THAT'S A WRAP! Local auto shop gives your car one-of-a-kind exotic look

Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Local auto shop transforms your car without the paint
ABC13's Katherine Whaley went to a local auto shop in southwest Houston that can transform your car without the paint.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Forget the old school paint job, car wrapping is new way to make a statement on the streets.

"I go to the gas station. I've got 10 people taking pictures of my car. To me it looks more unique, it looks more pristine," Wesley Virgin, a custom car enthusiast said.

Virgin has had seven cars wrapped at Tire and Wheel Master off the Southwest Freeway, including his BMW i-8 he had wrapped in orange, and his brand new Mercedes AMG GTS.

"We wanted to do something unique, so we did a money green. I like money," Virgin laughed.

The team at Tire and Wheel Master also just wrapped Houston Rockets star James Harden's Rolls Royce, transforming it from red to gray.

That transformation process takes a couple of weeks.

"We do take the whole car completely apart," Edgar Alvarez of Tire and Wheel Master said.

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James Harden's car wrapped by Tire and Wheel Master

To wrap the car, crews clean and buff it and drape an oversized sheet of vinyl over each surface. Technicians add heat to seal the adhesive, then trim away the excess vinyl.

Customers can choose from hundreds of colors and a variety of finishes, including brushed, metallic, and matte.

Wrapping your car will set you back anywhere from $2,500 to $8,000, but unlike a custom paint job, you can be a chameleon.

"With vinyl you can always change it and it protects the paint," Alvarez said.

Tire and Wheel Master has been wrapping cars since 2006, but business has exploded over the last few years with more and more customers looking for that one-of-a-kind exotic look.

"This is just something that brings me joy, something that I love to do," Virgin said.

Click here to see more of what they do.

SEE ALSO: Lisa Frank lovers' dream pickup truck hits the market

A uniquely tricked-out pickup truck is going for $100,000 at a local dealership.

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