vehicle wrapping on a daily driver (mbworld noob)
12-26-2012, 02:41 PM
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2013 CLS 63 AMG
vehicle wrapping on a daily driver (mbworld noob)
hi all - my brand spanking new CLS 63 just arrived from germany last week and i am getting settled in quite nicely. although the steel grey looks very nice on the car, i've had it in my mind since ordering it 3 months ago to have it spend its first couple of years in a matte black full body wrap (black was not one of the magno paint colors available for the CLS). having done some searching on pros and cons i had convinced myself that a) i can find someone to do it cleanly and b) i'm not worried about the cost. now that i'm driving the car regularly, i've got some more pragmatic questions about whether a wrap is a good choice for a car that is driven daily and spends most of its time out of a garage.
this is my first post here, and the first vehicle i am modifying from its stock setup, so pardon my ignorance in general and please let me know if this topic is better off in a another section of the site..
major questions are:
-does wrapping affect the external sensors (parking & distance sensors, night view assist) in any way, as the wrap puts a physical barrier between those sensors and the stuff they are supposed to sense?
-noticing little "cutout" panels on various parts of the car...front bumper towing hook housing is one, but also the "dots" on both bumpers where the various sensors (i think) are and little rectangles along the roof line that look designed to be removable. will a wrap obstruct anything that that needs to be accessible in the typical course of maintenance?
-do wraps hold up for a car that might be driven to the tune of 10k miles\year and typically won't get garage time? i am in FL, so exposure to the sun and rain are the major issues
-how helpful are the warranties? i can see 3m and other manufacturers attributing most damage or wear to factors other than the wrap itself...
this is my first post here, and the first vehicle i am modifying from its stock setup, so pardon my ignorance in general and please let me know if this topic is better off in a another section of the site..
major questions are:
-does wrapping affect the external sensors (parking & distance sensors, night view assist) in any way, as the wrap puts a physical barrier between those sensors and the stuff they are supposed to sense?
-noticing little "cutout" panels on various parts of the car...front bumper towing hook housing is one, but also the "dots" on both bumpers where the various sensors (i think) are and little rectangles along the roof line that look designed to be removable. will a wrap obstruct anything that that needs to be accessible in the typical course of maintenance?
-do wraps hold up for a car that might be driven to the tune of 10k miles\year and typically won't get garage time? i am in FL, so exposure to the sun and rain are the major issues
-how helpful are the warranties? i can see 3m and other manufacturers attributing most damage or wear to factors other than the wrap itself...
12-26-2012, 04:03 PM
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2012 CLS63
hi all - my brand spanking new CLS 63 just arrived from germany last week and i am getting settled in quite nicely. although the steel grey looks very nice on the car, i've had it in my mind since ordering it 3 months ago to have it spend its first couple of years in a matte black full body wrap (black was not one of the magno paint colors available for the CLS). having done some searching on pros and cons i had convinced myself that a) i can find someone to do it cleanly and b) i'm not worried about the cost. now that i'm driving the car regularly, i've got some more pragmatic questions about whether a wrap is a good choice for a car that is driven daily and spends most of its time out of a garage.
this is my first post here, and the first vehicle i am modifying from its stock setup, so pardon my ignorance in general and please let me know if this topic is better off in a another section of the site..
major questions are:
-does wrapping affect the external sensors (parking & distance sensors, night view assist) in any way, as the wrap puts a physical barrier between those sensors and the stuff they are supposed to sense?
-noticing little "cutout" panels on various parts of the car...front bumper towing hook housing is one, but also the "dots" on both bumpers where the various sensors (i think) are and little rectangles along the roof line that look designed to be removable. will a wrap obstruct anything that that needs to be accessible in the typical course of maintenance?
-do wraps hold up for a car that might be driven to the tune of 10k miles\year and typically won't get garage time? i am in FL, so exposure to the sun and rain are the major issues
-how helpful are the warranties? i can see 3m and other manufacturers attributing most damage or wear to factors other than the wrap itself...
this is my first post here, and the first vehicle i am modifying from its stock setup, so pardon my ignorance in general and please let me know if this topic is better off in a another section of the site..
major questions are:
-does wrapping affect the external sensors (parking & distance sensors, night view assist) in any way, as the wrap puts a physical barrier between those sensors and the stuff they are supposed to sense?
-noticing little "cutout" panels on various parts of the car...front bumper towing hook housing is one, but also the "dots" on both bumpers where the various sensors (i think) are and little rectangles along the roof line that look designed to be removable. will a wrap obstruct anything that that needs to be accessible in the typical course of maintenance?
-do wraps hold up for a car that might be driven to the tune of 10k miles\year and typically won't get garage time? i am in FL, so exposure to the sun and rain are the major issues
-how helpful are the warranties? i can see 3m and other manufacturers attributing most damage or wear to factors other than the wrap itself...
I have a CLS too and really like it.
also some limited, ownership experience with wraps......and mine is a 3M too I think, try to answer your Q's....
-none of my sensors have been afected
-I chose to have some off the parts cut out, and some not.......the tow hook for example is covered, but can easily be accessed with something sharp
-have had my wrap for almost two months, seems to holding up well....that's a good concern to have about heat......I actually wonder about the long term effects and heat on the paint and what it will to to the paint quality
-as far as warranty, that does not concern me because A) I don't plan on having it on for the warranty life and B) the warranty life is 7 years or something....
I was happy to get my car back, but found seams in places that I didn't think there needed to be seams.........for example: down the hood in the middle, on the rear bumper on each side.....some other little questionable spots, but over all I was happy...
just make sure to see a sample of the work by the folks doing it
coincidently, some people came to NC from FL to wrap my car...
good luck!!!!
12-26-2012, 05:51 PM
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2013 CLS 63 AMG
hyperion - thanks for the input! great to hear sensors etc aren't an issue from the driver of a wrapped car. intuitively, it should have no more effect than a coat of paint but it's always better to find out from the experiences of others....
emericr - i'm based in Tampa, just up the coast from you
emericr - i'm based in Tampa, just up the coast from you
12-26-2012, 07:00 PM
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2012 CLS63
hyperion - thanks for the input! great to hear sensors etc aren't an issue from the driver of a wrapped car. intuitively, it should have no more effect than a coat of paint but it's always better to find out from the experiences of others....
emericr - i'm based in Tampa, just up the coast from you
emericr - i'm based in Tampa, just up the coast from you
Tampa is an awesome city: rode my skateboard around the ENTIRE bay back in my teenage years.......got lost in the city LOL, had to call my Aunt to rescue me, she lives on Euclid just down from the bay
looking forward to the completed project
12-29-2012, 07:06 PM
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OP, a buddy of mine wrapped his whole GTR in the 3m clear tape. You couldn't tell. It was a flawless job. He doesn't daily drive the car due to us having winter up here but in the summer he's always driving it. It cost him around $3500 to have it done. Mind you, you're in the States where it will probably cost you a quarter of that.
R.K.
R.K.
