What we don’t do.And that’s intentional.
TeslaWrapper is an automotive wrap shop, focused on Tesla. We don’t pretend to be a body shop, mechanical shop, paint shop or general construction company — and we don’t take architectural or commercial film work.
What we do, done properly.
Everything below is what we leave to people who do it better than we would.
We specialize in surface transformation.
Tesla wraps
Color change, protection film and full coverage on Cybertruck, Model 3 and Model Y.
- Tesla color changes
- Full vehicle wraps
- Custom vinyl designs
- Protection Wrap Film
- Conform Chrome
- Approved at-home installations where conditions qualify
Accessory installation
Aftermarket parts fitted to the car — with a wrap, or on a car that is not getting one. Quoted per project.
- Front lips and splitters
- Rear diffusers
- Side skirts
- Spoilers and wings
- LED and ambient lighting
- Steering wheels and yokes
- Floor mats and interior protection
- Exterior trim
- Other bolt-on accessories — ask
The installation itself
What a wrap actually covers, on every wrap we install.
- Vehicle condition documentation
- Surface preparation
- Precision installation
- Edge and seam finishing
- Complex contour work
- Post-heating where appropriate
- Quality control before delivery
Every wrap is installed by a TeslaWrapper professional. Where a project needs a trade we don’t perform, we’ll tell you, and we’ll name someone if we know one in your area rather than subcontract it quietly. We do not keep a directory, so sometimes the honest answer is that we don’t know anyone — you will get that answer rather than a vague one.
Interior surfaces, including door jambs
We wrap the exterior of the car. The jamb — the painted edge you only see with the door open, on the door itself and on the frame it closes against — is an interior surface, so the film is finished at the door edge and the jamb stays the factory color. On a color change that means opening the door shows the original paint. Most people never think about it and some people mind a great deal, so picture it with the door open before you book rather than on the day you collect the car.
Specifically, what that covers
- Door jambs
- Hood and trunk jambs
- Door shuts and the frames behind them
- Any painted surface you can only see with a door, hood or trunk open
Fleet and commercial vehicle programs
A company running several branded vehicles is not us. We are one bay and one project at a time, and a fleet needs a shop built for throughput. Wrap Together is not the exception it looks like: two or three cars booked together are one project, one trip and one setup, and they still occupy the bay to the exclusion of everything else — which is exactly why it does not scale to a fleet. Text us your city anyway — if we know a shop that does throughput work near you we will name them, and if we do not we will say so rather than leave you guessing. What we DO take is one personally owned Tesla with your business name or logo on it — that is a custom graphics project, quoted per project on top of a wrap, and using your car for work does not disqualify you. If you are a landscaper, a realtor or a contractor with one Tesla you want branded, ask. The answer is usually yes.
Specifically, what that covers
- Fleets of branded vehicles for one company
- Vans, box trucks and anything that is not a Tesla
- Ongoing livery programs across multiple vehicles
We don’t do chrome delete.
Blacking out window surrounds, badges, mirror caps and grille trim with film is its own kind of job — lots of small, fiddly pieces of vinyl and very little film. The film work we do is full-vehicle: color change, 3M™ Protection Wrap Film and Avery Dennison® Conform Chrome. A shop cutting small film pieces all week will do a chrome delete better than we would. This is a rule about film, and it is not a statement about parts: we do fit aftermarket exterior trim, which is a different operation with a different answer.
Specifically, what that covers
- Chrome delete on window surrounds and trim
- Badge and emblem blackouts on their own
- Mirror caps and grille surrounds as a standalone job
If you want the brightwork gone, ask us anyway — we will say so plainly rather than take a job we are not set up for. A full color change covers the trim as part of the project. And if what you actually want is an aftermarket piece fitted rather than film cut over the factory one, that is accessory installation, and the answer there may well be yes.
We don’t take the Model S or Model X any more.
Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck. Those three are the whole list, and it is deliberate rather than a capacity problem — three vehicles is how the pre-cut kits, the panel sequences and the awkward corners stay repeatable. The S and the X are legacy cars and we do not take them: no wrap, and no accessory sold or fitted either. We did wrap both in the past, and they are still in the gallery because it is our own work and we do not edit the archive. Neither is on the menu today.
