What is an AutoSkin?

AutoSkin is a digitally coloured skin for all types of vehicles. You can have high resolution artwork emblazoned on the skin which is then bonded to the car and is indistinguishable from normal paint other than its photographic reproduction quality. AutoSkin has the double advantage of forming a protective coating which can be stripped off to reveal the original, as-new unblemished duco the car came with. As far as an advertising medium is concerned, a full AutoSkin will advertise your business for the term of your lease given due care and when looking to trade in, simply remove the skin and your original duco should be as good as the day your AutoSkin was applied and add dollars to its resale value.

Please explain the AutoSkin Process?

1. We receive a AutoSkin Enquiry form via email.
2. Lauren Gibson will then call to establish contact and discuss your specific requirement
3. Lauren will send out a PDF file detailing costs relevant to the criteria specified verbally or online.
4. If you are happy to proceed it is then important to establish artwork. We can create artwork for you or it can be provided by you or your agency. The PDF files includes our fee to produce artwork and outlines what we provide. We also provide our requirements | specifications should you produce your own artwork. An example of artwork set up is shown here.

1. Either way we get you to fill out a Creative Brief to give your marketing campaign direction and ensure you cover all bases.
2. Once artwork is finalised (see presentation above) and approved by the client, then an estimate will be prepared for production and application of your AutoSkin.
3. From receipt of signed artwork approval, production of print proof will be within 3 working days. Upon receipt of print proof approval and payment, AutoSkin turnaround is a minimum 5 working days.

How is AutoSkin applied?

AutoSkin is a repositionable removable self adhesive vinyl applied by certified 3M applicators. Our team have first learned their craft as signwriters working with all types of film and various applications. AutoSkin is another such application and given that we do a lot of them the guys skills have been well developed over several years now. There is an art to it and knowing how to apply an AutoSkin to curves, contours, around handles, lights, grilles, windows, door seams etc. requires a certain amount of skill with extra attention given to those areas prone to adhesion weakness. Our current crew have individually applied more hundreds if not close to a 1000 AutoSkins in the last few years using 3M Products.

The vital steps for a successful AutoSkin application:

1. Preparation: The vehicle needs to be thoroughly cleaned
2. Priming:We prime the vehicle to seal edges for a permanent bond between the vehicle and the skin, knowing the areas that need to be given special attention (priming is particularly necessary for vehicles where an AutoSkin is required on the vehicle for more than a year)
3. Application: Applying an AutoSkin requires skill in the contouring of the material around handles, lights, curved edges and lining up logo elements, images, graphics etc that have been supplied by way of artwork.It’s knowing where the points of failure are in the vehicle through years of experience, trial and error, and coming up with solutions.
4. Overlaminating: Over laminating with a 3M matched overlaminate to protect AutoSkin and extend the life of an AutoSkin. This necessary for any long term campaigns.
5. Stripping: When a vehicle is returned for AutoSkin removal, whether it be for a short term promotion or long term branding, we strip the vehicle and again thoroughly clean the vehicle ready for trade in, re-use or sale, with duco as good as the day the AutoSkin was applied.
6. The Objective: For us, particularly for long term AutoSkins, is to ensure the vehicle retains its AutoSkin in good condition for the life of a lease (3 – 5 years). When the lease expires, and the AutoSkin is removed, then it is our objective that the vehicle duco has been preserved and is as good as the day AutoSkin was applied. The consumer will be rewarded with a better resale value which will go some way to paying for the AutoSkin that has advertised their business for the past 3 – 5 years. It’s a win-win situation!

How do I care for my AutoSkin?

To keep me, your new AutoSkin, vibrant and alive, please hand wash with a warm soapy water using a soft cloth or sponge only or use one of our AutoWipes which can be purchased from us, but remember:

1. No high pressure water guns or blasters
2. No abrasive scourers or loufers
3. No nasty solvents, degreasers or other heavy duty cleaners
4. No presents from birds or other animals left on me to bake in the sun

Should my AutoSkin begin to blister or crack, please contact the folk at Decently Exposed! 

What additional services do AutoSkin provide?

One of the best reasons for becoming a DE | AutoSkin client is something that we hope you will not need! It’s our ability to attend to reapplying AutoSkin after smash repairs so your vehicle can get back out on the road to promote your business. No matter whether you have one car or are a national fleet, we keep your files with the same colour profile of the original work, to enable us to achieve a near perfect match.It would be perfect if not for exposure to mother nature which can result in slight fading over time. 

