Don Nguyen | **Vinyl Roof Wrapping Services + Stickers/Graphics and more!**
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
It's been a while since I posted some pictures. Been busy getting some of my own stuff done lately, but I am starting to finally have time again.
Here's pictures of an E46 that I vinyl wrapped the roof in the gloss black material. I believe this car belonged to a fellow Irvine/Orange County person as well. This is a change of pace from the 95% of white colored cars that I do. It'll give you guys a slightly better idea of how it looks on different/darker colors. It's noticeable, but still subtle at the same time from different/various angles.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Here's pictures of an E46 that I vinyl wrapped the roof in the gloss black material. I believe this car belonged to a fellow Irvine/Orange County person as well. This is a change of pace from the 95% of white colored cars that I do. It'll give you guys a slightly better idea of how it looks on different/darker colors. It's noticeable, but still subtle at the same time from different/various angles.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I have so many pictures to go through, and a lot of cars that I did that I really like. I guess I have to start somewhere. This car was another fellow Irvine/Orange County enthusiast. I vinyl wrapped his roof in gloss black material. His rails were already matte black, so we left those alone. I think I did this car earlier this year in January, just to give an idea how far back some of my pictures that I still have yet to post goes, haha.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,971
Likes: 3
From: SF
2003 CLK 320
from the places i called in the bay area, they all say that gloss black will scratch since it doesnt have a clear coat on it. you cannot polish it either.
is this true? i was looking to get a gloss black roof vinyled but stopped because i heard this from other installers. they suggest a matte black which wont scratch as much.
is this true? i was looking to get a gloss black roof vinyled but stopped because i heard this from other installers. they suggest a matte black which wont scratch as much.
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
Let's put it this way. Does gloss black paint scratch, even if it has a clear coat on it? Yes.
Will vinyl scratch easier than paint? Yes, of course, since paint will always be "harder" than vinyl.
Have I ever had anyone tell me that the vinyl experienced out of the ordinary or excessive wearing? No.
You'll get a lot of opinions on this. You'll have old school guys, new school guys, etc, that all have different train of thoughts. However, you're lucky and you have the benefit of asking me questions on an online forum like this.
Unlike many installers, I am not a vinyl installer. I am a car enthusiast first, and then this is just something that I am able to do and help out other fellow enthusiasts with along the way.
If gloss vinyls were such an issue, you'd imagine they just would not make it at all, right?
-Don
Will vinyl scratch easier than paint? Yes, of course, since paint will always be "harder" than vinyl.
Have I ever had anyone tell me that the vinyl experienced out of the ordinary or excessive wearing? No.
You'll get a lot of opinions on this. You'll have old school guys, new school guys, etc, that all have different train of thoughts. However, you're lucky and you have the benefit of asking me questions on an online forum like this.
Unlike many installers, I am not a vinyl installer. I am a car enthusiast first, and then this is just something that I am able to do and help out other fellow enthusiasts with along the way.
If gloss vinyls were such an issue, you'd imagine they just would not make it at all, right?
-Don
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,971
Likes: 3
From: SF
2003 CLK 320
this is very true.
yeah i just wanted an insight from someone who has done many cars before. as i know vinyling on the roof seems to be fairly new. i wouldnt imagine people getting it done and saying all good things yet to have it ruined over several months of use and abuse from the outside.
anyways. sending PM
thanks again don
yeah i just wanted an insight from someone who has done many cars before. as i know vinyling on the roof seems to be fairly new. i wouldnt imagine people getting it done and saying all good things yet to have it ruined over several months of use and abuse from the outside.
anyways. sending PM
thanks again don
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I vinyl wrapped the window trim on this silver E39 5 series in gloss black material. This car belongs to a fellow Orange County/Cerritos member. The owner of this car originally had the window trim painted, but it kept flaking off, and he had to reapply the paint about two or three times a year. So he asked me vinyl his window trim, for a longer lasting solution. So far so good, and this was several months ago.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
This is the 3rd time I am typing this post, because my window decided to refresh itself...
