Ok People,
I've been trying to decide what kind of stripes to get on my 06 Stang when it comes in, paint or vinyl? I'd like to get some opinions and REASONS why one is better than the other. Pros and Cons of each.

 

I prefer vinyl. You can take them off if you need to. Cheap and customizable.

 

Need an option for both

I've got vinyl, and I like them enough to want to get them painted now. So, I'll be doing both.

 

I prefer painted on stripes. You're getting them for a reason, aren't you?...which means you won't be taking them off.

 

Paint, definitely. Costs more, but if done properly, it feels factory smooth and it's all clearcoated. That's the way I'd go. Good luck!

Eric

 

I think the whole thing is a matter of cost. It all depends on how much you want to spend. I am planning on going with vinyl, because I can't afford to spend the money on my car that it would cost to get painted stripes.

 

Cost is definitely a major consideration, but also I tend to grow tired of my vehicle's looks after a few years and prefer a change. That's why vinyl works for me. And I can do it myself. If you're sure about your scheme, paint is certainly more durable and looks better close up.

 

I wanted to do paint, just that the $2k for the job is a little much for me right now. That being said, I am going the vinyl route. It is less expensive, and when I am ready for paint, I can just remove the viny and do the paint.

 

My Cobra had vinyl poorly installed before I purchased it at two years old. I planned on painting stripes anyway.

What I would like to point out is that after removal I had about two months before the paint work began. There was no way to remove the ghost of the vinyl stripes. And there were plenty of cuts into the clearcoat of the fascia. Plus you can't align a fixed plane (The Vinyl Stripe) to mutiple radius, as in both fascias.

If you know what you want for sure, then paint on is the way to go in my opinon.

 

Obviously, we all have different approaches that work best for each of us. If cost is the only factor, however, don't let what you read hear be your only influence without checking into it yourself. Someone mentioned $2k for painted stripes! :shock: I checked locally and got quotes of $600 and $800 for painted stripes, bumper to bumper. The difference was in whether they removed the bumpers or not. Apparently, they can't get paint into the body seams neatly without removing the parts. The $800 guy was removing both bumpers for a factory painted look. The $600 guy left the bumpers on and kept paint out of the seam using a tape pinstripe. After he finished, he was going to place a new pinstripe tape back in the crack so you didn't see a thin line of body color. He showed examples of his work, and it didn't look bad at all, and saved $200. Both of these guys came highly recommended, and both were sanding/clearcoating over the stripes. That's not much more expensive than installing vinyl, and if you're not the indecisive type, they will last a lot longer. I guess it depends on labor charges in your area? Good luck!

 

decisions decisions,
Obviously I voted for vinyl, but I would also vote for paint. It is a personal preference and also comes down to budget.

So here are a few deciding factors for you to consider.

Vinyl.
Pros:
Inexpensive.
Can be removed if you change your mind on colour or design
If a small area gets damaged, remove that stripe and put a new one on yourself.
Cons:
Lasts about 5 years before fading/cracking can start to happen
You can damage vinyl if you put a powerwasher too close to an edge.

Paint
Pros:
Can do things with paint that you can't do with vinyl
Finish looks better (well read cons)
Cons:
Alot more expensive than vinyl (to paint the stripes on properly the windshield has to be removed)
If an area gets damaged (chipped) you need to have the entire section repainted

My stripes are vinyl. I was considering getting them painted until I got a price over $2,000 canadian to have them done. By the way, I also got a price for $500.00 but I want a professional job, not Pat the painter and a 12 pack of beer. The windshield and rear window would need to be removed because they cannot peel back the weatherstripping enough. Also, some shops do not smooth everything out and clear the entire panel. Do you know how much work you need to do just to clear over the top of the car properly? A lot.....

 

My 2 cents. A bad vinyl job will last longer than a bad paint job.

