Average bubbles on vinyl wrap film are easy to remove. But without the correct approach, even a tiny bit of it can affect the material’s performance. That being said, when it comes to tricky bubbles, the way you get rid of them is vital. Doing it wrong can lead to an irreversible result, and you will have to re-wrap the section.

A tricky bubble

When saying average bubble, it usually refers to those that are round. You can learn to flatten them from our previous article: Fix Safely: Don’t Push the Bubble Right Away. A tricky bubble looks different. It is usually in a long shape.

Poke to release the air

When a bubble in a long shape occurs on the vehicle wrap, you need a different approach to remove it. To do it, poke a tiny hole at one end with the tip of a 30-degree blade and press towards it from the opposite side with your finger to let the air escape.

The smaller the hole, the better

You obviously do not want the hole to be visible. Thus, make it as tiny as possible. There are specific tools like a pin for this. But if you have a 30-degree knife, it will do, too. Using a knife like a 45-degree one is not recommended, as the blade is wide and will create a big hole, which also brings the risk of splitting the vinyl film.

Poke and push, not the other way round

The correct sequence is to poke a hole, and push the air out from the car wrap. Don’t make it the other way round. If you press first and make the bubble smaller, you will only raise the angle. And when you poke and try to push the air out, it will end up with a stiff wrinkle.

When it gets stiff, it’s time to pick

When the bubble becomes a stiff angle, poking and pushing will no longer work. There is no way to fix it, but pick up the vinyl wrap film. Add heat and let the material relax until it flattens, then re-apply.

Material can vary

You do not need to push the air out from the bubble for some car wraps. You can wave heat around the bubble after you poke it, and the bubble will flatten itself. If you are not sure which is the correct way to handle a material, you can always take a sample piece to test out every property prior to the application.