Specifically, what that covers
- Model S and Model X, in any film
- Accessories and parts for a Model S or Model X, supplied or fitted
- A Model S or Model X as the second car on the two-Tesla discount
- Any vehicle that is not a Tesla
If you have an S or an X, the answer is no in both halves of the shop, and you have it here rather than from a form three days later. A household with one of those has one eligible car for Wrap Together rather than two. If the car coming to us is a 3, a Y or a Cybertruck, the S in the driveway does not change anything about that project.
We don’t do partial wraps.
Full-vehicle color changes only. No roof-only, no hood-only, no accent stripes and no two-tone treatments — not on their own, and not as an add-on to a project. This is a scope decision rather than a comment on the work: a partial is a different job with different edges, and the boundary where film stops and paint continues is its own way of going wrong. We would rather do one thing properly than two things adequately. All of that is about film: fitting an accessory to part of the car is not a partial wrap, it is a different operation, and we do that.
Specifically, what that covers
- Roof-only and hood-only wraps
- Accent stripes, mirror caps and badge treatments
- Two-tone treatments on an otherwise unwrapped car
If a roof is genuinely all you want, a good local shop is the right call and we will tell you so rather than talk you up to a full wrap. You may also find that what you actually want is a satin full wrap — it is the finish that changes a car most and it is the work we do every week.
We don’t paint your car.
TeslaWrapper is not a traditional auto-body paint shop. We use professional adhesive vinyl film to transform the vehicle’s existing surface.
Specifically, what that covers
- No spray painting
- No paint booth
- No body-shop painting
- No engine work
- No mechanical repair
- No oil changes
- No brake work
- No tire service
- No engine modifications
- No transmission work
- No welding
- No fabrication
- No fluid service
- No heavy mechanical equipment
Vinyl doesn’t fix body damage.
A wrap changes how a surface looks. It is not a repair, and we won’t tell you it will hide a defect it can’t.
Specifically, what that covers
- Dent repair
- Major scratch repair
- Rust repair
- Structural repair
- Collision repair
- Major bodywork
- Severe paint failure
- Missing body components
If the vehicle needs bodywork before wrapping, we’ll tell you — and we may recommend addressing it before installation.
We don’t service high-voltage vehicle systems.
We work on Teslas and other EVs every day, and that makes this line more important, not less. Wrapping a vehicle never requires opening its electrical systems.
Specifically, what that covers
- No opening battery packs
- No disconnecting high-voltage systems
- No high-voltage repair
- No electrical system modification
- No EV mechanical repair
- No battery service
If a project unexpectedly appears to require access to a system outside our scope, we stop and review it before going any further.
We’re not a general contractor for everything.
On commercial and property projects TeslaWrapper may coordinate qualified outside companies. We do not represent ourselves as personally performing regulated trades without the required qualifications and authorization for that specific work.
Specifically, what that covers
- Electrical work
- Plumbing
- HVAC
- Structural work
- Roofing
- Foundation work
- Major framing
- Gas work
- Other regulated construction services
If a project needs another trade, we’ll determine the appropriate path through our vendor network rather than improvising.
Pre-installation surface condition
Your Tesla’s existing paint and exterior surface must be in suitable condition for the wrap or film you have chosen.
TeslaWrapper does not perform paint or body repair. Vehicles with significant paint, body or surface issues may require professional repair by a third-party provider before installation. Any existing damage or surface condition is reviewed before installation.
Chips, dents, repainted panels and the condition tiers
Can we wrap over paint chips or imperfections?
In many cases, yes. We can install vinyl or film over certain existing paint chips and minor surface imperfections. The condition of the surface does affect the final appearance, adhesion and longevity of the installation, so it is a conversation rather than an automatic yes.
Significant damage, loose or peeling paint, severe corrosion, major dents or otherwise unstable surfaces may need repair before installation. We do not perform those repairs — the vehicle would need to go to a qualified third-party provider first.
What about a repainted or previously repaired panel?
Usually fine to wrap. Film does not care that a quarter panel was resprayed after somebody backed into it, and a good respray takes film about as well as factory paint does. This is common on cars we work on and it is not a reason to be embarrassed about your car.
The part worth knowing is that the risk sits at the other end of the job. Removal is where repainted panels, older resprays and panels somebody else repaired can lift — because refinish paint does not always bond to the panel as well as factory paint does. That is a property of the paint, not of the wrap, and 3M’s own warranty expressly excludes paint pull during removal.
So we inspect for it before we install rather than discovering it at the end. If we see a respray we will tell you it is there and tell you what it means for the day the film comes off, and you decide with that in front of you.
