Wrap vs. Paint Job ?

Thoughts ?

 

Yep

 

depends on the difference in cost. A good wrap will last you 5-7 years. A good paint job will last indefinitely if taken care of. For a wrap I can tell you if you leave it on too long and it starts to crack it is a PITA to get off.

 

Wrap would be a good route to take if you wanted to go with a radical change in color but gives you an option to change your mind down the road.

 

yes it would. Be sure you have a good shop do the wrap. Look at some of their work. I have seen some really crappy wrap jobs

 

If you plan on keeping for 5 plus years, paint it.

 

If you wrap it be sure and ask them what brand wrap they use. It matters

 

Just a note that if the clearcoat is fading and to the flacking/peeling point as most older Tacomas are a wrap will NOT stick to the surface.
You will at least have to sand the loose crap off first and make the surface a consistent smooth so it does not show under a wrap.
Up to you which you like better after that.

 

2005 DCLB - Rough cost for a complete paint job not a color change. $3,000. Wraps are around $2,000. I plan on painting my truck. I would think the paint would be the better route, even though the wrap is less expensive.

 

paint once cry once

 

I wrapped mine to protect the paint, the wrap is now at end of life, 4.5 years with it on... One of the slight scratches from a branch has cracked and split now.

Time to get it wrapped again!




Black again or

 

The wrap's life may also be affected by where you live, particularly horizontal surfaces (roof and hood). I wrapped my roof with 3M 2080 and 3M's life expectancy for hot and sunny areas is 1 year only. Based on this and living in Hawaii, I'm replacing my wrap in 1 years time from install. I'm no expert on this, so someone can correct me if I'm wrong. 3M's warranty is for 7 years vertical and 2 years horizontal for most of the US.

Wrapping for me would only be for additional protection or short term color change. Anything long term, paint.

Edit:


For the Zone map see:
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1560748O/mcs-warranties-zone-heatmap.jpg

 

Color change or not? Makes a big difference in the cost of a well executed paint job due to the extra work involved. If you do a poor job, resale value will tank. If you get a poor wrap job, you can peel it off and do it over.

 

FYI:
Quote to do a guaranteed paint job on the hood and roof was $2k, and 5-6K for complete Tacoma based on any minor body work - that's with a lifetime warranty not a 1 year cheapo job.