All we need are photographs of the damage and we make the replacement skins, liaise with the smash repairer and insurer.  Advise the smash repairer with regard to painting and curing ready for a new piece of AutoSkin.  We aim to make the process as painless as possible for you.  The example here is the Victoria University Promotional Car with extensive rear damage.  The repairer sent us this photo so we could then see exactly which panels required replacement AutoSkin and start printing.  It went from this

 

 to this inside one week

How much? A piece of string

This is our most frequently asked question and if you ask John Taylor at Decently Exposed, the most likely response will be ‘a piece of string’ until we see the final artwork produced for the vehicle being skinned because cost is all about coverage – how much film we use (determined by final artwork) to cover your vehicle (type, year, model).  And the type of film used: matte, gloss, reflective and whether you will require overlamination.  Lamination is required for all long term AutoSkins but for short terms promotional stuff it is not always necessary.

What we can do is show you completed jobs (artwork printed and applied to vehicle type) and give you an idea of  costings for the examples provided. Less dollars generally equates to less coverage and their are pluses and minuses for partial to full coverage which we will talk you through once we know the specifics of your job and the colour, make and model of your vehicles and the type of business you operate and the marketing presence or strength you want out there on the road.

Even better still is providing us with your budget.  If you require us to create artwork for you then we will provide a costing that includes design, print and application all within your budget.  If you are supplying artwork then you will receive a quote for print and application.

I am thinking of purchasing a new vehicle for my AutoSkin, what colour would you suggest?

• Firstly it is always a good idea to have your artwork sorted first then proceed to purchasing the most suitable colour for your logo elements and colours.
• For a partial AutoSkin, parts of the exterior surface will be exposed so it is important that your corporate colours blend in with the colour of the duco that is exposed.
• With a full AutoSkin, the original duco will be protected for the term of a 3-4 year lease given due care, so when it is time to upgrade the vehicle, black, white and silver in good condition will deliver a much better resale value.
• If your corporate elements are already on a black, silver or white background, then the elements could simply be applied to the car’s duco, without the need for a full skin.

Can you amortise AutoSkin over the term of a lease?

So you’ve gone to your dealer and selected your car colour (see previous question) but like most businesses, fall short with the cash available to cover the cost of an AutoSkin.

A way around it is to view it as an optional extra like paint colour or adding a tow bar, sun roof etc. that can be added to the finance package for a new car.

The Smart Centre, Melbourne, has already arranged with their finance company for AutoSkin to be included as an optional extra. We can’t see why other car dealers could not offer the same service and would be happy to discuss it with your preferred dealer on your behalf, if necessary.

The Benefits:

1. No large initial cash outlay
2. Your marketing spend can be amortised over the term of a lease delivering marketing value that costs you less upfront.
3. Your car can be skinned pre delivery which protects the new duco from day one and there is no downtime in having it skinned once it is on road.
4. From day one you have a mobile billboard creating thousands of impressions per day for your business in the area you work or wherever you want to take your branding campaign. The campaign is ongoing, working for your every minute, 24/7, 365 days per year. Compare the reach, effectiveness, length of campaign and cost to all other forms of advertising
5. 100% tax deduction.
6. Recoup the costs in the short and long term – bringing new business through your door, creating brand awareness all day, every day and when the lease expires and AutoSkin is removed, the car’s duco will be as good as the day it was skinned, given due care, thereby preserving the value of your car.

Can you please provide some design tips?

 AutoSkin is a branding media, not a message media. You have a few seconds to capture and engage the viewer’s attention.

1. Avoid using too much text or colours as it will confuse the viewer who’s attention span is limited to the fleeting moment you vehicle passes them in traffic.
2. Rear view is more digestible. Potential customers can sit behind you for long periods so make this visual, informative and make sure web address is prominent.
3. Spell out what you do clearly with images or text.
4. Uniform design across different media: web, street and mobile.
5. Keep your message strong and simple (bi-line or catchphrase).
6. Don’t go overboard with graphics. Use logo and corporate colours for brand recognition. Business name = website address (AutoSkin = autoskin.net.au).
7. Or if you do go overboard with graphics then use a flat colour area to deliver your message.  See amounts that count below.