Radman

Just an FYI for everyone considering stripes. My salesman told me a price of between 800-1000 bucks for dealer stripes, and they would be vinyl. I called a local autobody shop, and they referred me to a custom shop for painted stripes. The custom shop said only 300-400 bucks. Both prices are bumper to bumper. The custom shop would scuff down where the stripes are going so they can apply the paint and a clearcoat, and have it be even with the factory paint. I thought the price was terrific myslef. Has anybody else looked into this?

Jason

Packman

Yes, I inquired myself. My report is almost the opposite of yours. I was told 300 or 400 bucks for the vinyl stripes, but $1700 to get the stripes painted on at the Ford dealership paint & body shop. :scratch:

WBstangGT

lol you asked the Ford dealer, that was the problem

Grantsdale

That 300-400 seems low ... I would estimate around $1000 for a good paint job, and $400 for vinyl.

adrenalin

We have been through this already a bunch of times. If you get them painted they have to clearcoat the entire body part, that is the only way to get it so there is no seam. Vinyl is cheaper than getting a them painted. If someone is going to paint your car for $400.00 you are crazy to let them touch you car. I agree with Packman and Grantsdale, especially since I use to work for a sign company specializing in race cars. I can vinyl a car for a lot less than I can paint one.

Lalo

i may sound stupid, but how exactly do they place the vinyl stripes?
at first i thought the dealers were going to place the stripes like stickers, but then i started thinking, " 300-400 bucks for stickers is a bit steep"

Dr Iven

That's pretty much how it is, right? I mean, with the Mini Cooper flag decals on the roof, the dealership just applies the vinyl straight to the paint. It's just like putting a decal on your window. They line it up right, drop it down on one side, and even it out so there are no bubbles.

Maybe the 'stangs will be done differently, though.

adrenalin

Time for a little lesson on stripes. Vinyl, or what you call stickers, is not cheap considering the material used for cars has an expected life of 9 years before it starts to fade. Sure you can buy cheaper crap but then I guess you wouldn't care about the quality of the job. Also put in the time for labour. You think you can stripe a car properly in minutes, think again. I know it will take me about 20 minutes to do the hood and top of the car, but the trunk lid will take about 90 minutes because you have to make the 90 degree curve which is not perfectly straight and work around the third brake light and badge. Bumpers are a pain. To keep the line straight takes a lot of patience because vinyl like to retain its shape although you can stretch it. You don't realize how many curves are on a bumper until you try to put on a straight stripe. So whomever is installing vinyl stripes will be throwing out a lot of material trying to get them perfect, which they have to charge ahead of time for incase it happens and if it doesn't, oh well more profit for them. I am guessing it will take me at least 4-5 hours to stripe my car.

yellow98cobra.com

You can find the stripe kits online and do it your self. You will need to remove any wax from the area you are applying them to, then spray a soap mixture to the area and place the vinly where you want it. the soap will allow you to move them around a little bit to get them straight. Then you squegee the air bubbles out.

cntchds

wont you have to do something to keep the vynl on? or will it not start peeling

adrenalin

I guess I forgot to tell you how they are applied. Professionals use an adhesive activation agent which allows them to position the vinyl. Once you work out all of the bubbles you use a hair dryer to activate the adhesive. The stripe will be stuck and there is no going back now. After a month in the sun in order to remove the vinyl you need to use a vinyl eraser, usually attached to a drill to remove it and then spend hours removing the glue residue. Trust me, installing stripes is one thing, installing them professionally and knowing what you are doing is another. When I see a car I can always tell when they were not done professionally.

Lalo

yea, i was thinking they would stick those stinkers on there like that, but i couldnt see it costing 300-400 bucks.
with 300-400 bucks, you can get your self the IUP, or some better wheels with the anti-theft system.
i dont know, 300-400 bucks seem to much for me for vinyl stickers when compared to those other things. but the DEALERS are the ones selling them, so there you have it

Lalo

i thought i heard the dealer stripes werent for the whole car (i.e. the bumpers)

adrenalin

Placing vinyl on the top of a car is easy, there are no curves. It's the bumpers that are the hardest and that is why you see lots of cars that have stripes don't have the bumpers. Go to a sign shop, not the dealer, and ask for 2 prices. 1 with the bumpers done and one without. Oh ya, and mention to them before they give you a price that you want to make sure that if they do the bumpers the stripes line up perfectly and don't look crooked. See how much the price goes up! B)

adrenalin

I don't think they are. Just remember, $300 - $400 is good considering you are paying someone else to do the work. Also if something goes wrong they need to redo the job and all, yes all, sign shops mark up for this reason. If not they would all be out of business.

Lalo

I don't think they are. Just remember, $300 - $400 is good considering you are paying someone else to do the work. Also if something goes wrong they need to redo the job and all, yes all, sign shops mark up for this reason. If not they would all be out of business. [/b][/quote]
well not that you guys have talked about the problems and labor and all that stuff, i see why its so much

Lalo

i've always liked the vinyl stripes a lot better then the painted ones. i just think it looks much better with vinyl.

Dr Iven

Yeah, I hear ya. I was just answering Lalo's question of whether or not they are applied like stickers.

BlackRiderX

I'm not sure about the vinyl, but I'd be a little scared of a shop painting my car for 300 dollars!!!

Lalo

thats true

"you get what you pay for," what i always say ^_^