I just bought a 2004 base model, 203,000 miles, in the medium to dark blue color. The hood and the roof (due to sun damage I'm guessing) are both severly discolored and faded, and the clear coat is flaking off. Instead of shelling out several hundred bucks to get a body shop to match the paint and clear coat it again, I thought a good solution would be for me to wet sand the hood and the roof with 400 grit sandpaper to smooth it all up, and then take it to one of those places that does the custom advertising wraps or the "flip-flop" wraps. (The latter being where the car has a chromatic looking main color, but as you walk aorund it or it drives past you in the sun, it changes color, which is groovy for some, though not at my age LOL.) Get the shop to cover the entire hood and roof only with a wrap that is either close to the paint color, or a darker grey or black with a (probably off the shelf) carbon weave fiber look to it. Your advice and suggestions welcomed and thanks.
I'm planning on doing this... Curious how much sanding is involved to ensure the wrap doesn't have noticeable surface imperfections... Also have watched lots of wrapping tutorials online. It's seems pretty straightforward, just lots of lube and a clean surface and tensioning and using a heat gun from the right angles. Kind of like putting a screen protector on your phone, but way harder.
I like your plan. The key, as mentioned, is even/ level sanding to remove the damaged/ flaking clear paint. If you burn through while sanding you could also re-prime paint and again sand even. FWIW two-tone color roof to body seems to be a modern/ popular design. I'm not so sure I would carbon fiber wrap the roof, but I could consider the CF on the hood, barring the "boy racer" jokes. Good luck with your project.
It might be easier on the Prius due to small size and no crazy angles. I've tried the carbon fiber wrap that you can buy in Amazon on my X5 and it's really good. It's like a sticker (built-in adhesive) and can be stretched. Prep is not that bad since I only have to remove the bad clear coat by wet sanding it. The carbon fiber look hides any imperfections (rock chips) It's probably ideal for the roof and spoiler, not sure how it looks on the hood on the Prius. I eventually got rid of the wrap when I found a replacement hood of the same color from a guy parting out.
About 5 years ago, TOYOTA send me a letter -Telling me that my 'super white painted' Prius was under a re-call. And yes at that time, my clearcoat was flaking off. *The recall affected certain Toyota vehicles, painted with either 070 Blizzard Pearl or 040 Super White. I got a free paint job from Toyota.
Early days of "eco" paint might be a factor. Our grandson acquired an 07 Civic, pealing like crazy. I've been noticing a lot of similar vintage Civics looking about the same.
Apparently removing the wrap can be quite a process once it has been on long enough, and it may take the paint/clear coat with it. Putting the wrap on yourself may be an economical option. Having somebody do it for you is going to be a significant fraction of the cost of having it repainted. Plastidip is another option, but it is only good for 3-5 years, supposedly. Looks easy to remove though.
Someone on out culdesac had their truck wrapped for years (promoting their dealership). I forget why, but they needed it off, and it was a bear. Pro removal was prohibitively expensive; they DIY’d most, but back of cab the paint started pulling off with the wrap, and I think they let pros finish that. Took weeks of part time effort to get it off.
A black or dark grey carbon fiber wrap for the hood and roof is an excellent choice that complements the blue paint while adding a sporty touch. It’s also practical and doesn’t lock you into an expensive repaint. Make sure the surface is well-prepped, and let the shop handle the installation for the best results. If you’re feeling adventurous, try a DIY install with some practice on smaller surfaces first.
From what I've read online you'll have to sand down the clearcoat or it will show through the wrap... So to properly wrap it and have it look nice you're sill going to need to do all the sanding and prep work, just not the clear coat part. So it'd be more time & money rather than less.
