Wrapping my LC in Satin White Pearl (1 Viewer)

[FxFormat]

Hey gang, 16 years has done much damage to the clear coat, that and along with dings and dents that i can no longer stand. The paint can't be saved, i tried to wet sand and buff it but there isn't any clear left to bring back the paint so i thought why not use this opportunity and try vinyl wrapping the vehicle. I pondered about respraying it in starfire pearl (Lexus color) or get it wrapped. i weighed in the pros and cons of each and in the end i chose to wrap because painting would cost more than the value of the car.

The film i went with was Avery Dennison Premium white pearl. It's pretty expensive, about $9 a foot, and i needed about 60ft to do the LC. I know nothing about wrapping, just been watching a bunch of youtube videos and started on it today with a buddy. Here are some progress pics, i'm trying to finish the whole truck by sunday night, but i doubt it since it's a lot of work. We spent 8 hours today and could only do the hood and 2 fenders. Takes forever to get the bubbles out, and being OCD, even the tiniest bubble would bother me so we had to try and get it out.

To do it right, gotta remove everything off the truck, the whole front end had to come off to get around the edges.

Color doesn't really show now but when it's sunny out, you'll appreciate how awesome it looks. We'll be working on it again on saturday.

 

[phippsj]

Looks great! That's what I plan to do when my paint gets too old and faded to keep looking like new.

 

[FxFormat]

Looks great! That's what I plan to do when my paint gets too old and faded to keep looking like new.

Thanks, definitely not has hard as it seems. Just very tedious work and time consuming efforts to push those bubbles out.

 

[tacoduck]

truck was white before, right?

 

[Kabanstva]

That looks amazing. Please post a pic when all done. I love it.

 

[cpark]

Very nice! I can’t wait to see the finished product.

 

[RKRUGER]

I am very impressed. More photos please.

 

[OG 91 LC]

I happened to purchase a 1998 LX with the Smokey Topaz Mica color. Didn’t know at time of purchase that the paint would eventually fade into some freaky spotted pattern. It’s beginning to do so and I’m contemplating wrapping the truck to preserve the OG paint. Sux.

Your wrap is looking good.

 

[FxFormat]

AFAIK there's been only a couple other 100 that's been wrapped, im surprised not too many people do it, i figure if it gets scratched up on the trail i can just buy another piece and re wrap it. It's not like paint where i have to go spend big money to fix it.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Thanks for posting this detailed info. Nice to have someone post the costs associated too. Cool stuff. Will be watching this thread.

 

[abuck99]

I'm on the same path- appreciate you taking the leap and posting a thread on your wrap.

I've been sampling colors and materials and experimenting for a couple of months now. For folks considering what material to use, I figured out that the Avery SW900(supreme wrapping film I think same as what OP is using) material is easier to use compared to some other brands because it's repositionable- less sticky (initially) and you can "cold" wrap which makes it easier to apply, and sticks better to edges and detail trim long term. Before I found the Avery product, I tried wrapping the hood with some 3M material and failed miserably in my first attempt as it was really hard to work with.

Wrapping delivers impressive results. Having a pro wrap your truck would be about 1/2 the price of an average paint job: but figuring it out and DIY, you come out way ahead on an exterior color refresh just your time and materials. And maybe a new skill that can make you some money on the side.

 

[Mixelplix]

Definitely looks fantastic. Good work, partner.

 

[2001LC]

WOW

 

[Manhattan]

Damn. That's an ambitious project. And, it looks like you're killing it! Well done.

I agree the wrap is a great option. I kind of wish I did it (okay, had it done) when my 100 was only 4-years-old with 39k on it... protecting it from all the subsequent scars and sun damage. Just realized... my 100 is aging with me!

 

[LEX]

That's a nice shade of white. Looking forward to seeing the final results.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Just a quick reality check: I would love to wrap my truck, but I wouldn't expect the vinyl to protect the paint in terms of scratches and dents/dings. If you're trail riding, a good solid tree branch or rock scrape is going to tear through the vinyl. The vinyl will protect against sun fade and minor parking lot stuff but again if you're trail riding it isn't a fool proof armor for your paint.

 

[470SNC]

Looking good, that is awesome!

 

[sigg]

Props for tackling that yourself! Looks like you're doing a killer job, and it's gonna look awesome. And not just because it's covering up faded paint—the satin white pearl is a cool color choice.

 

[mgoblue]

I'm dropping off my LX on Tuesday to get the gray cladding wrapped black (to match the rest of the truck), I'm really anxious to see how it turns out.

I can't imagine how much work you're putting into doing the entire thing.

 

[okoverland]

That looks great!! I love that color you chose.