ThermonMer

Do we have one of these? I cant find it for the life of me.

I am looking to do a gloss white vinyl wrap for my 2010 starfire white grille surround. wish i could paint, but it's a lease.

is this difficult? esp. b/c the 09+ grilles are a bit harder to work with?

Also, is this vinyl sticky on one side, or no? could i get this at a home depot, advance auto, autozone, etc?

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

go to a signage shop for the vinyl. yes its sticky on one side. imo whatever white they give you will not match your car.

SB350

iTrader: (1)

I believe you can order glossy white vinyl from Areotect.

ThermonMer

ok, found a vinyl place nearby that has a few gloss whites. it may not match perfectly, but its my best option, seeing as how i dont want to paint a leased grille or plastidip an 09+ grille.

im going to pick up the vinyl this afternoon.

now for application....
do i use a single sheet for the entire grille surround? what is the process of application? do i need a heat gun?

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

if you dont want seams then a full single sheet would be ideal. lay it over and cut around the grille giving a little extra on each side. try to form it as best as possible. a heat gun will help but hold it pretty far away and dont have it turned up too high or it will shrink the vinyl very quickly.

ThermonMer

nice. im going to do it on my balcony tmrw. should be about 80 degrees out. dont feel like buying a heat gun that im never going to use again.

ill let you know how it comes out. thx guys.

ThermonMer

actually, maybe ill try the steam function on my iron if i need some extra help.

ScKcBc

iTrader: (2)

just paint it man. The guy who comes to inspect your lease will NEVER know the difference, I promise. Or you could trade with someone on the forum a month or 2 before your lease goes back

ThermonMer

trust me, i would love to...but theres a chance i may need my father take over the lease for the last 6-12 months, depending on my living situation. he would flip if he found out that he needed to return a modified car to the dealership. he's nuts...he calls me once a week about my front plate removal...and the cars not even in his name. i figured i would voluntarily explain this as its my only defense to others' suggestions about modding.

anyway, im buying the vinyl after lunch today.

IntegresS

iTrader: (2)

I had a shop do mine. I'm pretty sure a heat gun is going to be a must (or at least a hair dryer...). You need to use soapy water to get the vinyl to adhere to the grill, and then the heat gun makes it stick and form to the shape of the grill. then you'll need a razor to cut off any excess.

it's a pain in the **** though haha My 08 grill was done at home and the vinyl ripped =/ be careful and take your time.

ThermonMer

just picked up some bluish white vinyl made by oracal. the color doesnt come close to matching...and the vinyl, at least with the backing on it, is pretty stiff. just wiggling the paper around created permanent folds. i dont think im going to be able to wrap the grille...anyway, ill give it a shot.

busdepot

iTrader: (1)

I did mine by myself. I did it in Di-Noc though. It's easy to do yourself. If you can find a match, you should do it yourself.

Trza

Just get the vinyl that is sticky on one side like a sticker. That way u dont have to mess with positioning it with soap and water. Also, in my oppinion, a heat gun is overkill, all u need is a hair dryer, just that alone heats it up almost too muc if you arnt careful. Ive had to wrap my grille twice now, I got a massive chip over the winter and just redid it again, ill post some pics for u. The hardest part sre the top underside corners. Leave lots of vinyl to play with and use lots of heat to seamlessly wrap it underneath. Good luck, have fun and take ur time!

Bottledfed

iTrader: (3)

Here is an idea, buy another grille (used/new) and paint that then swap and sell when your done

ThermonMer

took me close to 4 hours start to finish. the first attempt was a major fail. i found patience that i never knew i had. stretching out the vinyl to fit the final corner without overlapping material was close to impossible. a heat gun is absolutely necessary.

let me just say that wrapping the 09+ grille was a HUGE pain in the ***, since there are so many nooks to work around, and the grille has more depth to the lip. also, removing the grille is a bit more complicated than the 08 procedure. and the weather stripping clips

here is the final product. it doesnt match that well in certain light. it basically looks like a body shop repainted the grille and ordered the wrong metallic flake white. its only noticeable in direct light up close. anyway, im pretty happy with it, and it looks 100% better than the chrome.







...and heres the rear, for some more plasti-dip mania.