How to vinyl wrap over dented panels

[YoungDubber]

Hey all

I myself was searching for this topic for a while before pursuing this task, but as I couldn't find a helpful write-ups that included dent filling details, I decided to make my own showing everyone the Do's & Don't's.

First off, I bought my 1995 VW Golf VR6 which had previously suffered unfixed hail damage on the bonnet.
I needed an effective way to conceal these dents, without having to break my bank!
I was quoted prices that didn't appeal to me to fix the dents, so I decided to go DIY

I was looking at about 15-20 dents on my bonnet, all in different sizes (biggest being 7cm in diameter)
And I heard the idea of Carbon Fibre Vinyl Wrap (I know this may be frowned upon by some people, but it is truly a cheap, effective, and good looking way to cover dents and dress up my bonnet)

So what you need to perform this task:

Lightweight Body Filler - $10.99 @ Supercheap Auto
Various Grit Sandpaper (80grit, 120grit, others if you want)
Carbon Fibre Vinyl Wrap (Or Vinyl Wrap style of your choice) - Roughly $60 for 1.5mx1.5m from eBay
Electric Sander (Optional, but will save heaps of time)
Clear Coat Paint
Heat Gun or Hair Dryer
Wax & Grease Remover
Any type of applicator that you can apply Body Filler with.
Simple cleaning tools (Few Rags, Bucket of Water, etc)

First off, clean your bonnet with some Wax & Grease Remover to get rid of unnecessary human slime.
Then grab your Sandpaper, or Electric Sander, and use 80grit to grind down the dents (Making sure to grind an extra few centimetres around each dent to spread Body Filler)
Once all sanded down, wipe off all the debris with a rag.
Here comes the Body Filler, follow the directions on the tin, and mix the hardener, and Body Filler with the right ratios.
WARNING - Once mixed with hardener, the Body Filler will dry very fast, you may only have a few minutes of use so if you have a lot of dents, do not mix all at once.
Grab your applicator, and scoop up some Body Filler, then apply to the dents, making sure to go a bit past the edge of the dent so you can smooth out.
Don't put too much on, or else you will be sanding forever!
Once you have applied putty to all the dents and are happy, it should look something like this:



It hurt me to see my bonnet looking like that, but within a few hours it was better than ever!
Next, sand down all the Body Filler until its smooth as glass.
Then wipe down with a rag.

Now you're ready to dress up your bonnet with some Carbon Fibre Vinyl Wrap!!

This is a very tricky process the first time round, and will take around 2 - 3 hours to get it looking perfect.
Apply some more wax and grease remover to the newly sanded bonnet so you don't have crap showing under the vinyl wrap.

TIP - This whole Vinyl Wrap job is really meant for 2 or more people! Will be VERY difficult by yourself!!!
TIP - The key to this whole Vinyl Wrap job is heat, without using a heat gun or hair dryer, your vinyl wont stretch and mould into areas making life very difficult!

Cut the vinyl roughly to size, DO NOT undercut! Be generous and leave some room to work with.

Next, prepare some soapy water in a little spray bottle.
Pop up your bonnet to give you some room.
Now comes the nerve-racking part, peel the backing off the vinyl to reveal the adhesive part.
Spray some soapy water on the bonnet and on the back of the vinyl (sticky side) to make it simpler to lift up again if necessary.
Some places say to stick one side down, then do the other side, but what worked best for me is just have you and someone else pulling on all corners and laying it down of the bonnet.
Gently drop it down, and place it on the bonnet. You will see dozens of air bubbles and creases, but do not worry just yet.

Now heat up your heat gun or hair dryer, and have it on 'Low Heat', you don't want to melt a hole in your vinyl!!
find something you can smooth out bubbles with, e.g. a plastic applicator, a credit card, etc.
Wrap that with some toilet roll so you don't scratch your vinyl.
Allocate one of you to be the heater, and one of you to be the smoother.
Have one person heat all the areas, and one person use the plastic smoother to push out the bubbles and creases.
The order of operation:
Start in the middle, heat & smooth out all the air bubbles and creases out of the middle, and push them towards the edges. You may lift up edges of the vinyl and heat it up to remove creases.
Spend about an hour smoothing out all these bubbles and you should be left with a nice looking centre, but you will have many creases around the whole edge of the bonnet.
These WILL piss you off and make you want to rip it all off, but don't
Just spend generous time lifting the vinyl, heating it, and smoothing it, and eventually all your edges will look great!

With the little water jet sprayers for the windshield, heat the vinyl over it, and keep smooth around it.
Eventually the vinyl will mould around the shape, and cut gently around it.

These materials are very stretchy when heated up, so when you encounter creases, just heat the bugger up!

So after many hours of swearing, your bonnet should be looking amazing!
Now, this material last about 4-5 years outdoors, but a way to increase that is apply some clear coat which I did.

Mask up all around your bonnet so you don't get any overspray.



Now, apply 2 or 3 coats of clear. The more coats, the darker it will be.
With clear coat, it will make it look more realistic.

Start spraying with even lines, until completely covered.
Leave sufficient time between coats.

Now your done!

A simple DIY way to fix dents, and dress up your veedub!

Mim