WarBird69

Yes, I'm still debating stripage for my baby...

What are the pros and cons of vinyl stripes vs painted stripes? I know the cost of painted stripes ( a lot!)... what would a good set of vinyl run me plus instillation? Can I Zaino over vinyl and will it still look good? Can the car be painted at a later date, or will the zaino be ruined by that? What type of durability does vinyl have? Does vinyl have special needs to take care of it?

So many questions...


EDIT: Thought I was in Exterior Mods. Could someone move this?

2bone123

I paid $450 for my vinyl. They look good but if I could get painted ones for $1500 or less I would do it.

OKCMustangGT

What are the pros and cons of vinyl stripes vs painted stripes?
Painted will last much longer and is not easily removed or changed. Much more expensive though and you car is out of commission for 2 weeks or more.
Vinyl can be removed if later you decide you don't want/like them. You can also do vinyl yourself over a matter of days or weeks, just go at your own pace and car is not out of commission

I know the cost of painted stripes ( a lot!)... what would a good set of vinyl run me plus instillation?
Do it yourself, it is a bit tricky but can be done, look at my car, those are self installed. Kit was $150 shipped from BSM. Installers are charging around $350 for install with you buying the stripes extra, so $450 - $500 total approximately.

Can I Zaino over vinyl and will it still look good?
Yes of course, just go the direction of the stripes not across them.

Can the car be painted at a later date, or will the zaino be ruined by that?
If you get it painted, you wont have to worry about Zaino, they will remove that first.

What type of durability does vinyl have?
Several years I would think if taken care of.

Does vinyl have special needs to take care of it?
Not an expert here as I have only had mine a month or so, but take care of the vinyl like you do your car.
Wash and wax/polish it often.

sodaman

Well I got vinyl put on, but If I had to do it over again I would have gotten it painted! Stripes on these things look awesome, that is no doubt. You can check out all the pics on the site to determine best color for you. I paid about 130 for vinyl and 500 for labor. But Like I said the shop that I had them done at, told me later that they could have painted it for like 1200-1500 bucks. I would definitely recommend going the expensive route, and get some quality stripes on the ride. I still love mine, but just trying to point you in the right direction. Because your going to love them, which means you got to do them over again later anyway.

dave2k5stang

I got vinyl put on my car. It's been over a year and it still looks great. I take it throught the car wash at least once every two weeks. It cost me about $560.00. The nice thing is, if I get sick of it I can just get it taken off. So far, no problems.

muscle_man

While we're on the subject of stripes, why hasnt ford offered them from the factory yet? It didnt bother me that they weren't available for the first couple of production years, but now we're in year 3. Why the hold up?

05fordgt

For my car, I had plans to stripe it the day I ordered it, and the stripes were to be painted. I never once considered vinyl, as I plan on keeping this car for A LONG TIME!!! Yes painted ones do cost alot more compared to the vinyl, but when you get your car back and you run your fingers across them and don't feel a thing, its so worth the money!!! Plus at shows, the reactions I get when people who ask about my vinyl stripes find out that the stripes are painted, is priceless. They can't believe how smooth the stripes are along the edges. My advice to you would be to ask yourself, how long to you plan on keeping the car. If you are only going to keep it for, say, 5 years or so, go with the vinyl. Not too much of an expense considering how long you will own it. If your like me, and plan on keeping this for many many years, go with the paint, as over the many years, the vinyl stripes may need to be replaced once or twice. Good luck with your decision, and I can't wait for some pics.

MY05GT

If you KNOW you want them, get them painted. If you are not sure, get vinyl.

mustangman1960

I had my stripes painted and the panels (front/rear facia, hood, roof, trunk lid, and spoiler) clear coated/buffed for $900 here in Huntsville. The cost of painting the stripes alone would have saved me a couple of hundred dollars. I paid the extra money to have the panels clear coated to eliminate the edges as much as possible.

OKCMustangGT

$900 !! That is SUPER cheap. What size stripes? Do you know the reputation of the shop you used?
The areas being clear coated shouldn't be extra, it should be done PERIOD when painting stripes.
Is the body shop you used a reputable one?
Sorry that is just SO inexpensive

MY05GT

That alone would be wortha drive to AL ( maybe a tax write off to " check on the property "). I could add in round trip airfare and still hava e great deal.

mustangman1960

Todd Rowland Body shop painted the stripes. He did the work himself. He was very thorogh in finding out exactly what I wanted. The lemans stripes are 10 3/4 inch wide (oxford white) with a 1 inch gap in between. He did an excellent job for me.

Boltzman

The paint will be darker under the stripes if they are on a long time and you decide to remove them which means new stripes or new paint job

adrenalin

well here is my point of view since I have always used vinyl but recently had the stripes painted on.

Vinyl
Pros - less expensive
- relatively easy installation
- easy to remove/replace if needed
Cons - you can feel the edge
- not as glossy looking as paint
- light colours can stain from tree sap, bird droppings, industrial fallout
- if not applied to a clean surface it can lift at the corners
- you cannot touch up stone chips

Paint
Pros - if done right, you can't feel an edge
- more colour choices
- durable - will last longer than vinyl
- you can fix stone chips
Cons - expensive (when done properly)
- have to repaint a panel if the paint gets damaged (expensive)
- have to repaint entire car if you change your mind

So that being said it basically comes down to personal preference. I admit, my painted stripes definately look better than vinyl, however, I already had a bunch of stone chips I had to touch up. If it was still vinyl I could have easily replaced the piece.

adrenalin

In most cases you just need to polish the panel.Generally it is the clearcoat that is oxidized that was not protected by the vinyl. I have had vinyl on cars for up to 15 years, removed the vinyl and polished the panels and you could not tell that vinyl was ever installed.

WarBird69

Another thought on this discussion...

If you go with vinyl stripes... what kind of damage can high pressure washes cause, specifically touch-free automatic washes? One of those auto washes is the best way to clean the undercarrage of salt and other winter nasties, and I'd hate for stripes to get ruined because of it. Its nice to drive through and get a quick rense if you're in a hurry too. If the wash itself doesn't cause damage... say a pre-existing chip in the vinyl was there. Can it get bigger (more damage) by washing?

And I'd *NEVER* take my car through a "soft touch" wash. I might as well drag an old wet towel through the grass and gravel then fling it on the car.

MY05GT

I live on a gravel road and constantly have to fight dust and mud. I often use the pressure washer type car wash and have noticed no problems.....yet.

OKCMustangGT

High pressure on my baby ? Hell NO. She receives only hand washes and the LOW pressure spot free rinse at the car wash.

Import-Slaya

How do you wax the car with vinyl stripes? Do you have to avoid the stripes, or do you wax over them? Do you get a wax build-up at the edge of the stripe that needs Q-tip removal?

adrenalin

You can wax right over the stripes, and it is preferred.

As for high pressure washes. As long as the ends of the vinyl are "wrapped" around the body panels you should have no issues. Normally things like lettering are an issue, but if they round the corners with a very small radius, instead of a 90 degree corner, normally the vinyl will never lift. Just to make sure never go real close (within a foot) of the vinyl edges at an angle.