Winter is here in the midwest and it’s important you know how to take care of your vehicle wrap during the winter months. If you experience cold winter weather with snow and ice where you live, there are some things you need to know to protect and prolong the life of your commercial vehicle wrap during the winter.
Here’s 5 tips on maintaining your vehicle wrap during the winter to keep your business brand looking new and professional.
How to Care for Your Vehicle Wrap During the Winter
1. Avoid Using A Scraper on the Wrap
Don’t reach for the ice scraper or snow shovel to remove snow and ice from the wrapped portions of your vehicle. Scrapers and shovels can damage both the vehicle wrap and even the paint if you are not careful. Instead, use a soft bristle brush or broom to remove the snow. Don’t let snow sit and turn into ice, which may stick to the vinyl graphics becoming difficult to remove without damaging the graphic.
2. Clean Off Salt and Road Grime
Winter roads are full of salt, and grime can quickly accumulate on your vehicle, and potentially cause harm to your vehicle wrap. The best way to prevent this is to avoid the build up by cleaning your vehicle as soon as you can or at least weekly after driving on salt-treated roads. Allowing salt and road grime to build up can corrode your vehicle wrap when left on it for too long by allowing contaminants to seep into and stain or discolor your vehicle wrap.
Salt is extremely corrosive, and even vinyl protected with clear coat could eventually show signs of wear from extended exposure to salt. For more information on the effects of road salt, read our FAQ: Will Road Salt Damage my Vehicle Graphics?
3. Repair Any Lifted Vinyl on Your Vehicle Wrap
If you notice any areas on your vehicle wrap that start to lift on the edges, or a small hole or tear developing, contact your vehicle graphics provider for a repair. Snow and ice can become trapped under these areas causing a small damaged area to grow quickly and lead to something that cannot be repaired easily. If it is caught soon enough, it can likely be repaired and prevent more costly repairs later.
4. Spot Clean Your Vehicle Wrap Frequently
To protect your vehicle wrap during the winter and all year round, you should be diligent in spot cleaning your vehicle wrap. If you notice a spot of your wrap, 3M recommends to soften difficult contaminants such as bug splatter, bird droppings, tree sap and similar contaminants by soaking them for several minutes with very warn, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
5. Avoid Pressure Washing
In general, it’s best to avoid pressure washing your vehicle wrap. Ideally, hand washing is best, but your vehicle can be run through a touch less automated car wash. The use of brush car washes (depending upon the frequency and quality of brush) may cause dulling/scratching/lifting edge of the graphics.
If hand washing and touch less car washes are not an option for you, pressure washing may be done carefully under the following conditions:
• Ensure the water pressure is kept below 2000 psi.
• Keep water temperature below 180°F
• Use a spray nozzle with a 40 degree wide angle spray pattern.
• Keep the nozzle at least 12″ away from the graphic
• Keep the nozzle perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to the graphic.
For more information, see the full graphics care procedures guide from 3M for details.
How Do You Care for Your Vehicle Wrap During the Winter?
Knowing how to care for your vehicle wrap during the winter doesn’t mean it will always be easy. Getting out in the cold and snow to clean and protect your vehicle isn’t always the most pleasant task, but protecting your investment and your brand’s image is important. For even more info, see our article on How to care for Vinyl Vehicle Graphics. It has tips for caring for your vehicle wrap in warm weather too! If you’d like further information or advice, be sure to Contact Us.
Need Help With Your Wrap?
If you’d like commercial vehicle graphics designed to capture attention, printed with state-of-the-art equipment on quality 3M film, and installed by 3M certified installers, we’re here to help. Request a free quote today.
TKO Graphix has been a national fleet and vehicle graphics company helping customers since 1985. We provide full-service graphic design, digital printing, screen printing, graphics installation, and removal of large format graphics.
We’ve been helping businesses, large and small, brand their fleet of tractor-trailers, service trucks, and company vehicles for more than 35 years. Whether you have a fleet of thousands or a few vehicles, we are here to lead you through the vehicle branding process.
As a result of our high standards in quality products and production, we are proud to be certified by 3M™ and able to offer the 3M™ MCS™ Warranty, the gold standard in graphics warranties. This warranty demonstrates our commitment to excellence and gives customers a greater peace of mind.
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