How to wash a vehicle with a car wrap

Car wraps are a popular trend among car owners. They are an easy solution to upgrading a car surface. Instead of the cumbersome job of repainting a car, wrapping it is a much easier and faster option. It also gives it a great look. Several options are available, including a matte, metallic or glossy look.

Car wrapping is often used by businesses to put advertising on vehicles, because it’s easy to put on and remove in case there is a need to change. For regular car owners that love a stylish look, wrapping is a great way to customize a vehicle with a unique design or color. With all these benefits, you will find many car owners choosing to wrap their cars.

While a car wrap looks trendy, taking care of the car and maintaining the excellent finish is a sensitive matter. You cannot afford to treat a wrapped vehicle like you do one with a paint job. It is harmful to wash a car wrap with strong soap and vigorous scrubbing. It also needs delicate care when wiping, washing and anything else you do to the surface.

However, the fact that car wrapping needs gentle care does not mean that it has to be a dirty car. It only means that whenever you clean a wrapped vehicle, you should be very careful to maintain the integrity of the wrap.

What to avoid when cleaning a car wrap vehicle

Harsh cleaners

Before we give you suggestions on how to wash a wrapped vehicle, it’s best to start with what you should not do to it. First, avoid the regular carwash soaps. Using traditional car soap, for instance, on the wrap will likely fade it.

Instead, use a soap that is specifically made for wrapped cars to maintain the beauty, design and texture of the surface. These car wrap cleaners will cleanse the vehicle thoroughly and still keep the brightness and strength of the material so the car can continue to look great for a long time.

Another effective way to avoid using harsh soaps on the car is to use waterless car wrap wash liquid. It eliminates the danger of leaving watermarks on the vehicle or harming the surface using high water pressure. It also makes it easy to clean away dirt and grime, because it breaks the dirt down, and all you have to do is wipe it off gently. Lastly, it leaves a protective shine on the car that keeps the car cleaner for longer by keeping off dust.

Buffing

Secondly, you must avoid buffing. Of course, you may ask, where is the harm? It’s just a cloth shine job. While it seems harmless, buffing a car wrap surface is not. The thing to note is the car surface is rarely free of small debris. You may not see it, but it’s there.

When you buff, you run the risk of scratching the surface of the wrap with small but gritty dirt particles, leaving unsightly marks. These marks will interfere with your car’s aesthetics and are, at times, hard to get off. So, buffing should be left out.

Rough cloths

When it comes to cloths, the softer, the better. Rough cloths may scratch the vehicle and leave unsightly marks. Stay away from rough brushes, even if you are going for the sparkling clean look. The bristles will likely harm the car’s surface, leaving scratches that are difficult to get out.

Waxes or polishes

Also, avoid using regular wax or polish on a car wrap. It seems like a beautiful thing to do to keep a car looking glossy or protect the surface, but many of these waxes and polishes harm the wrap and cause it to age faster. By nature of the wrap material, it is made to look glossy or matte or metallic without any extra work, so a wash and dry will do just fine to keep it looking its best.

Correct wrap cleaning procedures

If you are a carwash owner and want to cater to vehicles with a wrap finish, this is for you. For starters, you cannot use the automatic wash for car wrap vehicles.

Many car wrap vehicle owners are sensitive about their cars, so they need experts with training that will wash them with care. The team at Costa Mobile Detailing are knowledgeable and good at taking care of your car wrap vehicle(s).