How to Maintain Fleet Wrap to Ensure It Lasts

The expert vehicle wrapping team at WrapUK provides advice to ensure the longevity of your commercial fleet wraps

Adding a slick vinyl wrap to your fleet or business vehicle can make a huge difference to brand awareness and professionalism, transforming plain vans and conventional lorries into moving billboards that advertise your company everywhere they go.

However, a busy commercial vehicle that spends hours on the road every day is inevitably exposed to damage from road spray, grit, chemicals and general wear and tear. Fortunately, with some expert tips, you can preserve your fleet wrap and keep it looking pristine for longer.

Let's work through some advice from the WrapUK team to ensure your commercial fleet wrap looks the part and doesn’t begin to fade or crack.

How Long Should a Professionally Applied Fleet Wrap Last?

We'd clarify that any vinyl wrap should be fitted by an experienced team – although there are tons of DIY guides online, it's impossible to get a smooth, perfect finish without the right skills and tools. Poorly applied wraps bubble and start to peel away from the vehicle pretty quickly, so we'd never recommend going down this route.

Well-fitted vehicle wraps can last a few years, provided they are looked after. A lot depends on the distances the vehicle covers and whether you have used a supplementary preservative coating such as ceramic – this is a great solution if you travel thousands of miles every year and don't want to replace your wrap more often than necessary.

As an idea, we expect most wraps to last from five years or more. Vehicles that are parked in the elements and not cleaned regularly often tend to see signs of wear on their vinyl wraps a little sooner.

Other factors such as tree sap, bird mess, jet washing, cleaning with abrasive cloths and parking in direct sunlight for extended periods can also impact the longevity of your vinyl wrap.

How Can I Extend the Lifespan of a Vinyl Fleet Wrap?

The first thing to think about is cleaning. Most of the damage that appears on a fleet wrap is caused by some of the contaminants we’ve mentioned – think oil, dirt and dust. Acidic road spray that settles on the vinyl and stays there will slowly but surely start to eat into the vinyl coating, so keeping it clean is essential.

Cleaning Guidance for Fleet Wraps

Here’s a quick guide to cleaning a wrapped fleet vehicle:

• Never use heavy jet washing settings – you can use a pressure washer on a light mode to remove surface residues, but avoid being too heavy-handed.
• Use soft sponges rather than anything abrasive that could scratch the surface of the vinyl.
• Purchase neutral car shampoos rather than heavier chemicals that might exacerbate damage to your vinyl, cleaning thoroughly but gently.
• When your vehicle is clean, wipe down with a microfibre cloth and use a towel to remove any remaining water – this stops water marks from forming.

It is possible to use a wax or a sealant product over the top of the vinyl, but this should be suitable for wrapped vehicles – some of the ingredients in commercial polish can melt plastic. Other processes, such as claying, are better avoided, as scuff marks are impossible to remove – instead, you'd need to replace the whole wrap.

Chemicals like ammonia and bleach don't mix well with vinyl and can lead to discolouration or affect the strength of the adhesive, making the wrap fade and look bleached.

If you need any help choosing the right vehicle cleaning products and shampoos, you are welcome to contact the WrapUK team for further advice. We can also provide general maintenance and repair work as needed.

Parking a Wrapped Fleet Vehicle

UV light can create peeling and fading, so the ideal is to park your vehicle away from direct sunlight as much as possible. If you can’t avoid this, we’d suggest using a protective cover – particularly if you’re parking in a bay or yard for the weekend during the summer.

The bird mess we’ve talked about can also create stains, as can tree sap. Giving the vinyl a clean with soapy, warm water should remove the problem and avoid it sitting on the vinyl for longer and creating a stain that is more difficult to remove.

Repairing Damage to Commercial Vehicle Wraps

Minor damage is part of life if you're using a commercial vehicle every day, and the best approach is to ensure your wrap is maintained regularly and contact a wrap specialist if you need help or advice.

Small punctures or tears are often the result of grit from the roads or small impacts with tree branches, and leaving the damage as-is will usually mean it gets worse, with tears widening and stretching across the vinyl – necessitating a panel or full wrap replacement.

There are resilient, tough vinyl wraps designed for prolonged use that are more resistant to this type of damage, alongside the ceramic coating options. We'd suggest speaking with one of the team if you need a rugged commercial vehicle wrap that will require as little maintenance as possible.

In any circumstance, repairs should be carried out professionally using the right techniques, especially where the damage is more severe or covers a larger vinyl surface area. While adding patches to vinyl wraps isn't always advisable, in some scenarios, a small area of vinyl can be replaced using digital printing to replicate an identical print and specialised heat applications to restore the vehicle's appearance.

Sections of a wrap that appear brown or similar to rust should always be removed – this usually indicates that pollutants may have infiltrated under the surface of the wrap and, if left in situ, can cause damage to the paintwork on the panel of the vehicle underneath.

Advice on Fleet Wrap Maintenance and Cleaning

Following these tips should ensure your vinyl wraps are in great condition, keeping your fleet wrap clean, dry and protected from contaminants that can cause early deterioration.

Should you need further assistance or tailored guidance to work out the best way to address a problem with your fleet wrap, please get in touch with the WrapUK team at any time.

Read more about WrapUK - What To Look For In A Commercial Vehicle Wrapping Company

About WrapUK

WrapUK are premium vehicle wrapping specialist based in Sussex, UK. Car wraps, van wraps, commercial vehicle wraps and even boat wraps are a speciality. Our clients are based throughout the South of England, from Brighton to Southampton. For fleet wraps the team will work on-site, for speed and to minimise disruption.

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Source Company: https://www.wrapuk.com/