View Poll Results: Should I wrap my E60 in Matte Black Vinyl?
Voters: 46. You may not vote on this poll
Need Opinions: Full Matte Black Wrap
09-26-2011, 08:43 AM
#71
Senior Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 2,163
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: ///M5 BEAST
Model Year: 2006
honestly....its the best damn mod ive ever done to my car. the CIC retrofit is a close second (save for all the coding issues/woes i endured).
put it like this, the car is still only 90% complete and im breaking necks as i drive around detriot. all kinds of people ranging from little kids to 50 year old men are honking their horns or giving me the thumbs up! not that i do it for the attn, but the attn has been overwhelmingly positive.
the car is completely transformed. at night it looks like a demon. during the daytime it looks like a stealth bomber on deep dish wheels lol.
im so happy i did this mod.
09-26-2011, 08:50 AM
#72
Senior Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 2,163
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: ///M5 BEAST
Model Year: 2006
Yes and no.
once you break down the science of it....if you can measure out items and cut correctly its quite simple. for almost every section, you have extra material that folds over something and tucks away. its usually as simple as measuring enough material so you have a 2 or 3 inch slack that can be tucked in or trimmed off.
the heat gun allows you to shrink wrap contours. patience allows you to take your time and get it right. im not pro at all. but i was able to complete all the contours of my front bumper by myself. i looked online at videos and found tons of ways to cheat the material and get it to do what you want it to. after obtaining that knowledge, there's no way id pay someone to do it for me, it would be a waste of $ but that my philosophy in general when it comes to automotive tasks.
will the final fit and finish look 100% professional....honestly no. will it look 95% professional...yes it will. for the pieces that i did poorly, ive redone them after trial and error so it eventually all looks perfect. the biggest joy is doing it myself rather than paying $2800 in labor and not learning a new skill.
speaking of which, anyone know where i can find some good alcantara? (for cheap lol!) my next mod will be something equally ambitious
once you break down the science of it....if you can measure out items and cut correctly its quite simple. for almost every section, you have extra material that folds over something and tucks away. its usually as simple as measuring enough material so you have a 2 or 3 inch slack that can be tucked in or trimmed off.
the heat gun allows you to shrink wrap contours. patience allows you to take your time and get it right. im not pro at all. but i was able to complete all the contours of my front bumper by myself. i looked online at videos and found tons of ways to cheat the material and get it to do what you want it to. after obtaining that knowledge, there's no way id pay someone to do it for me, it would be a waste of $ but that my philosophy in general when it comes to automotive tasks.
will the final fit and finish look 100% professional....honestly no. will it look 95% professional...yes it will. for the pieces that i did poorly, ive redone them after trial and error so it eventually all looks perfect. the biggest joy is doing it myself rather than paying $2800 in labor and not learning a new skill.
speaking of which, anyone know where i can find some good alcantara? (for cheap lol!) my next mod will be something equally ambitious
IMO to be able to pull that off, you need some serious skills. For the average dudes like us I'm not sure if we could pull it off cleanly. I ordered some of the same material for my roof, and I'm going to have it installed professionally tomorrow. Part of my wants to try it myself after seeing this thread, but I know I probably wouldn't cut it cleanly. The place I'm taking it to charges 45hour
09-26-2011, 08:54 AM
#73
Senior Members
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: S. Fla
Posts: 1,129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looks freaking amazing. Can't wait to see finished pics and the video. A couple months ago, I called a couple places about doing my car in a matte grey or blue and the $3K cost kept me from doing it. Maybe you will inspire us to take a stab at it. Good job Chris...
09-26-2011, 09:11 AM
#75
Senior Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 2,163
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: ///M5 BEAST
Model Year: 2006
give me a couple days to edit this video and you can learn from my mistakes and steal some of my best practices. it wont be the rosetta stone of DIYs but hopefully it will helpful. 
09-26-2011, 12:33 PM
#77
Contributors
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 5,895
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 04 525i, 04 Dinan M3
09-26-2011, 11:17 PM
#79
Contributors
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: CA
Posts: 5,781
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: BMW E60
Model Year: 2016
You don't have to, but are you not gonna wrap the fin? I have seen the fin wrapped without being taken off, but the end result is usually pretty crappy.