I am going to go a bit out of order here, and try to post pictures of cars other than white, just to keep things interesting
This is a grey Z4 that I vinyl wrapped the roof with in the 3M di noc carbon fiber material. I did his roof and the center areas/portions of his front and rear bumper in the carbon. Don't mind the weather stripping around the top of the front windshield. It seems like it has just deteriorated from age and over time. I've seen this happen on a lot of BMWs that I work on, which is quite unfortunate, since it's really only on the newer more recent models that I've seen this have happen to. I believe the owner of this car came out to me from Los Angeles to Orange County to get his all of that work done.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
I am going to go a bit out of order here, and try to post pictures of cars other than white, just to keep things interesting
This is a grey Z4 that I vinyl wrapped the roof with in the 3M di noc carbon fiber material. I did his roof and the center areas/portions of his front and rear bumper in the carbon. Don't mind the weather stripping around the top of the front windshield. It seems like it has just deteriorated from age and over time. I've seen this happen on a lot of BMWs that I work on, which is quite unfortunate, since it's really only on the newer more recent models that I've seen this have happen to. I believe the owner of this car came out to me from Los Angeles to Orange County to get his all of that work done.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
Well, I guess there's a first for everything. This is the first American car that I've installed a gloss black vinyl roof on. Even though it's not the typical BMW or Euro car that I normally do, at least it'll give guys with red cars somewhat of an idea of how it'd look like, with this color combination. The owner of this car was from south Orange County.
I didn't notice how blurry some of the pictures were when I was taking them.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
I didn't notice how blurry some of the pictures were when I was taking them.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I'll be coming up to norcal in about two weeks (26th - 31st/1st), if anyone up there is interested in getting some work done. PM me, as I am already taking appointments for some of the days that I am going to be there for. I'll make a new thread for this later, once I get a chance.
Another white car, I know, but there was just something about this car that I really liked about it with the black roof. It's a BMW E92 335i coupe that I vinyl wrapped the roof in a gloss black material. The owner of this car was actually all the way out in the Los Angeles county, but I happen to be in the area already, so I dropped by to do his roof. I had some requests from people to take pictures of the car with the sunroof open, so hopefully this will help those who asked me about it out.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Another white car, I know, but there was just something about this car that I really liked about it with the black roof. It's a BMW E92 335i coupe that I vinyl wrapped the roof in a gloss black material. The owner of this car was actually all the way out in the Los Angeles county, but I happen to be in the area already, so I dropped by to do his roof. I had some requests from people to take pictures of the car with the sunroof open, so hopefully this will help those who asked me about it out.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
Here's a white Audi B8 that I vinyl wrapped the roof, hood, and bumper in my matte black finish/material. The owner of this car wanted to continue the theme down from the roof to the center raised section of the hood and the center section of the bumper. I thought it looked pretty cool, and it actually ended up making the car look wider. The owner of this car was in San Diego, and I happened to be down there in the area already from Orange County, so I dropped by and did some work on his car.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I vinyled the window trim on this E90 a while back, in my gloss black vinyl material. The owner of this car actually lived in Irvine as well, and was probably only 5 miles away from me. I don't do the gloss black vinyl for the window trims very often, but I thought it turned out nice on this car. 95% of guys go with the matte black vinyl finish for the window trims usually. Also note, my window trim wraps are seamless, all the way around.
Let me know what you guys think.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Let me know what you guys think.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I don't think I have any of it on that color unfortunately.
Here's pictures of the first car that I did when I made my trip up to norcal/san francisco area from down here in Orange County, to do some vinyl wraps and visit some friends. This is a white 350z that I vinyl wrapped the roof in my gloss black material and also tinted/smoked his rear tail lights and turn signals in the rear bumper.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Here's pictures of the first car that I did when I made my trip up to norcal/san francisco area from down here in Orange County, to do some vinyl wraps and visit some friends. This is a white 350z that I vinyl wrapped the roof in my gloss black material and also tinted/smoked his rear tail lights and turn signals in the rear bumper.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
This is probably a first. Here's a Mazda 6 that I vinyl wrapped the roof in my gloss black material. I thought it changed the way the car looked completely, and this is coming from someone who sees this on cars all the time daily. Most of the cars that I work on have sunroofs, but since this car didn't, it really gave a nice smooth look/flow over the entire roof. The owner of this car was in Garden Grove/Orange County area, so those of you near by might see/recognize the car.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I am starting to make a list of cars that are interested in getting some vinyl wrap/work done up in norcal/bay area again. So shoot me an e-mail to donathon@gmail.com if you're interested, and I'll give you the details and info.
I know I've been getting a lot of picture requests for the new gloss 3M carbon fiber material. Well, I finally got around to getting it and my first chance/time using it was when I made my last trip up to norcal and the bay area to do some vinyl wrapping. The weave is slightly smaller than the 3M Di-noc vinyl, so it's a bit harder to photograph and show you guys how the weave and design looks like on this material. Either way, here's a black E46 series that I vinyl wrapped the hood in with the 3M gloss carbon fiber material.
