Vinyl VS Paint

[Txfireman]

I am starting to see light at the end of tunnel on my Tremor build. That being said, does anyone have experience and/or opinions on vinyl vs paint? I am looking to two tone my carbonized gray and maybe even match the top of the cab to my color on the bottom of the truck. Mine will be carbonized gray and I’m looking to add graphite for the two tone and possibly the roof of the cab.
I talked to the vinyl shop and they said $1,200 for everything but vinyl has to be replaced after 5 years or so. One thing I like about the vi YL is that I wouldn’t have to wax the roof ( which is literally the only thing I dread doing) when washing and waxing my truck.

 

[ccw]

I have zero past experience here, but my thought: for $1200 get the color combo you think you’ll love in a vinyl wrap and try it out. If you still love it when the vinyl needs to be replaced, spend the big bucks on a paint job to make it permanent.

If you don’t still love it, get a new wrap in a different color scheme. Rinse and repeat until you get rid of the truck or find a combo you love.

 

[Txfireman]

I have zero past experience here, but my thought: for $1200 get the color combo you think you’ll love in a vinyl wrap and try it out. If you still love it when the vinyl needs to be replaced, spend the big bucks on a paint job to make it permanent.

If you don’t still love it, get a new wrap in a different color scheme. Rinse and repeat until you get rid of the truck or find a combo you love.

That is really solid advice and a great perspective! TY!

 

[Jericho]

I have zero past experience here, but my thought: for $1200 get the color combo you think you’ll love in a vinyl wrap and try it out. If you still love it when the vinyl needs to be replaced, spend the big bucks on a paint job to make it permanent.

If you don’t still love it, get a new wrap in a different color scheme. Rinse and repeat until you get rid of the truck or find a combo you love.

I can’t speak to a partial coverage wrap that recreates a factory two-tone look but I can tell you that quality full-coverage wraps for an F250 will run up to $6000 depending on the material. Exotic colors could go a few thousand over that.

For vehicles parked outside, ceramic coatings can extend the life to match that of a garaged vehicle. Expect to pay in excess of $3500 for a proper full coverage ceramic coat, otherwise, depending on your location, a wrapped outdoor vehicle will last as little as 18 months and as much as 36, but never 60… Again, that’s ceramic territory.

Expect the cost of the wrap to be directly comensurate with the quality of the finished product. The only reason I’m saying this, is even for a partial, I’m concerned that $1200 might be too cheap. If you have any doubts, ask forum members how mich they paid for their PPF. You’ll find they paid on the high end of what I’ve written. Material cost are always a price per foot calculation and often only a small part of the cost, the bulk being labor.

All of this is mind blowing, but the cost of paint has risen just the same. I’ve been reading about factory quality repaints are now costing upwards of $12-20,000 depending on the quality of the prep.

True story

 

[ccw]

Quality wraps for an F250 will run up to $6000 depending on the material. Exotic colors could go a few thousand over that.

For vehicles parked outside, ceramic coatings can extend the life to match that of a garaged vehicle. Expect to pay in excess of $3500 for a proper ceramic coat otherwise, depending on your location, a wrapped outdoor vehicle will last as little as 18 months and as much as 36, but never 60… Again, that’s ceramic territory.

Expect the cost of the wrap to be directly comensurate with the quality of the finished product. The only reason I’m saying this, $1200 is far too cheap. If you have any doubts, ask forum members how mich they paid for full coverage PPF. You’ll find they paid on the high end of what I’ve written. Material cost are only a small part of the cost, most is labor.

All of this is mind blowing, but the cost of paint has risen just the same. I’ve been reading about factory quality repaints are now costing upwards of $12-20,000 depending on the quality of the prep.

True story

Ok, I definitely change my thoughts if the price is more like $6000.

 

[Jericho]

My one true regret about this truck is that I ordered the color I did. I'm a few months out from a color change, but I'm facing the same consideration between an unjustifiably expensive vinyl wrap or an even more expensive paint job. I don't give a damn about any potential impact to the value of the vehicle. I just don't see these trucks being as vulnerable to that consequence as, say, a GT500, or some other prestige auto.

In any other market I would have simply chosen another truck, but we all know how that's going right now.

 

[c-ne-elk]

Before my Tremor I had a Raptor which had the normal vinyl hood wrap and on both rear quarter panels. After having it 10 years in the desert sun of West Texas and going through many, many, miles of West Texas brush the vinyl looked new the day I sold it.

When I was buying my Tremor, my dealer had a new, vinyl wrapped satin black lifted F350 for sale on the lot that I really really liked and almost pulled the trigger on. The dealer claimed that the vinyl was more scratch resistant than paint, did not need to wax and if you did screw up the vinyl you could peel it off and replace it. It some ways it makes a lot of sense!

As far as doing just accent panels, I would use it there in a second -vs- paint, easy to replace if you change your mind down the road.

I know a lot of us forum members have had Raptor's, like I said above the vinyl on my Raptor held up better than the paint...