Wrap Care

Infrequent or improper maintenance of your wrapped vehicle can lead to premature degradation of graphics and lower the expected life of the film.  Here are some tips on getting the most out of your investment.

CLEANING TIPS

Waterless Wash

If the vehicle is not overly dirty, this is the preferred method.  Hand wash extremely dirty vehicles first and follow up with a waterless wash.  Waterless wash products can help maintain the gloss level and performance of the film.  Before using any new product on your wrap, be sure to test them in an inconspicuous area of the vehicle.

Hand Wash

This is ideal for a vehicle with dirt or other residue.  Follow the below steps:

1) Pre rinse.  Using a hose, rinse the whole wrap with clean water.  THis helps to remove the loose dirt particles and helps avoid scratching the graphics.

2) Wash:  Gently wash the vehicle with a mild soapy water solution using a soft cloth or a synthetic or natural sponge.  Start from the top of the vehicle and work down.  Avoid abrading the surface with unnecessary scrubbing.

3) Rinse:  Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

4) Dry: Let the wrap dry naturally.  To avoid water spotting, use a silicone squeegee to remove water then finish drying with a microfiber or soft, non abrasive towel.

Note Excessive spraying at the wrong angle may create failure points and result in the wrap lifting at the edges.

An automatic car wash that uses brushes is not recommended.  Brushes may scratch the wrap or catch the wrap's edge and create a failure point.  Automatic brushless car washes are also not recommended as the high pressure water could also cause failure points at the wrap's edge.

Next: Wrap Care FAQs. 

(Care instructions are referenced or copied from Avery Dennison's care instructions hanger.)

Ceramic Coating Packages

Ceramic Coating is not a cheap in the immediate sense.  However, the amount of time saved on cleaning, waxing, and polishing your paint more than covers the initial financial burden.

After some research, MSA decided on using the Ceramic Pro brand.  They're international with a large network of applicators.  In addition, they offer many different solutions for different applications.

We have several packages available.  

Light - is a highly hydrophobic layer.  Light wears over time and minor scratches can penetrate this coat.  This is an ideal layer for those wanting to decrease wax time.

9H - this is the layer that provides the best benefit.  9H is a permanent layer and is the hardened layer.  This is the layer most commonly associated with ceramic coatings and is the coat that protects the vehicle's finish.  This layer is also hydrophobic.

Rain - Hydrophobic layer for your vehicle's glass.  The effects last 1 - 2 years.

Wheel and Caliper - is a little thicker formula that provides excellent protection for your wheels against brake dust.  Cleaning becomes a breeze with this coating and keeps your wheel finish like new.  Bronze and Silver packages get the faces coated.  Gold and above packages get the wheels removed, cleaned (to the best of our ability), and the face and barrel are coated.

The image represents how the packages affect your paint.  Due to a lot of confusion, we have decided to separate our paint correction pricing from our coating prices.  Proper paint correction takes time and varies from vehicle to vehicle.  Offering a universal price overcharges some, and we want to make sure our pricing is accurate for each vehicle and its needs.  9H is a permanent layer.  Although paint correction is not necessary, it's recommended because once 9H is applied, your paint finish will remain in that condition.

Not listed is our Platinum Package.  This package offers additional protection with the addition of 3 layers of 9H to the equation.

Note: erosion and natural environmental conditions happen.  Although 9H is a hard, glass-like layer, even glass left out in the elements will damage over time.  Continued washing and proper care of the coating is required.  Also, to maintain your warranty of Silver packages and above, an annual refresh coating is necessary and has an additional charge.

Warranties are registered to the VIN at delivery.  Ceramic Pro will get it listed in your CarFax history, adding value to your vehicle.  

Come by today for your pre-appointment.  We will look over your vehicle with you and discuss the necessary paint corrections and what pricing will be to get your vehicle coated.  501-327-6637 or Sales@MSAuthority.com.  

Ceramic Coating - Are they all the same?

To put it bluntly, no.  Every manufacturer puts in a specific % of the active ingredient in their bottles.  Cheaper bottles typically have less active ingredients, and most of the ones available for purchase on eBay or Amazon are what we call consumer grade.

Professional grade bottles are available only to individuals trained by the brand.  There are 2 companies that I'm aware of that offer this: cQuartz and Ceramic Pro.

I've seen videos, and it seems simple enough.  Why is the professional grade exclusive?

Because the professional grade has a higher content of active ingredient, it's basically thicker.  If not applied properly, it can leave some very unsightly residues on your paint surface.  This makes for a very ineffective product and leads to poor consumer reviews.  The manufacturer wants to make sure that the entire application process is performed correctly for the optimum performance.

What's the difference between consumer and professional grade?

Manufacturers recognize the DIY consumers.  In order to do this, they had to create a product with the least likelihood of error.  Like I said earlier, professional coatings are more expensive with more active ingredient, and although consumers may want ceramic coating, they may not necessarily want to pay the higher ticket.

What is Ceramic Coating?

Ceramic Coating has become all the rage lately.  If you haven't heard about it yet, you're missing out!  It's a crucial component of protecting your vehicles paint.

Ceramic coating is also known as a nano coating.  Basically, what it does is very similar to wax.  Clear coat is actually an uneven surface with hills and valleys.  When you wax your vehicle, you fill in those valleys with a wax.  Ceramic coating is the same concept.  However, when you wax, it's very temporary as wax deteriorates with each wash or rain.  Ceramic coating is permanent and in the bottle, is basically glass in a liquid form.  Once fully cured, it forms a glass like layer in those valleys, thus creating a smooth, more level surface for water and liquids to roll off of.

9H is the primary product coating.  It's called 9H because it's a hardness level.  In fact, 9H is labeled on many tempered glass phone protectors.  (If you're a knowledge nerd also, feel free to do a search on it.)  Although there are many that do not like it's permanent qualities, it's also a quality that's gained itself a LOT of popularity.

Some coatings are layerable.  This means it forms a layer on top of you clear coat.  This becomes a great feature because it actually protects your clear coat from environmental conditions - rain, humidity, salts, dust, erosion, and many chemicals....  Also known as the sacrificial layer, depending on the object impacting your paint, the ceramic coating will take the initial contact, thus protecting your clear coat.  What to see it in person?  Call us to schedule a demo.