Back in July of last year we sent our 2014 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon to our friends over at Gear One Performance for a 3M vinyl wrap job. Since then we’ve put almost 20,000 miles on the truck, and we’ve extensively tested the durability of the material in a wide range of climates and conditions.
In order to test the true durability of the material, I decided not to wash the truck for an entire winter season, because I’m a lazy and washing cars in the winter sucks this means exposure to salt, grime, and extreme temperatures. In full disclosure though, while I did not wash the truck, it is stored in a climate controlled garage when not on the road for my 9-5 commute.
The real reason behind this testing is because over the past few months I’ve been asked about the cost of the wrap, and people tend to look at me in disbelief. The reality is, for the price of having a shop do a professional vinyl wrap installation, you can buy 5 35″ KM2’s, front and rear AEV bumpers, or 2 Land Rover Discoveries and still have cash to spare. So if you’re going to wrap your rig, you better be getting a pretty good return on your investment.
So where have we taken the JK, and what have we exposed the wrap to? The answer is pretty much everything you can think of. We’ve had it parked outdoors for 100 degree summer days, and we’ve ran trails in below freezing temperatures. We’ve also taken it on multiple trail runs, and haven’t been shy about keeping it away from potential pinstriping. In all of these conditions the wrap has help up exceptionally well, and you can see the results for yourself in the pictures below:
As you can see the vinyl has help up exceptionally well over the past 9 months, and shows no signs of excessive wear or fading. The vinyl hasn’t been perfect though and we’ve had some minor issues with certain pieces of the vehicle such as vents, and grills. Due to the vinyl “shrinking” around the edges it will pull slightly back over time and expose the paint beneath.
The only other issue we’ve had to deal with is the door sills. Due to passengers stepping on the vinyl while coming in and out of the vehicle, you will notice some slight tears over time, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with an extra layer of vinyl. We did have one door sill “shrink” on us as tear after a few months, but it’s not a difficult fix.
Overall I’ve been very happy with the vinyl, and with a 7 year expected life span from 3M, I’m confident I’ll get my money’s worth. If you can deal with the high initial cost, it’s a good investment if you’re concerned about protecting your paint and you want to colors without having to respray the entire vehicle. Next time though I think I need to go with a louder color like Lamborghini yellow.
Pros:
- Lasts longer than Plasti Dip, and protects your paint.
- Easy to remove down the line if you want to change colors.
- High quality materials such as 3M hold up well and come with a 3 year warranty (7 year expected service life)
Cons:
- Professional installation is expensive.
- Certain panels especially the grill are very difficult to wrap.
- DIY installation takes a substantial amount of time.
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