vinyl wrapped RVs or buses, products, process, experience?

[tuscarora dave]

Hi Mike and the rest of the AGO members.

I'm looking for experienced suggestions from Mike or anyone who has a working knowledge of caring for vinyl wraps, specifically about what Last Step Products (LSP) works well on them that's basically a wipe on and go process.

I'm thinking something like Detailer Pro's newest coating because it comes in a bottle that would likely treat this entire vehicle at a very reasonable price.

Has anyone here (or Mike) used this product Detailer’s Paint Coating, nano paint sealant, ceramic paint coating, nano paint coating (http://www.autogeek.net/nano-paint-sealant.html) on vinyl wraps?

Do vinyl wraps need to breathe?

Another way to ask the question about the need to breathe, or not, would be "Has anyone working on vinyl wraps experienced any adverse reaction while attempting to seal or coat a vinyl wrap?

Here's the vehicle that I'm considering washing and sealing. It's a Freightliner mobile class room.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/003-37.jpg (http://s528.photobucket.com/user/tuscaroradave/media/003-37.jpg.html)

If I do work on this vehicle, I'm looking to have a wash guy going around the vehicle ahead of a guy who will follow him and dry it, then I'll follow that guy and apply the product that I go with, but I don't want to take chances experimenting with products not known to work well with vinyl wraps. I have no interest in going over this vehicle with a polisher of any kind, so a pre wax cleaner (polish) step will be out of the question as this job will have to be a wash, dry and apply proposition...wham, bam, blam, done type of process.

I was thinking Duragloss 105 but feel that something like a clear, wipe on walk away coating much more affordable than Opti-Coat pro would be the easiest application...unless of course it is known to damage vinyl wraps.

Any experience to share here in this thread would be much appreciated, from anyone who knows wraps. I can guess or speculate just as well as the next guy so that's not what I'm looking for here.

I'm looking for proven experience about "any" very easy and quick to apply products and processes for getting around a wrapped vehicle like this mobile class room in a hurry that'll leave behind a non-staining, long lasting protection.

I'm not totally against an "apply and remove" product but want to try and avoid such a product if possible, just to save time and work load on this potential project.

Thanks in advance for any help here...TD

[dad07]

Hey Dave

While I have never touched anything that large(that was wrapped).

The wrapped vehicals and trailers I have worked on I washed with DG501 and protected with DG531.

531 does a good job at protecting but I cannot tell you how long it lasts. I only see these maybe twice a year.

Really tjhats about all the help that I can give.

[tuscarora dave]

The wrapped vehicals and trailers I have worked on I washed with DG501

Thanks Tim,

Care to highlight your process of washing with DG501? Or perhaps you meant to type DG901?

[Flash Gordon]

I've polished a car that was wrapped once. I used a cleaner wax and my Griots 6". Turned out great from what I could tell. I do wonder if it dried white

[tuscarora dave]

I do wonder if it dried white

Oh my!!! I'm not willing to walk around wondering that about this rolling billboard...

[Andr3wilson]

Hydro 2? These things are pretty big.

[dad07]

Thanks Tim,

Care to highlight your process of washing with DG501? Or perhaps you meant to type DG901?

Ha ha you got me Dave......yes I did mean 901.

I was talking to friend of mine last night that does a lot of vinyl lettering and he said you can wax it.

We talked about coatings but he wouldn't speculate on whether or not they would bond .

Using somthing with uv protectants was his best recomendation.

[tuscarora dave]

Ha ha you got me Dave......yes I did mean 901.

I was talking to friend of mine last night that does a lot of vinyl lettering and he said you can wax it.

We talked about coatings but he wouldn't speculate on whether or not they would bond .

Using somthing with uv protectants was his best recomendation.

Thanks Tim, sounds like you've gone to some lengths to help me with my inquiry and I do appreciate that.

I do the wheelchair lift repair and servicing on that rig. Yesterday while emailing my invoice to them, I planted a seed about a wash and protect for the vinyl wrap. Not sure if that seed will blossom into fruit or not but either way, I'll be prepared.

[Flash Gordon]

Oh my!!! I'm not willing to walk around wondering that about this rolling billboard...

When I say dried white I mean all those little holes. Not sure if I got all the wax out of them. Not sure you could actually

[tuscarora dave]

When I say dried white I mean all those little holes. Not sure if I got all the wax out of them. Not sure you could actually

I dig what you're saying here. Too many times in the past, when seeing a customer weeks after I did a detail using wax, I've seen where the wax had dried white and looked bad in some small cracks or crevices. I worked out a better process for waxing over the years but given the choice, I'll go with a clear product like UPGP, Opti-Seal or one of the newer offerings every time.

Wax is dead to me.

[Flash Gordon]

Wax is dead to me.

I dig coatings, but most aren't willing to pay the additional price. If I were only doing my own cars that's probably the route I would go


Go luck with that beast. If your lucky they'll forget the conversation you had with them

[tuscarora dave]

I dig coatings, but most aren't willing to pay the additional price. If I were only doing my own cars that's probably the route I would go

Looking at the price of a bottle of DP coating and having had the chance to see it over applied down in Northern Virginia at one of their detailing get togethers, compared to the cost of a tub of decent carnauba wax, considering the time savings of doing a quick coating of such a product, (time is money right) my business sense justifies the use of such a product at no additional charge on most vehicles I see.

Of course there will be no warranty offered or even discussed in such a scenario. Just my prerogative to choose such an option for time savings and labor reduction and to maintain a nice shine in the end at a comparable price.

Optimum has priced their product right out of my business plan when their product (pro version) nearly doubled in price, so my hopes are that the DP offering will fit my plans even better...

After all who wants to do a job for a customer just once and then not be needed again for years? If the DP offering lasts a year on this commercial vehicle, I can offer a yearly coating with maintenance washes in between.



Go luck with that beast. If your lucky they'll forget the conversation you had with them

The old me...that is "Tuscarora Dave, the newbie to detailing" would have lost his arse on a big rig like that mobile classroom, going around it taking way too long doing way too much, and just to please me the detailer...not the customer who only cares about a clean looking rig that's easier to wash.

The "me" that I am today, having been raked over the coals of having to become profitable in order to stay alive as a business, has no qualms about racing around this thing washing it then wiping on $50 worth of a clear, wipe on walk away coating that's not going to turn white weeks later. That's the plan anyway so If they take the bait, it's on.

Thanks for posting Flash :dblthumb2: