Styling Front Grille Vinyl

[AgnessGP]

Right,

Read through quite a few threads on vinyling in between the grille and iv seen "its easy as ****" to "its a "t*** of a job"

Also, I have read the guide and i didnt get much from it i.e. how to place it on without bubbles creases etc etc.

So, I was wondering if anyone can confirm how to it and whether it is worth the patience.

Feel free to tell me to stop repeating a much repeating thread, but you dont ask you dont get answers.

Oh and gloss or matte on a red GP?

Sam

 

[vagosofron]

It's not the easiest thing to do, but IMO it's worth the patience. I used water+soap ( in a bottle with a spray cup)to put mine on and a plastic scraper to divert the water and the air bubbles under the vinyl.

 

[Lal B3N]

Mines gloss black. I got a bodyshop to paint mine.

 

[GymJunkie]

Gloss black looks like paint, satin looks like plastic

mines satin because i wanted it to match the plastic grills, which it does very well. I paid about 25 quid for a proffesional job as he did it in half an hour while i waited. It is a skill i do not have

 

[AgnessGP]

hmmm I can't decide.

Vagosofron, what's yours, gloss matte satin?

LAL b3n, does look good mate, although i dont want anything too permanent i dont think. I bet the vinlyl pulls the paint off if you tried to peel it anyway though wont it?

Gymjunkie, have you tried it yourself or did you just go straight and get it done?

 

[GymJunkie]

hmmm I can't decide.

Vagosofron, what's yours, gloss matte satin?

LAL b3n, does look good mate, although i dont want anything too permanent i dont think. I bet the vinlyl pulls the paint off if you tried to peel it anyway though wont it?

Gymjunkie, have you tried it yourself or did you just go straight and get it done?

I have on previous cars, unless you have a clean indoor area with the right vinyl and heat gun an lots of patience then i would just get it done properly.

 

[AgnessGP]

thanks mate, i do not have either of those so will look to get it done. thank you

 

[smokeyjoe03]

This is Matte vinyl...........


And you can just see in a close up at the bottom, this is gloss vinyl.


I'd suggest if you've sprayed your grilles gloss black to do gloss vinyl......if you're leaving them standard black plastic, use matte.

As for the difficulty, I have done mine 3 times now and its never took more than 15 minutes, just make sure you don't use cheap vinyl, Fablon is the best, I got mine from Homebase. I used a hairdryer to make it VERY pliable and an old phone card or similar wrapped in a thin cloth will help you "squeegee" the bubbles out. The cloth was to stop the plastic of the card marking to vinyl

Did mine on my driveway and it was perfect, don't need a "Dust free" zone for vinyling, only if you're painting it.

 

[AgnessGP]

Man one min i decide gonna get it done proper, the next im gonna do it myself. F*** it. Do it myself. If it goes wrong. so what. Ill just kick my bumper in anger and then have to buy a whole new bumper.

On a more serious note, where is this sold. b&q, wickes at all? the only homebase near me shut down for a best buy, which is also shutting down now

 

[MISC1691]

i've got matte black vinyl on my red T-Jet (check my thread for a picture if needed) wasn't too harder job to do, I haven't done a lot of modding but wasn't too bad at all. put some material, velcro or something on a credit card, put your vinyl on a little bit, push it down with the card making sure to get no bubbles, pull it gently back off if you have to and push it back with the card etc etc, aslong as your patient take your time and don't cut any corners your'll do fine! after all it is only vinyl can pull it off whenever you want

 

[AgnessGP]

right okay mate, a bit like applying a transfer?

 

[MISC1691]

kinda, I dont know how other people did it but I cut it to shape after if was on, all flat and no bubbles, just cut down the excess around it, work with tucking bits behind the grilles and that. I know you can use a heat gun or hairdryer for trickier bits but I didnt have to, getting it nice and flat on the bumper is the slightly easier bit, tucking it away and cutting it down takes the time, just have a go, vinyl isnt too expensive

 

[AgnessGP]

kinda, I dont know how other people did it but I cut it to shape after if was on, all flat and no bubbles, just cut down the excess around it, work with tucking bits behind the grilles and that. I know you can use a heat gun or hairdryer for trickier bits but I didnt have to, getting it nice and flat on the bumper is the slightly easier bit, tucking it away and cutting it down takes the time, just have a go, vinyl isnt too expensive

weird i know, but cut down with scissors? The reason i ask is because im a left handed twa* so most scissors just mess things up when i try and use them.

 

[MISC1691]

ahhh avoid scissors i'd say, i used a scalpel knife, cuts like a hot knife through butter haha

 

[AgnessGP]

sound im gonna take the plunge! where can i get this stuff from though. Would like to do tomorrow so want it tonight!! damn gotta chill out with impulse type buying

 

[MISC1691]

haha, i only really know of ebay, but i got mine free off a mate who had some to spare

 

[AgnessGP]

il have a butchers in places like homebase as suggested further up the thread, if not ebay it is! thanks for the advice mate

 

[GrandeBenj]

Try wilkinsons mate if you have one close by, ive seen it in there its not to expensive and you get loads.

 

[khudsonuk]

Take it by the mention of best buy youre in the rotherham area?

And im gonna have a go this weekend or next weekend since my debadged grills just been delivered. Looks way better with the black

 

[Grainge16]

I got my vinyl off ebay, was about 12 quid for 2 metres, I measured the widest bit of the grille and its depth, cut this into a rectangle with a bit extra round the sides, took the top grille out, then applied it, hairdryed it and used an old credit card to remove big bubbles, used a really sharp scalpel to cut it to shape, then a pin with a really small point to pop smaller bubbles, and again smoothed these with the card

took me about 45mins to an hour, I am really anal but there was one bit I couldnt get perfect