If your car is a poor candidate we would rather say so before you pay us than after. That has cost us projects. We would still rather do it that way.
- Minor paint chips and imperfectionsUsually fine to wrap over.
- Moderate surface defectsReviewed project by project, on the actual car.
- Loose or peeling paint, unstable surfacesMay need repair before we install.
- Major body damage or dentsNeeds a repair provider. We do not repair them.
- Paint and body repairNot a service we offer, at any price.
If repair is needed, you arrange it with an appropriate repair provider and we install once the car is ready. We will tell you which of these your car is before you pay us anything.
Existing vinyl wrap removal — $3,500
Already have a wrap on your Tesla? We can remove it before your new installation.
- Northern Virginia: $3,500 flat removal fee.
- Outside Northern Virginia: the $3,500 removal fee plus travel, quoted for your location and agreed before travel is confirmed.
It does not cover every situation. Unusually difficult removal, excessive adhesive, multiple layers, severely deteriorated film or other abnormal conditions are reviewed and priced before work proceeds — we tell you, we do not surprise you.
If removal reveals damaged, peeling or unstable paint, we review whether the vehicle can proceed. Certain minor chips and imperfections are still perfectly suitable to wrap over. What we will not do is repair the paint — that is not a service we offer.
Vinyl isn’t paint, and neither is PPF.
Vinyl, paint and PPF, defined
Vinyl wrap
Changes the appearance using professional adhesive film applied over the existing surface.
Paint
Changes the surface itself through a coating and refinishing process.
Paint protection film
A polyurethane film designed to protect the paint. Usually clear — but 3M’s Protection Wrap Film is PPF in color, which does both jobs at once.
We wrap the vehicle.We don’t dismantle the vehicle.
A professional wrap installation is not the same thing as taking a vehicle apart. On a standard TeslaWrapper installation nothing is removed from the vehicle, and that does not mean the film stops short at every fitting. Where an edge has a panel gap or a trim lip to work into, the film is tucked into it with a tuck tool and heat-set, so none of the original color shows at the boundary. Where a fitting sits flush against the panel with no gap to tuck into, the film is cut to that panel’s pattern and finished around it. Which of the two an edge gets is decided by the fitting, not by how much time we are willing to spend — and neither one needs anything taken off the car. Your car is not dismantled, which also means there is nothing to put back on and nothing to rattle afterwards. The reservation below exists because a vehicle can always present something unusual — not because removal is part of how we work. Every sentence in this section is about wrapping a car: fitting an accessory is a different operation, where a part is fastened to the vehicle on purpose and the terms are the ones set out with that service rather than these.
No surprise disassembly.
Nothing comes off your car. Film is cut to each panel’s pattern, and every edge is worked to whatever it meets: where a panel gap or a trim lip gives the film somewhere to go, it is tucked into that gap with a tuck tool and heat-set so no original color shows; where a fitting sits flush with no gap to work into, the film is cut to the pattern and finished around it. Handles, trim, lights and badges stay where they are in both cases — a tuck tool goes into a gap that is already there. If a specific project ever did require something to be loosened, you would hear it from us first and you could say no.
This has not been part of a standard installation. It is written down for the rare vehicle that presents something unusual: a component may occasionally need to be removed or loosened if that is genuinely the right call for your car, and you would be asked first. Where it happened, it could involve:
Which components that could mean, and what never comes off
Limited removal is sometimes necessary
- Exterior trim
- Badges and emblems
- Certain removable moldings
- Handles or handle components, where appropriate
- Mirrors or mirror components, where appropriate
- Exterior lights or components, where appropriate
- Cameras or camera-related trim, where appropriate
- Sensors or sensor-related trim, where appropriate
- Other removable exterior components
This is not a list of what happens to every vehicle. The actual approach depends on the model, year, configuration, existing condition, wrap design, film, installation requirements, access, safety and professional judgment.
Never as part of ordinary wrap work
- Airbags
- Structural components
- Safety systems
- High-voltage components
- Battery components
- Brake components
- Steering components
- Other safety-critical systems
TeslaWrapper is not a mechanical repair facility. If a project would require work outside our approved installation scope, we stop, review it, tell you, and determine the appropriate path — including declining or referring the project.