Let mek now what you guys think of it.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
I know I've been getting a lot of picture requests for the new gloss 3M carbon fiber material. Well, I finally got around to getting it and my first chance/time using it was when I made my last trip up to norcal and the bay area to do some vinyl wrapping. The weave is slightly smaller than the 3M Di-noc vinyl, so it's a bit harder to photograph and show you guys how the weave and design looks like on this material. Either way, here's a black E46 series that I vinyl wrapped the hood in with the 3M gloss carbon fiber material.
Let mek now what you guys think of it.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
Here's another car that I did while I was up in norcal doing some vinyl wraps. This car was around the Hayward area. The car is a white IS250, and I did his roof in the 3M 1080 gloss black carbon fiber material. It was the first car that I actually had used the material on for the roof. These pictures will also give those who have other cf parts a good idea of how the carbon fiber 3M 1080 vinyl looks compared to it. Don't mind the uneven marks, those were just water streaks from when I wiped the roof down in the heat. The camera picked those up more than how it looked like in person, or else I would have cleaned it better
I am already started taking cars who are interested in getting some vinyl work done the next time I am up in norcal. So if you're around the bay area, shoot me an e-mail, and I'll keep you on tab and notify all of you when I do.
Let me know what you guys think.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
I am already started taking cars who are interested in getting some vinyl work done the next time I am up in norcal. So if you're around the bay area, shoot me an e-mail, and I'll keep you on tab and notify all of you when I do.
Let me know what you guys think.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
Interestingly enough, this is the first wagon that I've done the window trim on. We went with the matte black vinyl material for his window trim, for his black E46 325i wagon/touring.. The owner of this car was located around in the Garden Grove/Orange County area. I thought that blacked out/shadowline window trim changed the look of this particular car quite dramatically. I think it's partially due to the fact that it was a wagon, and that it had more chrome pieces than a sedan/coupe that I normally do has.
Here's a quick before picture.
Here's the after results.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Here's a quick before picture.
Here's the after results.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
I don't get around to posting too many pictures of matte finishes, so here's one I did a while back. So here's a VW GTI MkV that I vinyl wrapped the roof in my matte black material. Did the roof and the small extension of the roof that extends onto the top hatch area. The owner of this car was actually out in the Los Angeles county area, so quite a bit of a distance from me in Orange County/Irvine, but luckily I was already in the area getting some other things done at the same time, so it wasn't too bad.
It was a bit dark, so the pictures aren't the greatest. I also got a bit carried away with the amount of pictures, but it's also partially because I haven't posted any pictures of the matte finish in a while, so I am trying to make up for lost time, haha.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
It was a bit dark, so the pictures aren't the greatest. I also got a bit carried away with the amount of pictures, but it's also partially because I haven't posted any pictures of the matte finish in a while, so I am trying to make up for lost time, haha.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Last edited by Don Nguyen; Jun 27, 2011 at 01:45 PM.
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
Trying to figure out which pictures to edit and post can be hard sometimes. I have some pictures that date back to almost 12 months ago now that I still haven't had a chance to post yet.
Either way, here are some pictures of a car that I actually did recently sometime last week. The owner of this car was around/in Orange County as well. The car is a white Mercedes Benz C350 that I vinyl wrapped the roof in my gloss black material, and also did a border around his tail lights with my gloss black vinyl material as well. Everything was done freehand. I thought the tail lights turned out awesome, and changed the way the car looks completely, with something even as minor as that. Really gives the car a more aggressive look from behind. It's always fun when my customers bring me new ideas and challenges to try and do.
Some comparison pictures with the driver side done and the passenger side still stock.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Either way, here are some pictures of a car that I actually did recently sometime last week. The owner of this car was around/in Orange County as well. The car is a white Mercedes Benz C350 that I vinyl wrapped the roof in my gloss black material, and also did a border around his tail lights with my gloss black vinyl material as well. Everything was done freehand. I thought the tail lights turned out awesome, and changed the way the car looks completely, with something even as minor as that. Really gives the car a more aggressive look from behind. It's always fun when my customers bring me new ideas and challenges to try and do.
Some comparison pictures with the driver side done and the passenger side still stock.
-Don
donathon@gmail.com
Thread Starter
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 19,593
Likes: 30
From: Irvine, CA
Euros
It's been brought to my attention that there may be some people out there claiming that they are associated or that they work with me. If this is the case, then it is not true. I work solo, and if anyone is trying to claim otherwise, then they are lying to you.
Just wanted to put this notice out there, so that someone does not go to anyone else mistakenly and think that it is me or a "partner" of mine, and end up getting bad work done, etc.
-Don
Just wanted to put this notice out there, so that someone does not go to anyone else mistakenly and think that it is me or a "partner" of mine, and end up getting bad work done, etc.
-Don
