Well designed and executed vehicle graphics are some of the most effective advertising available. Once your vehicle has a full or partial wrap or even an effective cut vinyl design, you will never again be stuck in traffic – you will be advertising in place. You might even instruct your drivers take the long route so you can get more exposure. And in terms of cost-per-view, there is no more economical means to get your business noticed.
So, let’s say you decide to go ahead and invest in your business and get your vehicle wrapped. As I explained in a previous article, the Desert Southwest sun is not kind to vehicle graphics -- especially on horizontal surfaces such as hoods, roofs, and trunks. (Plan on replacing the horizontals every 2 years.) With that in mind, what can you do to get the maximum usable time out of your investment?
There are many tips for keeping vehicle graphics looking good for as long as possible, but they boil down to two: Keep the graphics clean and keep the graphics shaded.
For the cleaning component, whenever the car looks dirty, hand wash the vehicle. Remove as much dirt as you can with a water spray, then use a carwash-specific detergent applied with a soft clean cloth or sponge. If you use a pressure nozzle, be sure to spray at ninety degrees to the surface – angle spray may lift edges.
If you do use a commercial car wash, use only a brushless facility. The brushes used at many non-brushless wash locations can lift edges and abrade the vinyl. They can also dull the laminate over time.
Carefully remove difficult contaminants such as bird droppings, tar, or tree sap by soaking the affected areas with hot soapy water for several minutes. Follow this by a rinse and dry. If further cleaning is needed, use a citrus-based bug and tar remover. Try the cleaner first in an inconspicuous place to see how it works with the graphic vinyl.
The shade recommendation is straight-forward. Graphics are degraded by the sun’s Ultra Violet rays. The sun’s UV rays as measured by a UV Ray index are most intense in certain parts of the country. Below are a UV Index map from the Intellicast.com website for July 20 and an index diagram from the US Government EPA site. As you can see in the map, the Desert Southwest is at or near the maximum UV Ray level. The EPA site allows you to enter your zip code to learn your current index. Designs Phoenix zip code returned a 10 on the scale, one below the most intense.
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UV Index Map 7-20-2014[/caption]
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EPA UV Index[/caption]
So to protect your graphics (just like your skin) avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. Use covered parking as much as you can. If your vehicle is parked in a garage when not in use, that is the ideal and if kept clean, your graphics will last well beyond those of a vehicle that gets 24-7 sun exposure. If shade is not an option, replacement of your graphics is required at two to three-year intervals to avoid vinyl degradation and expensive removal for replacement.
Please contact Designs Phoenix Signs and Graphics for further information and ideas!
