Ok, so I want to put a stripe kit on and am undecided if I want to have them painted on. I have heard that some people have had problems with the vinyl in warm climates, also I am worried about how the vinyl will look over time. Has anyone had theirs painted on???
Any comments would be appreciated.

 

most people say to go painted. Ive heard of people replacing their stripes already.

 

I did vinyl at first and then once I was sure, I had them painted on.

The nice thing about the Vinyl is that if you change your mind, you can easily change them out.

 

I've had both, and my answer is, unequivocally....PAINTED !

 

Lots of topics about this in the exterior mods section, however I will give you my 2 cents worth since I use to work at a sign shop doing doing vinyl installs. Also, I had vinyl stripes on my car and then painted them on after (all info is in my blog). Anyway this is what it comes down to. 2mil vinyl should be used if you go with vinyl stripes. Typically vinyl will last 7 years without fading (if you buy 2mil premium type vinyl for automotive use). Seeing as that you are in Michigan you have nothing to worry about with the heat. If it is a pre-cut kit then installation is straight forward for something who has done this sort of thing. I would not recommend it for a beginner as you might not be happy with how many bubbles you end up with. So now the pro's and con's to vinyl.
Pros:
If a piece gets damaged it can be removed and replaced.
Several colours available
Wax can be applied over vinyl with no issues (it is recommended that you apply wax over them)
If you get tired of the design you can remove the vinyl and then polish the car. Nobody would be able to tell you ever had stripes on it.

Cons:
Some colours fade faster than others (wax helps prevent this)
When very old (15+ years) they can become brittle and crack.
If a corner starts to lift and dirt gets under it (or wax) you need to trim back the piece before more of it starts to lift off.

Now onto paint. Paint gives you a better end result, however you get what you pay for. Depending on your budget, you can have the stripes painted on and the panels completely cleared. That way you won't feel an edge.
Pros:
Lasts longer than vinyl.
Unlimited colour options
Cons:
Expensive to fix if you have to repaint a panel.
If you used a custom colour, they might not be able to match it again if you need to repaint.
Touch-ups look like crap

 

good post, A. I actually had my paint shop use Ford Factory code UA (black) for my stripes, so if I ever need a repaint or touch-up, no problem.

 

Did the same thing here, had the shop use 05 Mustang White (whatever the code for that is).

Great write up!

 

Wow thanks for all the info! I have pretty much decided to have them painted on, but just needed to know what other people have gone through on this. My next step is to find someone that I can trust to paint them. I have a local body shop that has done all the work on our vehicles, but this has got to be done with perfection!! To mess up on a new car would be the end of a long friendship!!! Thanks again for everyones responses!!

 

Hey Sherry, I got mine done the 2nd day the car was here from the factory, and I LOVE THEM check the pic below). When you go to your shop that does the painting, just ask him how he plans on tackling the job. If he will remove all panels that are to be painted (bumpers, hood, trunk lid), and remove the rear light buckets, and take their time with the taping of the stripes themselves, then they are good to go. I've heard of horror stories of some people who have gone to get the stripes painted on and to find out that the shop doesn't even remove the rear bumpers for painting. That is a BIG no no for this mod. BTW, what color are you deciding on? Black to match the CS stripe? That would look SICK!!!

 

My car went straight to the paint shop as well. I traded a 05 V6 that had vinyl stripes. I knew I wanted paint this time. I've been extremely happy with them.

 

+! If you want it done right they will be removing a lot of pieces in order to do a proper (IMO) job.

 

I put vinyl on my car about 2 years ago. I've had to redo the back bumper now because of staining (white vinyl, picks up everything and holds it no matter what you do).......also I've had to redo my front bumper and chin spoiler from normal wear and tear.

Overall, I am still fairly happy from a cost to function standpoint, but am longing for the day to get them painted.

 

My vinyl is showing a lot of wear from road chips so next month I am having them painted on. I have been quoted $1300 from Interstate Ford. They remove the bumpers, scuff the entire panels, paint the stripes then clear twice. Does that seem like a reasonable price for that?
I have looked around and I don't know where else to get quotes from. I have had paint work from this dealership done before and they do great work and they have great customer service so I will most most likely go there but I would like to get a couple quotes. Does anyone know of a good paint shop near Dayton Ohio?

 

Ya $1300 is good from a dealer. The cheepest I have seen is $700 thats what I paid
here in So.Cal.

 

I can't believe that you found a place to do it for $700. Great deal. Did they clear the entire panels?

 

Yep the same shop did Rebel73 stripes here in So.Cal. they do great work and are
very fast. Sanded down all the panels,painted the stripes and re cleared all the panels
and then rebuffed the paint after 30 days when the paint is set.

 

That is definitely the best deal I have ever heard of on getting stripes done. Were the body panels removed from the car before being painted?

 

I intend to look at having my stripes painted. I have no idea about what is involved though, what is the purpose of removing the panels?
Thanks

 

When they clear the panels, they clear the ENTIRE panel, and not just what is visible. When you clear the panel off the car,it covers everything (edges that would be under the lights, under the trunk lid, spots you don't visibly see). If a place paints the stripes on the car and clears the car while the panels are left on, they can't clear everything and there will be spots where the new clear won't reach, and. Plus they don't have to go crazy masking off the car, as they would paint the panels in the paint booth.

 

painted is definately the way to go IMO. I can get mine painted and cleared from a local shop for $450 but there will be a slight edge where the black stripes will be a little higher.