I picked up a cheap second-hand 2012 f-sport bumper for £30 which needed a bit of filler work. So decided the amount of money that will go into a quality paint job, if I put a bit more on top I could embark on DIY wrapping project and fancied a colour change to Pearl white with gloss black roof, door handles and mirrors. I thought I would give the car a makeover to freshen it up.

Chose to do my wrap during the summer holidays, along with this I managed to source one second-hand 2012 LED headlamp and the other I purchased brand new at a discount from a dealership. I also installed the new mirror casings that come with turn signals. I used the Hexis brand wrap.

I've wired The LED headlamps to work just like stock setup (full brightness with lights off, dim mode as soon as sidelights are turned on)

Information regarding OEM ballast removal:
There seems to be alot of youtube videos and guides out there that instruct you to pry open your headlamp lens just to remove the ballast. I can confirm that this is not necessary. Why would Lexus be selling headlamp units without ballasts, if you then had to pry open the sealed lens just to get the ballast installed. The ballast can be transferred simply by removing the internal connector and fishing out the wire.

I am planning to have the wheels re-finished in black and paint the callipers red.

Some tips for anyone wanting to do any sort of wrapping:

1. Do not wrap in extremely hot weathers, it's an absolute NO NO.
2. Do not wrap in cold weathers either, as the film won't adhere well and the adhesive will not cure properly
3. I know people say to use a heat-gun, but do not overkill it with heat-gun, try to naturally squeegee it in place, and save the heat gun method for complex curves and recesses.
4. Vinyl wrap will still be susceptible to stone chips just like paint. But advantage would be that your main paint will have an extra layer of protection.


Here is a photo gallery of the summer project:

 

Some more pics below:

 

And some more pics:

 

wow amazing work!

 

Nice work!!!! Bet your wife thought you were crazy!!! If you only got some nice wheels, it'd looks so much better. Where are you from?

 

Wow looks great very impressive work sir!

 

GOOOOOD LORDY you got some mad wrapping skills and patience!!

 

Wow bro job well done. Perfect on money

 

Nice work.. Very impressive.

But one thing I don't understand, what's with everyone with the black door handles fad? Makes it look like a base civic... imo. =/

 

Very, very impressive job. Props

 

very nice, what a difference the 2012+ bumper upgrade can make

 

Awesome work! 2012 makes a huge difference, great face lift.

 

I'm so amazed by this. The exterior looks like a brand new car. I know you said you worked on this for a summer. How long did it take you to do the wrap (in hours)?

 

props for doing everything on your own.
craftsmanship is on point.
i know what you are going for but I would've done the side mirrors in white.. that's just me though
hope to see it with new wheels

 

That looks great, excellent work, how long did the whole project take?