When the temperatures drop to freezing...or below...we often take the necessary precautions to protect our belongings. We winterize our irrigation systems, cover our exterior faucets, and let our interior faucets drip a steady stream of water to protect our water pipes from freezing. We bundle up with hats, coats and mittens before heading outside. We keep our pets indoors. If we don't park in a garage or covered space, we may even use a frost guard for our windshield so we don't have to scrape the windshield or wait until it defrosts in the morning. (My husband has one of these, and they really do work!)

If you have a vehicle wrap, you may be wondering how to protect your investment when the temperature plummets. You may be wondering: Will my wrap survive this winter weather? The simple answer is YES! By following some easy care and maintenance tips, your vehicle wrap will not be phased by the cold weather conditions. 

At 12-Point SignWorks, we only use vehicle wrap films made by premium manufacturers because quality is of the utmost importance to us. With quality comes more durability; however, the only way to truly protect your vehicle wrap is with proper care and maintenance. For the most part, cold temperatures, snow and ice will not harm your vehicle wrap. The salt that is used to treat the roads, however, can do some damage if not removed in a timely manner. Here are our tips for protecting your vehicle wrap during the winter weather:

• Do not use ice scrapers or snow shovels to remove snow, ice or salt from your vehicle. If you do, you are guaranteed to scratch your wrap. Instead, use a gentle broom or soft cloth to remove any snow and ice. 
• Never use an ice scraper to remove snow or ice from solid vinyl or perforated vinyl covered windows. Your window defroster is the safest option.

• Remove road salt as quickly as possible. Do not let it accumulate. Exposure to salt over a lengthy period of time can be very corrosive to both vinyl and paint finishes. If the weather cooperates, hand wash your vehicle. You also can run it through a touchless or brushless automatic car wash, but please skip the wax option. Gently dry it with a microfiber cloth. (For even more information, check out our blog post Keeping It Clean: Care and Maintenance for Vehicle Wraps for everything you need to know about cleaning and protecting your vehicle wrap in any kind of weather.) 
• Make sure the salt is removed from the undercarriage and wheel wells of your vehicle. What does the undercarriage have to do with your vehicle wrap? Nothing at all...yet. The problem will come from the rust that develops if the salt is not removed. Vinyl does not adhere to rust so try to keep it rust-free.

Following these simple steps will prolong the life of your wrap and, more importantly, will extend the life of your vehicle. If you have any questions about caring for your vehicle during the cold winter months, do not hesitate to give us a call!

P.S. In case you are reading this because you are interested in getting a vehicle wrap, the weather does play a part in that as well. Wrapping a car outside when it's cold is pretty much impossible. If you want some pointers on how to do it, check out our blog post called Winter is Coming: Tips for Applying Vinyl in Cold Environments. You also can give us a call, and we are happy to help! Our new shop has the space to wrap vehicles in just about all shapes and sizes year-round.