Considering the benefits of leasing a car, it’s bewildering that most people opt to purchase vehicles. But while you can customize a car you own however you wish, it’s not necessarily the same with a leased one. So, can you wrap a leased car?
You can wrap a leased car if the lease agreement allows it. Wrapping a leased car without authorization from the leasing service can lead to penalties. Consult the lessor about wrapping a leased car if the agreement doesn’t address the matter.
This post will detail why you must adhere to the lease agreement when deciding whether to wrap a leased car. It will also discuss the factors you should consider before wrapping a leased vehicle.
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Consult the Lease Agreement Before Wrapping a Leased Car
A vehicle lease agreement is a fairly standard document detailing the rights and obligations of each party. A lot of the time, parties sign the lease agreement and barely have to consider it until the agreement nears its expiration.
However, those parties often don’t need to modify their cars.If you want to modify the leased car, you must pay close attention to the agreement’s wording.
Due to the increasing popularity of wrapping, some leasing companies have incorporated provisions expressly allowing or denying lessees the authority to wrap leased vehicles. With such agreements, a quick perusal of the document will inform you whether you can wrap the leased vehicle.
Breaching an express provision about wrapping will entitle the lessor to remedies, which often involve monetary damages and termination of the agreement.
If the agreement has no provision regarding wrapping, consult the owner before taking any steps. Just because your contract is silent on the matter doesn’t mean the leasing company allows or prohibits the wrapping of its vehicles.
In such a situation, the contract’s fine print can become your undoing, leading to unforeseen expenses. Therefore, reach out to the dealership before wrapping the car.
Wrapping can be beneficial, but it can have its downsides, especially when done poorly. So, you understand why some leasing companies bar customers from wrapping leased vehicles.
As mentioned, the issue with wrapping a leased car without approval from the lessor is you risk incurring unnecessary costs when the lessor demands you remedy the breach. Furthermore, depending on the agreement, the leasing company might treat wrapping as a material breach of contract that entitles it to damages and termination of the agreement.
Factors to Consider When Wrapping a Leased Car
Assuming the lease agreement allows you to wrap the leased car, there are several factors you must consider when wrapping to prevent car damage.
Most lease agreements place liability on the lessee for car damage. You’ll have to cover repair costs if the wrap damages the car.
Age of the Paint
As much as you may not want to contact the leasing company after taking possession of the vehicle, it’s necessary to ask the lessor about the paint’s age before wrapping.
A vehicle is usually ready to drive 24 hours after a paint job, but it takes 30 to 90 days for the fresh paint to cure fully. During curing, the paint releases gasses that hamper the wrap’s adhesion to the car’s body.
Wrapping a car whose paint isn’t fully cured will result in unsatisfactory results. Therefore, verifying the paint’s age and condition is essential before wrapping a leased car.
Eight weeks of curing should be enough, but allow the paint to dry for 3 months to be safe.
Vinyl Material Used
You should only opt for high-quality vinyl for the leased vehicle. High-quality vinyl lasts long after the stated warranty while maintaining its beauty.
Quality vinyl lasts five to seven years, depending on the car’s usage and the climate the material is exposed to. Harsh weather reduces the lifespan of most vinyl wraps.
A quality wrap that can last five years will be ready for removal as the lease agreement elapses in three years. The average car lease duration in the United States is 36 months.
Even if the duration extends to 48 months, a quality vinyl will peel off without damaging the paint.
However, cheap, low-quality wrap ages poorly. It starts fading prematurely and fraying around the edges, forcing you to incur added costs. Ultimately, you end up spending more than you would’ve if you’d bought the high-quality vinyl.
The Vinyl Installer
No matter your DIY skills and belief you can pull off a decent wrap job, I strongly advise that you let professionals handle the job.
You can wrap a vehicle with guidance from online videos, but the results will be unsatisfactory. Furthermore, you’ll likely make mistakes affecting vinyl’s longevity and looks.
Therefore, purchase quality vinyl and pay a trained technician to wrap the leased vehicle.
Is Wrapping a Leased Car Worth It?
After reading the above, you might wonder whether wrapping a leased car is worth the cost. You might pay a significant amount to install quality wrap, but it’ll be a worthwhile investment.
Wrapping a leased car is worth it because of the following reasons:
- Effortless advertisement. Once you wrap your leased vehicle with vinyl featuring the details of your business, the car becomes a moving billboard that advertises your business.
- Paint protection. Wrapping your car places a layer over the paint that protects the vehicle from light abrasion and contaminants like tree sap, acid rain, and bird droppings. Peeling off the wrap will reveal a layer of fresh and unblemished paint.
- It’s a temporary measure. Wrapping is temporary as peeling away the wrap exposes the car’s original paint. It guarantees you ride in a car with your preferred colors without interfering with the vehicle’s paint job.
Key Takeaways
The authority to wrap a leased vehicle comes from the lease agreement. Most car lease agreements contain a provision authorizing or preventing the wrapping of a leased vehicle.
If the lease agreement doesn’t have such a provision, consult the lessor about the planned wrapping. If the lessor agrees, ask about the paint’s age, as wrapping on uncured paint is pointless.
Furthermore, purchase high-quality wrapping vinyl and pay a qualified professional to wrap the vehicle.
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- By Car Roar