Vinyl Wrap... Hood/front Bumper

[Wattz]

3M makes car wrap that is very forgiving and is made to stretch around curves and into corners. I used to work making signs and did a half wrap on a Kia Rondo. It's far from easy, but not impossible. Buy enough that you can practice a bit before you do the entire car. Start at the BACK of the car. You want the overlap seam opening towards the rear of the car so it doesn't build up much dirt or catch wind and start to peel.

Ultimately, your wrap will last a couple of years, depending on the quality of the vinyl you choose. The older it gets, the worse it will look. For some people that's alright, because it gives you incentive to change your car's look. Personally, I would rather pay someone else to do it. Wrapping vehicles is frustrating, and the end result is never quite what you expected.

Also consider that when you want to remove the vinyl, you'll need mineral spirits or goo-gone or whatever else to get the adhesive off. The longer the vinyl adheres to your paint, the harder it will be to remove. Vinyl that dries and cracks (after several years) is the worst, and will "shatter" as you try to remove it. Peeling off old vinyl is onerous at best.

You need a squeegee, which most vinyl suppliers will give you for free with your order. They stick them in the cardboard tube that the vinyl is wrapped around. For your vinyl's sake, put some soft velcro on one edge of the squeegee. Adhesive backed velcro is available at big box home improvement stores. It will give you more control over the vinyl and prevent you from cutting/slicing it open with the squeegee in the corners and such.

Also, remember to stretch! If you're using the 3m vehicle wrap, it was designed for you to stretch the hell out of it. It helps to have one person to stretch the vinyl over a surface while the other squeegees it down. If you stretched too much, or you find yourself starting to crease, get a hair dryer and gently heat it while you squeegee. The vinyl will shrink, but not always exactly how you'd like. It will also become very flimsy and hard to work with, so only do this when you really need to.

Always wrap straight over gaps in the body panels and doors, then cut down the middle with an x-acto and fold the vinyl in. Even open doors and secure the vinyl on the inside surfaces.

I'm rambling...