How that decision gets made, and what happens if a component does come off
Before we remove anything
Some vehicles or installation areas may require limited removal or loosening of certain removable components to properly access an edge or surface. If we determine that this is necessary for your project, we’ll let you know before proceeding. We do not routinely dismantle vehicles, and we do not remove components simply for the sake of removing them.
- Potential component removal identified
- Professional or admin reviews whether it is actually necessary
- Customer is informed of the specific component and why
- Any required acknowledgment or authorization is obtained
- Work proceeds
What about cameras and sensors?
Some Teslas and other vehicles have cameras, sensors or trim near areas being wrapped. If a component must be removed or loosened to complete the installation properly, we identify it and talk to you before proceeding. We won’t claim that removing and reinstalling a component carries no risk — which is exactly why we’d rather discuss it first.
If a component does come off
- Removal
- Installation access
- Wrap work
- Reinstallation
- Inspection
- Customer delivery
A project is not marked complete until removed components are accounted for and reinstalled.
Component removal is part of the project scope, not an extra. If it is known up front it goes in the quote; if it is discovered after intake it goes through the existing change-order approval process. Nothing additional is charged without your approval.
A precision trade, not a heavy one.
Automotive vinyl installation is a precision installation process. It doesn’t need a paint booth — it needs preparation, patience and hands that have done it before.
The two lists, item by item
What we use
- Appropriate hand tools
- Professional heat equipment
- Surface preparation
- Film
- Trimming
- Finishing
- Inspection
What a wrap doesn’t need
- Paint booths
- Spray systems
- Welding equipment
- Heavy fabrication equipment
- Engine equipment
- Mechanical shop equipment
We don’t install film you bring us.
Every project uses material we source. That is not us marking up a roll — it is that our work and the film are one product, and we can’t stand behind half of it.
If you have found a color you love that we don’t normally stock, tell us. We would rather source it properly through a supplier we trust than install something we can’t vouch for.
Why, and where we buy the film
- We have no idea how a roll we didn’t buy has been stored, how old it is, or what lot it came from.
- If the film fails, our labor fails with it — a full re-wrap in material we never chose.
- Manufacturer warranties run to the purchaser and the product. A roll bought elsewhere doesn’t carry ours.
We’ve actually tested the alternatives.
This isn’t a guess. We’ve tested a lot of brands over the years, including ordering directly from an overseas factory to see for ourselves how it handled and how it aged. Some of it was genuinely fine. Plenty of it stretched wrong, faded early or fought every contour — and the ones that failed did so months later, on someone’s car.
That is about knowing a specific product, not about where film is made — 3M and Avery both manufacture around the world. It is that we know exactly how the films we buy behave on a Tesla, and we don’t know that about a roll that arrived in a box.
Where our film actually comes from.
We buy our 3M and Avery Dennison film through Grimco, a national distributor of both brands. It is bought as full rolls, for our own shop, for the project in front of us.
That matters for the reason above: buying through a real distribution channel is what makes a lot number traceable, what keeps material within its shelf life, and what gives a manufacturer warranty claim something to stand on. Film bought some other way may be perfectly good — but there is nothing behind it if it is not.
You don’t have to know what you need.
Tell us what you’re trying to accomplish. We’ll work out whether it’s something we should be doing.
What that sounds like, in three examples
“I want my Cybertruck to stop showing every fingerprint.”
Tell us that and we’ll talk finishes — satin hides handprints in a way gloss never will.
“I want to change my Tesla from black to another color.”
We’ll review the vehicle and discuss the appropriate wrap options.
“I want the chrome gone but I like the paint.”
Filming over the brightwork is a chrome delete, and that is not one of our services — the film we install is a full color change, Protection Wrap Film or Conform Chrome. Ask us anyway: if what you want is an aftermarket piece fitted instead of film cut over the factory one, that is accessory installation and it is work we take.
We don’t accept every project.
We’d rather be honest about what we can deliver than accept a project we don’t believe we can execute properly. Where permitted by law, TeslaWrapper may decline, postpone, refer or redirect a project.
Twelve grounds we have declined on
- Project outside our service capabilities
- Unsafe working conditions
- Vehicle or surface condition unsuitable for the requested work
- Inadequate installation environment
- Inability to meet a requested schedule
- Geographic or travel limitations
- Lack of qualified personnel
- A required professional or vendor being unavailable
- A required license, permit, insurance, certification, or authorization being unavailable
- Project outside our approved scope
- Property access restrictions
- Material availability limitations
TeslaWrapper does not use this policy as a basis for unlawful discrimination. Decisions are made on legitimate business grounds — capability, safety, scheduling, site conditions, compliance, capacity and scope.