 

I'm going with vinyl first, see if I like it and then maybe go for paint after I save up the money. I'm with Adrenal, I think to do the paint really right, for me, is to get the striped body pieces clear coated afterwards, so there's no edge - or am I wrong. Could the edge be buffed out? Otherwise, I'm looking at clearcoating everything but the fenders, doors and rear 1/4's. That won't be cheap...

 

I'm really torn on this one...

I would love to get painted stripes, but I don't want to spend that type of money right now. The estimates I've gotten are all in the $1400-$1800 range. I'm sure there are shops around here that would do it cheaper, but if I'm going with paint, I don't want a half job. I wouldn't settle for less than having the entire panels cleared (hood, roof, decklid, spoiler, bumpers, etc.). IMO you shouldn't be able to feel any "ridge" between the stripes and the rest of the car if you're gonna go the painted route.

I've seen vinyl in person, and it looks surprisingly good. Obviously you can feel a ridge between the stripes and the rest of the vehicle - but you also save a ton of money, and can have them re-done if there are any issues along the way.

So... I guess in the short term I would vote for vinyl, but if money were no object, obviuosly painted stripes have the advantage.

 

You can't remove Paint or vinyl. As soon as the Vinyl is 3 months old it may as well be paint. the car is not the same colour under the stripes.

 

I've had the Vinyl on my car for almost 8 months now..I love the way the stripes look..I started out with the Vinyl because it was much cheaper to do And to see if I truely liked the way the car looked with the striping I chose..Now i have desided to have them painted on...After 8 months of the vinyl being on the car they have started to get spots on them I cant remove..( I had them use the highest grade vinyl ) The spotting is not water spotting.. it's more from birds and trees.. I've tryed clay baring but still cant get the spots out..If the vinyl guru has any ideas I'd love to hear them
Best advice I have.. If you know Your going to like the way they are going to look and have a great painter AND ( Even bigger ) your insurance company will cover the price to replace them.. Have them painted on...

 

My 2 cents. A bad vinyl job will last longer than a bad paint job.


How so? I'm not arguing, I am sure you know more about this than I do. I'd just think that a bad vinyl job would encourage someone to remove it, but a bad paint job you'd kinda be stuck with. (Which supports getting vinyl, I guess.) I assume that the guys I got quotes from are probably doing an inferior job compared to what you guys are getting quoted? Maybe my small town labor rates are justified? I've already given up on doing LeMans style stripes on my Sonic GT anyway. (Getting too common.) I do intend to do some form of striping, though, but I am waiting to see a few aftermarket hoods that are in the works before I decide. I appreciate everyone's opinion and comments here. I wouldn't know what to do without the support. This website is just priceless!

 

I just love when somebody states incorrect facts. You can remove vinyl with no issues. I have been in the business for a very long time. I have put stripes on all of my own cars and on some, after 3 years changed the design.

So do you know why the colour of the paint under the vinyl is not the same when you remove it? Simply, you have not scratched the daylights out of it or subjected it to the UV rays of the sun. All you need to do after removing the vinyl is polish the paint and then the stuff that was not protected by vinyl will now look like new. I put stripes on a 89 dakota sport pickup. I sold the pickup in 92. In 98 I met up with the guy that bought it and he wanted to remove the stripes and have a different design installed. I removed the stripes and polished the truck. Not only could he not tell where the stripes were but he never saw the black paint shine that much

 

I guess what I meant was a bad vinyl job will last longer because the paint will still stick. I have seen some bad paint jobs where areas were not masked properly. Overspray all over the car and after a while paint cracking/peeling away from trim areas. It is a lot of work to fix a bad paint job whereas a bad vinyl job is easier to fix. I know if I had received a bad paint job that would stink, but a bad vinyl job, well, hand me a hair dryer and I'd remove it.

However as I said, someday I might get mine painted on but it will be done properly (removal of glass and trim). I do plan on changing hoods someday so that might change my stripe idea. I can remove my vinyl and do something different.