If you’ve recently had your vehicle wrapped, or graphics installed, it’s extremely important to maintain them correctly to ensure vibrant, long-lasting results. Did you know that well-maintained graphics can last up to seven years?
Whether you’ve had a van wrap, or installed graphics onto your car, in this post, we’ll be outlining how to properly maintain your vehicle’s graphics to keep them looking fresh and maximise their longevity!
Cleaning is extremely important and plays a crucial role in the maintenance of your graphics because contaminants like dirt and grime can cause long-term damage if they aren’t removed properly.
The best method of cleaning a vehicle with graphics is hand washing.
Once the graphics have been rinsed with clean water to remove any surface dirt, use a wet, non-abrasive car wash and a soft clean cloth or sponge.
Once cleaned, ensure the surface is rinsed thoroughly. It’s then extremely important to use a silicone squeegee followed by a microfiber cloth to remove excess water and prevent water spotting!
But how often should you clean your vehicle? It’s important to clean whenever your vehicle appears dirty - some may argue up to once per week.
Just bear in mind that contaminants allowed to remain on the graphics could become harder to remove.
Can you take wrapped vehicles through car washes?
It’s a question that gets asked a lot. Well, yes, you can take wrapped cars through car washes, but we’d recommend touchless where possible.
Brush car washes run a risk of causing dulling, scratching or lifting of your graphics, so it’s best to avoid them.
Can you pressure wash wrapped vehicles, or vehicles with graphics?
A lot of people would argue that you shouldn’t.
Although hand-washing is preferred, you can pressure wash your vehicle, as long as you follow some basic guidelines and take care:
Some stubborn stains on your (sap, bug splatter etc.) will be much more difficult to clean and remove safely than others.
For these tougher contaminants, we’d recommend softening by soaking with hot, soapy water, followed by rinsing and thorough drying.
In case of fuel spills on your graphics, immediate action is really important!
The best thing to do is to immediately wipe off, wash (follow the hand wash approach mentioned above), rinse and dry as soon as possible.
Failure to do this can potentially result in degradation of the vinyl and the adhesive used to apply it.
There are a few more recommendations that will help keep your wraps and graphics looking at their best for a long time:
Proper maintenance is extremely important to extend the life and preserve the look of your vehicle graphics and wraps.
If you’re looking to refresh your vehicle, or get new graphics, here at CJ Signs, we install graphics and wraps on vehicles of all shapes and sizes. From car wraps to lorry wraps and commercial graphics to road tankers, get in touch with the team to see how we can transform your vehicle!
