Vehicle Wrap - Care & Maintenance

Every two weeks, and weekly for a work vehicle. Film behaves like paint: dirt, droppings and salt that sit on it etch it, and the same things washed off do no harm. A fortnightly hand wash with a pH-neutral shampoo is the single habit that decides whether a wrap still looks new at year three. In between, a film-safe waterless wash handles light dust.

A touchless one, yes, after the first fortnight. A brush wash, no. The brushes drag grit across the film and catch at every edge and seam, which is how most of the edge lift we repair starts. If you use a touchless wash, skip the wax and sealant options at the machine, because many of them contain petroleum distillates that soften vinyl.

Leave it completely alone for at least 72 hours, and ideally five to seven days, then hand wash only for the rest of the first fortnight. The adhesive keeps building its bond to the paint for days after we hand the car back, and weather, humidity, temperature and sun all change how long that takes. Water pressure or chemicals in that window are what lift an edge. After two weeks the normal routine applies.

Yes, carefully, and only when a hand wash hasn't shifted something. Keep the pressure under 1,200 psi, the water under 60 degrees, use a 40-degree fan tip, stay at least 30 cm back and hold the lance straight on to the panel. Never aim along an edge, a seam or a trim line. Those figures are the film makers' own, and edges are where wraps fail.

On a gloss wrap, yes: a film-safe spray sealant or a wax with no petroleum distillates, and a ceramic coating works well. On satin, matte or textured film, no wax of any kind, because it fills the texture and leaves shiny patches that don't come out; use a matte-specific sealant instead. Some film makers exclude coated film from their warranty, so talk to us before coating.

Soften first, then lift. Lay a warm wet cloth over the spot for a few minutes, wipe it away and rinse. If a shadow remains, a little isopropyl alcohol on a cloth, then rinse again. Never scrub or pick at a dry spot, and leave the bug and tar removers on the shelf, because most contain petroleum distillates that damage vinyl quickly. The sooner you get to it, the easier it is.

Wash it the same way, with a shampoo that has no wax or gloss enhancer, and never apply wax, polish or silicone dressing. Fingerprints and marks come off with a cloth dampened in a mix of roughly 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol and 30 per cent water. Don't wipe a dry matte panel, and don't let alcohol sit on it. A matte-specific sealant protects it without adding shine.

Three to five years of looking freshly fitted is a fair expectation for a car that lives outside, and longer under cover. Film makers rate premium cast wrap at up to seven or eight years on vertical panels in mild climates and about half that on roofs and bonnets, and Perth sun sits at the harsh end of their charts. Brush washes, droppings left to bake and pressure washers at the edges shorten it. The fortnightly wash and a roof over the car extend it.

Less than paint, and not none. Hand wash it every fortnight with a pH-neutral shampoo, keep droppings and bugs from baking on, and keep wax and pressure washers away from the edges. Self-healing looks after light marks by itself. A film-safe sealant or a ceramic coating makes washing easier still. That's the whole routine.

Not for one full week, and no wax, sealant or coating until after your free check-up at one to two weeks. The adhesive is still curing to the paint in that window, and the installation chemicals take up to 30 days to cure fully depending on weather and humidity. A little haze, a few small moisture pockets or a slightly proud edge in the first days are normal. Don't try to fix them; we do that at the check-up.

The top coat is a urethane that softens with warmth and flows back level, so light swirl marks and wash marring disappear on a sunny driveway, usually within the hour. Warm tap water, around 45 to 50 degrees, speeds it up. It doesn't fix stone chips, cuts or anything through the top coat. Those stay, and the fix is to replace that piece of film, which is what the film is there for.

Yes. Use waxes and sealants with no dyes, pigments or abrasives, and no rubbing compounds. A ceramic coating over PPF is common and works well. On matte PPF use a matte-specific product or the finish goes shiny. Keep everything off the film edges, where build-up is hard to clean.

A touchless wash, yes, after the first week. Brush washes still scratch deeper than the top coat heals and they work at the edges, so avoid them. Skip the wax option at the machine.

The films we fit, from STEK, Avery Dennison, SunTek and LLumar, carry manufacturer warranties against yellowing, cracking and bubbling, and they're built for UV. Older PVC-based films yellowed; modern urethane films don't in normal use. What does discolour film is contamination left to bake on, so the same-day clean-up rule matters more here than anywhere.

Soak with a warm wet cloth for a few minutes, lift, rinse. For set sap or tar on STEK, SunTek or LLumar film, a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a cloth is fine. On Avery film keep to warm soapy water and call us if it won't shift. Never scrape or polish the film.

The films we fit are made and warranted for the long term, and the written warranty for your job sets out the years. Perth UV and the horizontal panels work hardest against it; shade, a coating and the fortnightly wash work for it. When a piece is damaged it's replaced on its own, so the rest of the car keeps going.

Every time it comes out of salt water, the same day. Salt left to dry and bake on film is the fastest way to age a hull wrap in WA. A hose over the whole wrap, into the edges and seams and over the trailer rollers, takes five minutes and adds years. A proper wash every two to four weeks in use does the rest.

Salt that's rinsed off does no harm. Salt that dries and bakes on the film crystallises along the edges and seams and slowly breaks the film down, which is why the rinse habit is the whole game. The films we fit on hulls are rated for marine use above the waterline. They're not made to live submerged for months.

Yes, with the same limits as a car: under 1,200 psi, a wide fan, at least 30 cm back and straight on. Never along a seam, an edge, a hardware cut-out or the waterline edge of the wrap. For weed and slime near the waterline, a soft brush and soapy water beats pressure every time.

For a trip or a weekend, yes. As a permanent mooring, no. The film makers say plainly that vinyl isn't designed to be permanently submerged, fresh or salt. A pen boat that's rinsed, covered and lifted out now and then is fine. A hull that sits in the water for months will lift at the waterline.

While they're soft, a soft brush and soapy water. Early barnacles lift with soaking, a soft brush and patience. If they've had time to harden, bring it in before you damage the film. Never metal scrapers, steel wool or solvent on a wrapped hull.

Blot fuel and oil straight away and wash the area with marine soap. Fish blood, bait and berley stain film if they dry, so hose them off on the day and wipe with a soft cloth. Sunscreen marks film too, and it comes off with soapy water the same day.

A minimum of 72 hours out of the water and out of the weather, and ideally five to seven days. Weather, humidity, temperature and sun all change how fast the adhesive reaches full bond, so longer is better. If your job needs longer again, we'll tell you at handover. No tight covers or straps over the fresh wrap in that window.

Shorter than the same film on a car, and the range is wide. A trailer boat that's rinsed after every trip and kept under cover sits at the long end. A hull left in a pen all summer sits at the short end. Salt, sun and storage decide it more than the film does. We'll give you an expectation for your boat and how it's kept, and the film warranty is confirmed in writing with the job.