Alloy wheel wrapping allows for the owner of a vehicle to express their aesthetic choices on how they want their car to look. Wrapping your alloys can give you the colour, look and finish to your alloys that you’ve always desired.
What is alloy wheel wrapping?
Wrapping your alloys is a non-permanent way of refurbishing alloys – not only does it allow for expression of vehicle aesthetics, but it also protects the alloy for a long period of time.
Why choose alloy wheel wrapping?
Not only does wrapping your alloys allow for more customisation options than other refurbishment processes, such as painting and diamond cutting, it will also protect the original alloy a lot better.
There are other options to designing and customising your alloys, such as diamond cutting. However, the process of diamond cutting is more expensive than wrapping your alloys and includes cutting away at small areas of the alloy.
Painting an alloy can also be done instead, although this paint can be easily chipped away and cause further implications to the original alloy.
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How long does alloy wheel wrapping take?
The time it takes to wrap your alloys can depend on the overall demand and availability within the garage itself.
Aside from this, the whole process can be completed typically the same day, and will generally never take more than two days to complete.
Benefits of wrapping your wheels
Wrapping your alloys can help prolong the overall life of the original alloy underneath the wrap, as the vinyl protects the alloy from the environmental elements.
If you are wanting to create a unique look through your car, wrapping your alloys is a great choice as it allows for endless customisation options!
How alloy wheels are wrapped
- The alloy is cleaned with a degreaser – this is done multiple times using a lint-free towel.
- Alcohol is then used to remove the degreaser before the vinyl is applied.
- Measurements are then made to ensure the correct amount of vinyl is used to cover the alloy.
- A heat gun is used to make sure the vinyl is firmly applied with no air trapped underneath.
- Once the vinyl has been applied using a heat gun, the excess around the alloy is then cut off using an exacto blade.
- Once the vinyl has been applied and excess vinyl wrap has been removed, the alloy is post-heated to ensure any bubbles are removed and that the film is cured properly.
How to care for wrapped alloy wheels
With good quality care and application of the vinyl wrap, they can last five to seven years.
One method of prolonging the life of wrapped alloys further than this is to reapply the vinyl around the fourth year since the first application.
Ensuring that your alloys are kept clean and that you drive carefully on them is key.
Is there an alternative to alloy wheel wrapping?
There are multiple options when it comes to customising your alloys. The question should really be, is there any which are better than choosing to wrap your alloys?
One option is to paint the alloy – this is done using special paint which helps protect the alloy.
Powder coating can also be used instead of wrapping your alloys. A high quality finish can be produced easier than painting as the substance does not run and can be applied a lot thicker. However, powder coating compared to wrapping is a lot less hassle and is alternatively cheaper.
Diamond cutting is also an alternative, instead of wrapping. This is done through the use of a lathe machine which precisely cuts away small areas of the alloy – this then creates a shiny new look.
Instead of cutting away areas of your alloys to get this look however, the edges of your alloys can also be wrapped, giving the look of diamond cutting without the cut.
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