So, you can have a car wrapped in plastic nowadays instead of having it painted?

I see quite a few suppliers online .... and also saw what looked like a decent job on a BMW (white) on this forum recently.

I have a few questions.

1. Does it bear up under close scrutiny? It looks good from afar, but there must be edges and bits where it doesn't cover up ... like in the petrol flap area.
2. Does it shine up like a metal painted car? ... or is it duller?
3. Do you have to be careful when you wash it - say with a jet hose?
4. Will it peel off at the corners (and look rubbish)

...... and here's the big one

5. I assume it is kinda glued on. What does this sticking process do to your original paint? Can you remove it, clean up the car and have it restored easily to the original colour ... or does it up your original paintwork good and proper. I've been mad for flipping years, absolutely years, over the edge for yonks.

From what I've heard:

1. Good when new, but they aren't the same as a paint job that's for sure. Corners are known to shrink.
2. I think you need to treat them every few months to keep them from drying out and peeling off.
3. Not sure, but I'd presume so. The detailers would advise never to jetwash anyway.
4. I believe they can be prone to this, yes.
5. Supposedly you're able to dewrap a car completely to take it back to how it was - I presume once dewrapped you'd need to give the car a good polish to bring back the original finish. 

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There was a Matt Grey wrapped FFRR in CHPR's workshops last year when we went with the group outing. It didn't bear very close scrutiny - there were wrinkles and small air-bubbles when you looked close up but from a distance it looked OK. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Talk to Ken over on Disco3. Ken handles a fleet with hundreds of cars with various wraps on them - and has had partial wraps applied to his previous D3. Two lives - lived one

This season, oi be mostly toasting my left leg in the 90 while the missus drives the D3

Anyone had their RRS wrapped was thinking about having my M3 wrapped!

There was a thread over on DW about a new wrap which looked to be Metalic white which looked very good and was even machine poished to some degree

but there was also a thread about a chap taking off his clear shield and his black paint work was grey due to a reaction of somesort on Its clear coat

Yeah I see that thread!

I think good prep work and wax is needed before this stuff is put on!

Vehicle wraps are cool!

you could always get your wheels done if you don't fancy the car been done

But they say it would cost more than a respray

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If you kerb them, do you end up seeing the alloy through the scrape?  

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i presume you would see the scrape and if brake dust can burn onto a alloy, what would it do to this

I guess they would be better for showcar, not a every day car