Agree, great write up.

Planning on CF wrapping the front center bumper area (and now the fuse box as well). Have some questions:

1) Is 3M still the preferred/recommended wrap material?

2) Orignally thinking of going with the textured wrap for realistic effects but I read in other forums that textured/flat has a shorter life span (fading) compared to a gloss wrap, something in between?

3) Any tips or suggestions that I should consider in wrapping the center bumper area (so that I don't find out about later after I am done and becomes an "oh yeah, how come I didn't think of that".

4) I'm hoping that after having the wrap on for a year or two it will be easy to simply peel the wrap off and the paint underneath is still intact?

5) Coming up to a year now - how has the fuse box wrap held up with the engine compartment heat?

 

Thanks.
Glad to see this old thread still inspires people.

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1. YES, most definitely.
Any other Chinese knockoff is a total waste of money & time (their adhesive suck and the material strength is sub par. If you breath on it wrong, it'll rip.

Try to get the old 3M Di-Noc carbon fiber vinyl, they are thicker (ie: tougher) and can withstand road debris better. The newer 3M 1080series carbon fiber vinyl are much thinner. I'd avoid it if I can.


2. I have/use the matte 3M Di-Noc. They hold up just fine, nothing to fade. The color of the vinyl is throughout. So not sure what other forums are yapping about.


3. Best to over-wrap the edges, don't just slice right along the edge. And, I can't stress this enough.
>> Pre-prep! Make sure the part you are wrapping is super clean and oil/residue-free BEFORE you wrap.


4. 3M adhesive is solid and won't damage paint. < As long as you apply it on correct to begin with. ^ see above tip.

Also, I'd suggest you use some 3M Primer 94 Pen 3-Pack to help seal up the edges of your vinyl that's exposed to the elements or around complex curves.


5. No problems with the fuse box wrap, so far.
Engine bay heat is not the problem.
It's mainly solvents/soaps/road-salts and such getting in between the vinyl and the surface it's applied to that will cause issue in the future, so if you seal it up with a small dose of the 3M primer, you'll be good to go.