Market for mobile wrapping service

[timopp]

I have a friend (of a friend) that does vehicle wraps and was talking up the Slate. I wondered if there would be a market for a mobile service to come to you for wrapping. I imagine that after you do a couple of hundred of these your muscle memory will enable you to do these faster and better than anyone.

If this was an interest, what would you pay?

 

[Bee]

Not sure how much I’d pay. It really depends on what a local wrap company would charge for the Slate.

But one thought…you’d need a tent or something because dirt, polllen, dust, etc would be a problem if wrapping outside.

 

[AeroWolf]

I think you would want to offer a full service:
Inspection, tires, fluids, lubricants , wash, kit, and wrap installations.

Pretty much everything except full blown electric drivetrain servicing.

 

[Freyar]

I don't know enough about wrapping costs from local places, so I can't really say.

 

[EV Trek]

Tint and wrap shops seem to come and go very quickly.
If you have it done locally I would pick somewhere that has been in business for several years and you can inspect their previous work. I just wouldn’t trust a mobile service unless they also had a brick and mortar shop they have been running for a while.

 

[007]

If I were going to wrap a vehicle I would prefer it be done in a clean environment like a garage. Not some guy in my driveway or street and bad weather.

 

[swami37]

No one worth it will wrap outside. That seems very amateur to me.

 

[9TADAZE]

If you have a garage available then it's no different than a shop. If you monetize your free time and hate waiting at a shop, or work from home, mobile companies seem likely. They don't pay rent for a shop so cost could be a minor premium.

 

[solock]

As a vehicle wrapper there are several issues with a truly mobile wrap company.

I expect the vehicle to come to me car wash clean, with particular attention to the leading edge for bugs, tailgate, and wheelweels. I then clean and prep as part of the service from that state to the ready to wrap. If it is worse then I charge accordingly.

I expect the vehicle to be accessible in and around the doors so the doors will be open, and in a windy area and you have loose stuff in your car then there will be a problem outdoor.

I need the vehicle cool for best results. Hot in the sun on the dark grey gets the adhesive active sooner.

An installs costs are a balance between speed of install ( how long it takes you) and how "good" the material is.

I control the speed with a controlled atmosphere and customer expectations, and I control material by choosing a true top tier material from Avery, 3M or Arlon. All of these materials help the installer and are longest life adhesion and face.

It is unclear who's material and what grade will be used for Slate's system so that is unknown at this time.

An installer always prefers to control the material so he knows what to expect and he can remake a problem panel since he made the original.

Many installers dont want to use wraps made by others, because of profit obviously, but also to redo without slowing the install down.

Guesstimates of a Slate full wrap is up to 175 sqft of material.
Premium wrap material, Ink, and laminate with full coverage is in the $2.50-$3.00 per sq ft COST

Single Color change films are $3/sqft cost so both are similar.

I am willing to bet once the Slate patterns get worked out, nested for efficiency, and that that sqft amount comes down to under 150 sqft in real world with waste and installer ease figured in.
So $450 cost for material alone for a shop that manages their production well.

Most shops would be in the $5/sqft installation minimum, and double their cost to produce as a minimum so a full color wrap $750 install and about $900 for material. $1650 total.

Slates prices are not terrible, decent actually and they are saying $500 install costs so also not bad.

IF the slate is easier to wrap, if the handles and lights and surfaces make installation easier then expect that to maybe be lower install costs.
Anything that makes it easier makes it quicker, and can drop the price.

NEVER price a wrap by the hour, you arent in control of the speed or efficiency of the installer., You know the sqft and work from that number for costs.

ALSO note that horizontal surfaces (hoods and roofs) are significantly shorter life for most color change films. In some lower south and south west areas in the us durability on horizontal surfaces may be under a year for solid colors

 

[AZFox]

As a vehicle wrapper there are several issues with a truly mobile wrap company.
[...]
ALSO note that horizontal surfaces (hoods and roofs) are significantly shorter life for most color change films. In some lower south and south west areas in the us durability on horizontal surfaces may be under a year for solid colors

Given that Slate's wrap's adhesive and the body panels' poly surface are unusual, so an answer might not be possible, but I'll ask it anyway...

How concerned should we be about a wrap becoming weathered to a point where it's extremely difficult to remove?

 

[Harley Earl]

If this was an interest, what would you pay?
[/QUOTE]
$500 to $1000 IF it included a full proper body wash prep, the shop (or portable/inflatable "spray booth") was immaculately clean and there was, at least, a 12 month written warranty on the install with no BS back-outs.

 

[solock]

Given that Slate's wrap's adhesive and the body panels' poly surface are unusual, so an answer might not be possible, but I'll ask it anyway...

How concerned should we be about a wrap becoming weathered to a point where it's extremely difficult to remove?

The majority of modern premium wraps are "removable" that is that the adhesive is expected to come off with the vinyl at a "reasonable" time frame. Several years should be fine.

The plastic panels are the variable that i havent seen any of the big 3 address yet as the vehicle doesnt exist yet in deliverable form. I would expect that the standard wraps from slate will be a unique blend, but it will take about 5 minutes for the other guys to have an equivilant to match.

The up and coming wrap product is color PPF, or Paint Protection Film. Thicker and more protective BUT it doesnt like heavy curves and low energy surfaces, and the plastic panels may be at least a lower energy surface so some experimenting will need to be done.

So many options in this class of car treatment and I know for one that I am excited for a car that is built to be wrapped!

Back to the removability question though, Plan to replace the wrap BEFORE the published longevity data that the manufacturer states. Avery Printable is 7 years in almost all of the US, so I'd plan to replace in 5 or 6. If there is any warranty coverage then you better be under that number. Maybe no actual warranty coverage would be conveyed but use that date as a best by date and you'll be safer.

If appearance is fading, the timer is running out, if it cracks at all or fades to white you are well past due to remove and replace.

 

[OldGoat]

So I am confused. Will Slate do wraps at their factory pre-delivery or not?

 

[AZFox]

Back to the removability question though, Plan to replace the wrap BEFORE the published longevity data that the manufacturer states. Avery Printable is 7 years in almost all of the US, so I'd plan to replace in 5 or 6.

So if Desert Sunshine accelerates wear I can just watch for fading and cracking and probably be OK?

I'm hesitant to install a wrap because I don't want to find myself regretting it and requiring an expensive remove.

I'm mostly asking for others. To start out I'm considering getting just a roof wrap. If and when it's determined that bedliner paint can be successfully applied to the poly panels I'll replace the roof wrap with that, assuming I can expect the bedliner finish to last indefinitely.

 

[Bee]

So I am confused. Will Slate do wraps at their factory pre-delivery or not?

Yes. Installation for a full wrap will be $500 (+ the cost of the wrap)