For many vehicles, especially those with racks, there are moldings on the roof located on top of the driver side and the passenger side. It is usually not hard to remove the moldings and racks. But the challenge laying before installers is how to wrap up the grooves for those moldings with vinyl wrap film properly.
Bridging the vinyl wrap film over a groove and force the material in is not going to work, because you will overstretch the material in this way.
Some installers might choose to pick the vinyl wrap film back up to the edge of the groove, and tuck it in deeply. But if you did this, you will have to cut off the excess material directly on the body of the vehicle with your knife. There is a high chance of cutting the paint by doing this.
Here are some tips to help you wrap those grooves perfectly without damaging the car:
Apply the vinyl wrap film to the section as usual, bridging it over the groove, and secure it in place. Use a plastic knife with the tip of the blade slightly out to cut in the middle of the groove. This will give you extra material to wrap into the groove.
This method is very straight forward and convenient. The only shortcoming is that the cut might not be necessarily straight. But it is a safe method for you to get full coverage.
If you are strictly pursuing a professional straight cut, you can use a Tri Line Knifeless tape. When the vinyl wrap film is secured in place, you can match one of the three strings of the Knifeless tape to the edge of the groove (with the other two strings facing to the inside of the groove), and apply it all the way along.
When the Tri Line is set, pick up from the end, and cut through the two strings from the outside to release the one string closest to the inside of the groove, which is the only string you are going to pull away.
Once that string is off, you will have enough material to wrap around the inside and achieve full coverage. Even better, the cut made by the knifeless tape is perfectly straight and uniform at a professional level.
So here are the two safe methods for you to get a perfect finish on a roof with grooves. Either of them is way better than cutting directly on the body of a vehicle. Feel free to take your pick accordingly. Learn more about wrapping at teckwrap.com
