Vinyl wrapping the front grill chrome trim
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Vinyl wrapping the front grill chrome trim
Trying to find a local shop here that will wrap my chrome trim around my grill like many on this forum have done. I had one shop tell me that they would have to section the grill near the top and that it couldnt be wrapped in one piece. I was shown an example and it was terrible, the overlay line was way too visible. I went to another shop today that said they could wrap it in one piece but I would need to take the trim piece off and bring it to them first. So here's my question, to those that had their grill wrapped did you also run into these issues? Anyone have close pics of their grill trim I could use as a reference. Thanks Tim
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I have been getting $100-$125 quotes to do the wrap. I wanted mine done in a satin matte black. So maybe that would be an option if I can't get anyone to do it right. Anyone else have some insight?
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I wouldn't trust plasti dip either. The front end takes too many rock chip dings. I heard the front bumper is easy to remove. I researched it once and didnt come up with a DIY or video. A video would be really nice
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#8
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I bought some 1080 3M Matte black vinyl from Amazing in a 1'x5' section. It wasnt hard to do at all. You will definitely need a heat gun and a bit of patience. Best thing about vinyl, if it doesn't turn out to your liking, peel it off. No harm, no foul. I think I paid around $20 shipped. I risked it and did it on the car. My intention was to pull the grill out to do it. While I am sure that would have made it easier, I just cut, CAREFULLY, around the gap with the bumper with a razor blade.
Link to Amazon:
Attachment 497771
Link to Amazon:
Amazon.com: 5ft x 1ft (5 Sq/ft) 3M MATTE Black M12 Scotchprint Car Wrap Vinyl Film 1080 Series: Automotive
Attachment 497771
Last edited by onepointon; 05-01-14 at 03:53 PM.
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Looks great! I'd love to do this myself also.
How difficult are the sharp bends at the top left and right corners? It seems like the vinyl would have to stretch a lot.
How difficult are the sharp bends at the top left and right corners? It seems like the vinyl would have to stretch a lot.
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If the installer/shop is good at what they do then they can wrap the trim without removing it and it takes all of an hour to get it looking nice and clean. I install wraps and have done multiple front grills of the IS. Here are some pictures of my personal car wrapped in Satin Black.
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FYI...if you do want to remove the grill you must remove the bumper and it isn't all that hard. Some bolts across the top and bottom and then move the front side of the fender well out of the way and pop the bolt out from bumper to fender and it pulls right off. Given you have the correct tools on hand it would take maybe 30-45 min at most.
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If the installer/shop is good at what they do then they can wrap the trim without removing it and it takes all of an hour to get it looking nice and clean. I install wraps and have done multiple front grills of the IS. Here are some pictures of my personal car wrapped in Satin Black.