Wrapping Roof with Vinyl Film

Kippy said:

I like the look of the CFRP roof. Does anyone know if there is a clear vinyl wrap with UV protection?

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ksnax said:

It's all vinyl, but there is definitely a range of quality to consider.

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Transparent window films aren't polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (a.k.a. "vinyl") which isn't transparent. They are usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a very different type of film from vinyl.

I doubt that most people are familiar with the appearance of CFRP (i3 owners excepted ). If they were, they wouldn't understand why film that's described as "carbon fiber" is so described. To me, it looks nothing like real CFRP.

alohart said:

I doubt that most people are familiar with the appearance of CFRP (i3 owners excepted ). If they were, they wouldn't understand why film that's described as "carbon fiber" is so described. To me, it looks nothing like real CFRP.

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Well, it is a bit like Britney Spears with and without makeup. Only the spouse know the difference.. Real CRFP look is not that impressive, so they make the carbon film look more exaggerated.

Dutchi3 said:

Well, it is a bit like Britney Spears with and without makeup. Only the spouse know the difference.. Real CRFP look is not that impressive, so they make the carbon film look more exaggerated.

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Looks more like cheap woven plastic rattan to me. However, each to her/his own…

alohart said:

Transparent window films aren't polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (a.k.a. "vinyl") which isn't transparent. They are usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a very different type of film from vinyl.

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Good clarification, but I was referring to an actual reusable vinyl product. Probably wouldn't work well in any case.

So just a quick update. Due to unforeseen circumstances with trying to put the new over the old, we had to take the old off. So I made a last minute change to what I am putting on. I'll take pics and post when it's done. Even if it looks like cheap plastic rattan furniture

tongsli said:

Even if it looks like cheap plastic rattan furniture

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Touché My only complaint about this vinyl film is its claim to look like or be carbon fiber. Some people probably think that it is or contains carbon fiber. I'm sure than vinyl film manufacturers could have produced a film that looks more like the real stuff but chose to make it more bold as @Dutchi3 wrote. I had never seen CFRP before 2014 when we bought our first i3, so I might have thought that carbon fiber looked like this vinyl film. Now having seen the real stuff, I don't see much resemblance. However, this film still has an interesting texture that stands out from a plain colored vinyl, so it should look good on your roof.

alohart said:

Touché My only complaint about this vinyl film is its claim to look like or be carbon fiber. Some people probably think that it is or contains carbon fiber. I'm sure than vinyl film manufacturers could have produced a film that looks more like the real stuff but chose to make it more bold as @Dutchi3 wrote. I had never seen CFRP before 2014 when we bought our first i3, so I might have thought that carbon fiber looked like this vinyl film. Now having seen the real stuff, I don't see much resemblance. However, this film still has an interesting texture that stands out from a plain colored vinyl, so it should look good on your roof.

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Honestly, I'm not as tall as you so once it's on, I'll hardly ever see it. My wrapping person convinced me not to put the silver on my roof because my car is darker and with the beige and black combo she didn't think it would go well together.

She also believed the aesthetics are more important than the heat gain but then again she's in her 20's but I agreed. Hopefully it will get done next week if the material comes in soon.

L

I was thinking about doing the roof in white and sides in ice blue. I haven't been able to come up with the funds. This economy is brutal. I found someone who said he'd do it for free.

Candece said:

I was thinking about doing the roof in white and sides in ice blue. I haven't been able to come up with the funds. This economy is brutal. I found someone who said he'd do it for free.

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Free? Remember that you'll get what you pay for, and you may not like it

Rossifer said:

Free? Remember that you'll get what you pay for, and you may not like it

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You get what you pay for is a phrase coined by a slick salesman. I personally make sure I get more than I pay for. 2019 i3S, 16k miles flawless condition, new tires, 12v battery and 8 months CPO warranty $15,500.

More costly and more durable is PPF Paint Protection Film. Clear will be less durable than colored, light colors more durable than dark.

Rossifer said:

Free? Remember that you'll get what you pay for, and you may not like it

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I'm good with that. There's a guy at work who does this as a hobby. I looked over his car, opened the doors and looked at the edges. He did a good job.

I would not put this on any part but the roof. Obviously the pattern is directional and if you are OCD it will drive u crazy. I don’t think its possible to install straight.

But I love the color. And it is very thick stuff.



Look much different inside vs outside. I really like the color.

frictioncircle said:

As the roof is a structural component and BMW has been in the business for a while, it doesn't make much sense that they could have fouled up so badly here but I'm really interested in any available tales.

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I don’t believe the roof is structural. It is only a pressed mat of the carbon fibre off cuts from the body structure coated in clear coat and not baked. Hence why roof racks and suckers and not recommended. No load bearing.

One more

Gonville said:

I don’t believe the roof is structural. It is only a pressed mat of the carbon fibre off cuts from the body structure coated in clear coat and not baked. Hence why roof racks and suckers and not recommended. No load bearing.

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Structural doesn't mean load bearing. The roof is a sheer member contributing diagonal wracking stiffness. Few people realize that the windshield is also a structural element.

alohart said:

Today, I chose Satin White Aluminum gloss for the roof of our 2021 Galvanic Gold Metallic i3. I had hoped to find a vinyl color that would match Galvanic Gold Metallic but didn't find one in 3M or Emery vinyl films. The auto wrapping shop would have to order Satin White Aluminum, so they're looking through their remnants to see whether they have something similar. I should learn more soon. I think you've picked one of the best matches for Frozen Grey.

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Any updates on wrapping your roof in satin white aluminum? I have the same galvanic gold and have considering doing the same in similar color.

Mario Menendez said:

Any updates on wrapping your roof in satin white aluminum? I have the same galvanic gold and have considering doing the same in similar color.

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The shop that wrapped our 2019 i3 is swamped with full vehicle wrap jobs and isn't interested in special-ordering gloss white aluminum film for such a small job as ours. They referred me to another shop that claims that the quality of the film and adhesive, including 3M and Avery, has decreased so much since the pandemic that they no longer favor wrapping. The current film can be so thin that the underlying paint color can change the appearance of the film. The current adhesive becomes hard and brittle making removing the film difficult. The adhesive can also damage the underlying paint.

This shop favors painting the roof Galvanic Gold Metallic. That would be OK with me because that's a light enough color that it should make the cabin cooler when the roof is exposed to strong sunlight. The problem is that the shop has no experience painting CFRP. They promised to contact their paint supplier and other local paint shops for suggestions.

This thread discusses painting an i3's roof, but there aren't enough details to know how to do it. I plan to ask the shop that painted an i3's roof for details. The process doesn't seem similar to painting metal. Painting would be up to 3 times as expensive as wrapping, so I don't want a shoddy job that would start peeling or degrading prematurely. A good paint job should last much longer than vinyl film.

My BMW dealer referred me to its 2 local certified body shops. Neither would paint the roof which they claim would jeopardize their BMW certification because BMW does not approve painting a CFRP roof. Sounds bogus to me.

So I'm kind of stuck now. I'd prefer paint but had good luck with the wrap job on our previous 2019 i3. However, that had "older" vinyl film that might be higher quality than current film. What's a mere mortal to do?