Having graphics installed to your vehicle? Here’s our handy guide explaining the best way to prepare your vehicle for your graphics, and what our requirements are.

Drop off & Collection

We would like to get your vehicle in the workshop as close to the agreed drop off time as possible.

You are more than welcome to drop off your vehicle off the afternoon before your installation, if that helps you. This can be helpful if we are anticipating rain, as it enables us to get your vehicle into the workshop overnight and dried off ready for installation.

In most cases your vehicle will be ready to collect later the same day, depending on the design but our team will advise you on this. There is onsite parking to facilitate leaving your vehicle overnight, but this is at your own risk.

Cleaning

Please make sure that your vehicle is as clean as possible when it arrives, we appreciate you will have to travel to us, so a little road film isn’t an issue.

We advise giving your vehicle a good wash with hot, soapy water the day before it arrives, and not to use any waxes, polishes, or coatings as it will cause issues with your graphics adhering to the vehicle.

We do have a cleaning process we follow before applying your graphics, which will remove any contaminates, tar & glue spots, to provide the optimum surface to apply your graphics to.

If your vehicle isn’t suitably clean when it arrives, we will charge for the time & materials to clean it on your behalf, and is likely to delay your installation of your vehicle graphics.

Bodywork & Paintwork

We are always happy to offer advice on the condition of your vehicle’s body & paintwork where we have seen the vehicle prior to installation, however, you are wholly responsible for the suitability of your vehicle to receive the graphics.

New Paint

Newly painted vehicles, or vehicles that have had a recent respray or repair, must be allowed time for the paints to fully harden and cure before installation of vehicle graphics – Seek advice from your painter/bodyshop about this.

Old Paint

For older vehicles, the existing paintwork may have become damaged or weathered. Always check the areas that the graphics are being installed to for damage, it is advisable to get any defective paint repaired prior to installation. Damaged or weathered paint surfaces can reduce the adhesion of your graphics.

Bodywork

Vinyl is a thin, self adhesive film, so dents, dips, scratches and scuffs in bodywork can be covered, but please remember it not an invisibility cloak, and this damage will be visible through the film, some colours and finishes can actually exaggerate it. Areas where water can ingress behind the vinyl, are prone to failure and can vastly reduce the service life of your vehicle graphics.

Rust

Self adhesive vinyl, will not stick to rust. It won’t adhere particularly well to unfinished primer, and its bond is only as good as the underlying paint, so flaky paintwork is a no no. We advise getting areas of rust professionally repaired before installation to give your vehicle graphics half a chance of staying in place.

If you need any more advice, just give our friendly team a call.