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5 Simple Tips to Care For Your Car Wrap

car wraps in Toronto

Vinyl car wraps protect paint and bodywork from a lot of the everyday wear and tear. But that doesn’t mean car wraps don’t need to be cared for. We are listing out essential care tips that will make your vinyl wraps last a long, long time.

1. Hand wash your car

If you’ve got a vinyl wrap for your car, you want to show it off. That means you need to keep it looking bright and clean. Dust, road salt and oil splatters can erode the sheen of the car wrap. But do not take your car to a car wash! The high pressure water jets, abrasive brushes and blasts of air are a strict no-no.

Use some mild car soap and a washing mitt and scrub the wrap gently. Harsh chemicals and excess pressure will fade and tear the wrap. If you want to keep your wrap looking like new for longer, hand washing the car is the best of doing that.

3M recommends washing wrapped cars frequently because if contaminants remain on the surface for long they may be more difficult to remove.

2. Don’t let debris, salt and bird droppings harden

We have all heard that sage winter advice: hose down the car after it’s been driven through slush and salt. The same applies to car wraps in Toronto too. Bird droppings, sap and road salt and oil splatters can harden over time. Once they do, they not only become a lot harder to remove, they can cause the vinyl to fade, stretch and distort.

Make it a habit to clean your car regularly. While the debris is still fresh, it won’t require much cleaning effort to remove either. If you discover debris has hardened, don’t try and rub it off with excess force. Take a sponge and dip it in soapy water; then apply it against the debris for up to a minute. The dirt will soften and should come off easily.

3. Don’t leave the car under the sun or snow all year round

If you leave a car – fresh from the dealer – under the harsh summer sun for weeks the paint will fade prematurely. That’s simply the heat and sunlight reacting with the different paint pigments and causing them to disintegrate. The same goes for snow, which can harden clear coat and cause chips.

A car wrap will protect your car’s original paint, but it too needs to be protected from a hot sun and layers of snow. If possible, keep your wrapped car in a covered garage. If that’s not possible, use a car cover, especially if you won’t be using the vehicle for long periods.

How often should you wash your car?

Every one to two weeks is a good idea.

4. No more waxing or polishing

This is one maintenance tip that owners love to hear. After all, keeping cars waxed and polished is the bane of many a car owner. Vinyl car wraps do not need to be waxed. In fact, adding chemicals such as polishes will reduce the lifespan of the wrap, affecting the colors.

5. Getting peels looked at by car wrap pros in Toronto

Has a stone chip caused an abrasion in your wrap? Has one of the edges started to peel prematurely? With time and driving, wraps can develop minor embellishments such as these. But fear not! Bring your car to a professional installer like Insight Signs and Graphics. We will have the tear or peel fixed in no time at all. We have industrial adhesives, tools and the wrapping experts to take care of your wrap and keep it performing for years.

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