Topic: Vinyl wrap an alternative to painting car?

[aaronk]

Is it possible to get a vinyl wrap for a vehicle that is starting to rust as an affordable and simpler alternative than outright painting the vehicle?

[ktm525]

Truck bedliner. I came close to bedlining a Toyota p/u to deal with the rust.

[Jaeger]

I would think the vinyl would need a smooth, clean, even surface to bond with - so I'm not sure it would net out much less than repainting if you are already dealing with surface rust, because you are still looking at a good deal of prep work.

Jaeger

[Zombie]

Wouldn't it just keep rusting underneath?

[Jaeger]

Wouldn't it just keep rusting underneath?

Absolutely - hence the expression "rust never sleeps".  That's why you'd have to go to the same work to clean up the rust as you would for re-painting.  Once you're at that stage, I'm not sure painting the whole car is cheaper than wrapping the whole car.

Jaeger

[johngenx]

Given the massive cost of truly repairing any rust today, I'm not sure repainting any car is worth the money unless it's a collector vehicle of some kind.

Years ago I was on a cut-line road with the Forester and tore off one of the rubber fender liners that protects the inside lip of the right rear fender.  I didn't notice for a long time, and after I did, I never bothered replacing it.  Well, today, that q-panel is rusting.  However, no way I'd spend $1 on it.  The car has close to 300K on it, and the small amount of rust is purely cosmetic.  The several thousand dollars in a proper repair would be money flushed.

That said, premature rust can kill the resale value of a car.  Personally I wouldn't touch a used Mazda right now, and the rust problem is becoming known among the general public.

[overtakeyouintheleftlane]

"Personally I wouldn't touch a used Mazda right now, and the rust problem is becoming known among the general public." - When we were car shopping, we saw a few 2008 Mazda 6's, I was able to find rust around the wheel wells, near door handles, rocker panels, etc. The dealer had the nerve to ask for $18,000 for it. I told my GF not to bother with Mazda due to the rusting problems. She didn't want one after seeing that with her own eyes.

[aaronk]

That said, premature rust can kill the resale value of a car.  Personally I wouldn't touch a used Mazda right now, and the rust problem is becoming known among the general public.

Indeed. I know I wouldn't buy a used car for market value if I could see rust, because I know a decent paint job costs $3K and even then its a bandaid that may last a year or two.