We’re not trying to be the cheapest.
We’re focused on doing the work properly.
Tesla wraps start at $7,000.
That’s a starting price — final pricing is project-specific.
What moves the price
- Vehicle
- Material
- Finish
- Design
- Vehicle condition
- Scope
- Preparation
- Installation complexity
- Travel
- Other project-specific requirements
We don’t treat every vehicle like a quick turn.
One vehicle. One install. All our attention.
Most projects run two to three days once the car is with us; a larger one can run to seven. That is what usually happens, not a promise — turnaround depends on the vehicle, its condition, the scope, the material, the design, preparation and quality control, so your window is confirmed with your quote rather than guessed from a range.
What moves the turnaround
- Vehicle
- Condition
- Scope
- Material
- Design
- Preparation
- Installation requirements
- Quality control
We don’t use proof we don’t have.
Some projects need specialists, and TeslaWrapper may coordinate qualified outside companies. When that happens we say so — we don’t present another company’s work as our own.
We install 3M™ and Avery Dennison™ films and require professional experience with them. TeslaWrapper is not stating sponsorship, endorsement, certification, preferred-installer status, authorized-dealer status or an official partnership with any manufacturer.
Straight answers.
Do you paint cars?
No. TeslaWrapper specializes in professional vinyl film installation rather than traditional automotive painting.
Do you do bodywork?
No. We do not perform traditional collision or body repair.
Do you repair dents?
No. Major dents and body damage should be addressed separately, before wrapping.
Do you do mechanical work?
No. We specialize in surface transformation, not mechanical repair.
Do you do welding or fabrication?
No.
Do you do electrical or plumbing?
Not as part of our standard services. Projects requiring regulated trades may be coordinated with appropriately qualified outside providers where appropriate.
Do you dismantle Teslas?
No. TeslaWrapper does not routinely dismantle vehicles as part of a wrap. We minimize unnecessary component removal and use appropriate installation techniques.
Will you remove any parts?
Sometimes limited removal or loosening of certain removable exterior components is appropriate for access or finishing. If we determine that it is necessary for your project, we’ll talk to you before proceeding.
What about cameras or sensors?
If a camera, sensor or similar component sits in an area that needs access, we evaluate the appropriate installation method and discuss it with you. We do not casually remove safety-critical or electrical components.
Will you remove the battery?
No. TeslaWrapper does not perform high-voltage battery service or open EV battery systems.
Will you remove body panels?
We do not routinely dismantle vehicles or remove major body components simply to perform a wrap. If a project appears to require work outside our approved scope, it is reviewed before anything proceeds.
Why would something need to be removed?
Limited removal can sometimes provide appropriate access for edge finishing or installation. Whether it is needed depends on the vehicle and the project.
Do you install aftermarket accessories?
Yes. Front lips and splitters, rear diffusers, side skirts, spoilers and wings, LED and ambient lighting, yokes and aftermarket steering wheels, floor mats and interior protection, exterior trim and other bolt-on parts. It does not need a wrap on the car. There is no published price for accessory work — it is quoted per project.
Is accessory installation the same as a partial wrap?
No, and the difference is the whole reason we can say yes to one and no to the other. A partial wrap is film on part of a car, which we do not do. An accessory is a part fastened to the car, which is a different operation. Filming over your factory brightwork is a chrome delete, and that is still a no.
Can you help if I don’t know what service I need?
Yes. Tell us what you’re trying to accomplish and send photos. Working out the technical solution is our job, not yours.
Will you accept every project?
No. Every project is subject to review — capability, availability, safety, site conditions, scheduling, compliance and other legitimate business considerations.
Can I supply my own film?
No. Every project uses material we source. Our labor and the film are one product, and we can’t stand behind an install on a roll whose age, storage and lot we know nothing about. If there’s a color you want that we don’t normally stock, tell us and we’ll source it properly.
Are you the cheapest?
That’s not our goal. We focus on professional work, appropriate materials, careful installation, project management and quality control. Tesla wraps start at $7,000.
Have something you want to transform?Tell us what you’re trying to accomplish.
You don’t need to know the technical solution. Send us the project — we’ll review it and tell you the appropriate next step, even if that step isn’t us.