How about a gloss clear wrap?

[SailorDan]

I kind of like the Slate gray. With a white grill and wheels and a couple of stripes it would look pretty spif. But I don't like the dull matte surface at all; I want a nice shine. They have a gloss wrap called the Other Warsaw which looks close to the base color, but how about just doing a clear wrap? It could be glossy or flat or satin, depending on your preference, and give some UV and small impact protection to the plastic surface, without changing the color.

Is that even possible / practical?

 

[ack154]

Sure... it's just called PPF (paint protection film). You can get it in most finishes. And it is likely going to be more durable than any typical color wrap (including some minor self-healing properties in a lot of them).

 

[SailorDan]

Let me guess.... way more expensive than color vinyl wraps?

 

[ack154]

Let me guess.... way more expensive than color vinyl wraps?

Very likely more expensive than what Slate is offering directly, yes. But I'm actually curious if it would end up cheaper than most other PPF installs given the flat/sectioned panel design,. And really, it could be a good option for a DIY PPF kit (which would be WAY cheaper).

 

[SailorDan]

Now we're talking! But Slate would have to do it and offer it as one of their pre-cut wrap kits, or at least release the parts drawings to make it doable cheaply for a third party.

 

[r6tn]

PPF material is a lot more expensive and harder to install than wrap vinyl, and the flat panels of the Slate aren't any different than most vehicles.

 

[EV Trek]

Remember, it has to have the adhesive that will stick to polypropylene. Normal vinyl adhesive won’t stick very well. Maybe Slate will offer it.

 

[SailorDan]

If PPF is made to stick to paint and has a different adhesive than needed for polypropylene,, what do they use on Corvettes and other GFR bodies?

Does Slate have a special adhesive that no one else does, for a one-of-a-kind surface?

Thanks for all the info, folks. I am learning just how much I don't know about car finishes: plenty!

 

[EV Trek]

If PPF is made to stick to paint and has a different adhesive than needed for polypropylene,, what do they use on Corvettes and other GFR bodies?

Those are not polypropylene. And they are painted.

 

[AZFox]

the flat panels of the Slate aren't any different than most vehicles.

I think the difference is is that, according to people from Slate who have been interviewed, the shapes of the panels was deliberately designed to make wrapping easier than normal, including the coach line down the side.

 

[r6tn]

I think the difference is is that, according to people from Slate who have been interviewed, the shapes of the panels was deliberately designed to make wrapping easier than normal, including the coach line down the side.

I'm not seeing it. I'm looking at a handful of vehicles in front of me at the moment and the Slate wouldn't be any easier to wrap than any of them, and the bulges where the wheel wells are on the slate would make it a little harder than most of them.

 

[GrizzlysGhost]

 

[r6tn]

I'm not seeing it. I'm looking at a handful of vehicles in front of me at the moment and the Slate wouldn't be any easier to wrap than any of them, and the bulges where the wheel wells are on the slate would make it a little harder than most of them.

Don't get me wrong, it would be easier to wrap a Slate than some vehicles, and maybe they did make some choices. Like, the Slate doesn't have door handles so you don't have to take them out to wrap it. The mirrors are not mounted into the wrapped part of the door so you don't have to remove them, although that's common on many vehicles. And I don't think the lower part of the doors and bed are meant to be wrapped, neither are the bumpers as far as I'm aware (I haven't really played with wraps in the configurator). But what is left, the shapes of the panels themselves, I don't see a difference between them and most vehicles.

 

[FlyHappy]

Those are not polypropylene. And they are painted.

many auto bumper covers are polypropylene, and PPF can stick like crazy to it. But as EV Trek says, it is likely due to the standard paint process (particularly the top coat) that enables this. The reality is that all surface applications, be it PPF, vinyls, waxes, ceramics... have always been applied not to steel, aluminum, or plastic, but in fact to the top layer of "paint".

The Slate is a unique beast.

 

[AZFox]

I'm not seeing it. I'm looking at a handful of vehicles in front of me at the moment and the Slate wouldn't be any easier to wrap than any of them, and the bulges where the wheel wells are on the slate would make it a little harder than most of them.

One big difference is that the wraps are pe-cut.

Another big difference is that there will be specific step-by-step written and video instructions.