[albireo]

A few weeks ago I had vinyl stripes put on my baby. There's a thread in The Mustang Source forums if you want the whole story... (it's also on my guide I reference here)
Essentially I want to help other people avoid my disaster and hopefully this can help.
I was a real idiot!

http://www.jtephoto.com/mustang/stripes/index.htm


Joe

 

[albireo]

LOL Kohaku!
I really thought it would be super excellent since I was told that it was the same stripe guy that put the stripes on all the $50k aftermarket mods at the dealer... After looking at some of them I can say that the stipes are better but not what I would consider excellent on such an expensive car.
lostsk8r - I would have had him pay for a new paint job but it would have taken taking him to court (he made that QUITE clear), and I'm going to have them painted on anyway. The stripe painter said that there was no reason to have anyone do anything to it as he's going to fix it all when it paints anyway...

RabidCharlie - I appreciate your comments, I was a bit unsure if it would be of any use here as everyone is already well informed! Such good info here! Still, it makes the work worthwhile when folks let me know it was worth it to them!

As far as the time you get out of vinyl, I think a lot depends on how much it's out in the sun. I think the key is if you are a daily driver - I drive mine in two hours of traffic each day and in Sacramento we get sometimes 6 solid months of nonstop sunshine with temps over 95+ degrees...

Joe

WOW! The scary part is that he's still employed. He's gonna pull the crap on other poor souls. I've seen and done many vinyl jobs. That one is by far the biggest abomination.
You were definitely NOT being too picky, but very well tempered. I would have applied vinyl to him and trimmed out a couple stripes.

 

[albireo]

You're right I SHOULD have stood over him. My fault? Probably. That's why I wrote my "IDIOT'S guide." I'm the idiot here! In my defense I was told by the service manager AND the dealership that I would be getting their professional installer - I expected PROFESSIONAL!
As far as length of time they last, the two year figure seemed to be a common minimum and that's what I was told as a GUARANTEE for going back and getting them done over (even that with some hesitation). The material is supposed to last longer than that - but I couldn't get anyone to actually write down a warranty for longer. Because of the variability of conditions that the vinyl is going to be exposed to I couldn't get anyone to REALLY guarantee anything concrete in writing. If you look at Baltimore Street Mods (I couldn't find anything there that implied a warranty length - quite the opposite) you'll not find a vinyl stripe guarantee and the same is true for Graphic Express. In fact, even 3M doesn't state how long that it will last exposed to constant sunshine day after day (at least I couldn't find anything anyway, which doesn't mean anything).
Ok, what does it all mean to me? For me, I had lots of people telling me they "should" last a "long time". I had a number of people tell me that they used "automotive grade" vinyl, but didn't know what kind. In the end it's just a risk you take, like anything else. Does that mean it's only good for two years? I think not, as I've seen lots of stripe jobs that seemed pretty good after three or four years. Still, I've seen FAR MORE stripe jobs looking a lot more scratched and lifting/peeled/torn than the paint job they were applied to... But remember I'm way too picky!
I have to get them painted so it's not an option for me. For those that it is an option, it's a darn good one - they look GREAT! I'm sure if you take care of them they'll last a "long time!" :winks

Joe

widening stripe gaps are the easiest to avoid...what do you mean? my guy used a ruler.and bubbles and dirt?...used windex and we had washed the car first anyway...my stripes are fine.....but someone tell me please that they last more than 2 years!!!!!:eyebulge:
ps if you watch someone stick a vinyl sheet to your car and then cut stripes out...ON YOUR CAR:eyebulge: i'm sorry bro buts thats your own fault...i stand over everyone who touches my car and take pictures and even help....sure its annoying for the worker but F&*k em...its MY car

 

[albireo]

Good addition, Kohaku. I'm glad to see someone that has experience with stripes over a long time. I'll add it to my Idiot's guide, it will be helpful for folks over the long term.

Joe