to 3 zones globally for warranty durability. :

If you want more details the full Arlon Colour Change warranty can be found HERE

Question Three: How do I take care of my wrap once installed?

This is the crucial one, and what can scare some people away from committing to a wrap.... How do I take care of it? Can I even wash it? What do I use?

Arlon’s official care guidance: The basic rules!

1. Hand wash preferred. Avoid brush car washes!

2. If pressure washing is unavoidable. Then follow these rules:

Nozzle pressure should never exceed 1,300 PSI.

Water temperature should not exceed approximately 140°F (60°C).

Nozzle tip should never be closer than around five feet or one meter from the graphics.

Angle of water spray should be no shallower than 60° from perpendicular.

The detergent solution should always be blended with water at the correct ratio – a more concentrated solution can damage both the adhesive and the vinyl.

A post-washing, fresh-water rinse will help maintain the life of the paint and vinyl.

• First wash timing / post install:
Allow time for the film to settle before washing. So hands off!

• Spot contaminants (bird droppings/bugs/sap)
Soften with warm soapy water; for stubborn spots use a 50/50 IPA/water mix, then rinse immediately.

• Sun/UV
Prefer indoor/shaded parking. Horizontal panels (hood/roof) take the most heat/UV; keep extra clean and protect with wrap safe products.

• Matte/Satin vs Gloss
Do not wax / polish matte or satin wraps; for gloss, wrap safe wax / ceramic is acceptable (no abrasives or petroleum distillates).

For more tips visit: [help.arlon.com]

If the worst happens and someone or something damages your car? Then what do we do?

Question Four: How do I Repair or Replace if Damaged?

Well the great thing about a wrap is not only does it look cool, but it effectively provides a layer of protection for your car for the panels and paint underneath. If something does happen, often you can just replace the single panel that's affected by removing that panel of the wrap and replacing it, and if it's done correctly it will keep the warranty from the manufacturer too.

Removal normally uses a carefully controlled heat application and careful low peel angle and then once done you will be ready to simply re-wrap the affected panel once everything is repaired. Arlon have a cool youtube series of guides if you want to have a crack at removal yourself...or even more challenging, installing!

Arlon YouTube Guide:: How to remove a Wrap

This guide isn't comprehensive, but there are tools here to help you find information below. You can spend hours on the Arlon youtube channel watching how to's and also just checking out loads of different kinds of wraps to get ideas....

However one big warning....

if you try and get a wrap like our Tune It Safe Q500 Enforcer.... You MIGHT get in trouble!

Remember: Tribute Race cars: Legal... But Tribute Police cars: Potentially illegal!

Got a cool wrap? Tag us on instagram! @Steedauk

Resources for Wrapping:
Arlon Distributors’ list is here: Find an Arlon Distributor
Arlon Certified Installers List is here: Find a Certified Installer - EU_EN

Arlon Graphics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ArlonGraphics

(Check out the Road to Wrap playlists)

Arlon Colour Palette Page: (it doesn't really give you the full effect but at least you can start to get some ideas!) Premium Colour Change with Flite Technology | Arlon Graphics | Arlon Graphics

Arlon Installation guide: (for DIY heroes!): ARLON+PCC+Installation+Guide+PCC+EU_EN.pdf

Wrap Your Fast Ford? We've Put Together Tips, Tricks, Questions and Answers for you from the pro team at Arlon

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