Remove the rivets before wrapping?

[blueben]

I have seen some people take the rivets/screws off trailers to do installation on a trailer before, I have done it before for smaller things when an intermediate vinyl was being used.

However today I get a customer who wants a quote for the trailer to be wrapped. Its an 8x12' box trailer which is no big deal. He then says It was to be done right and no cutting corners like leaving the rivets in and wrapping over them. I was caught of guard on that one. I told him usually you wrap over the screws too. He then said I must be just like all the other hacks then and dont care that people's business will look like crap in 6 months.

I showed him my neighbors trailer with the screws covered from about 4 years ago. 95% still look good. There are a couple that are messed up but that is mainly from other reasons.

Apparently, he gets his 2 trailers wrapped every 2 years with new info and the place has been removing the screws every time. I am not a master for wraps as we only do about 18 to 20 a year, but I have never had a trailer have that much of a problem with screws before.

Does anyone else take the screws out?

 

[J Hill Designs]

show the 'know it all' the door, IMO

 

[x2chris7x]

We always remove screws... It makes the install go easier IMHO. It does thake a little while to remove the screws and put them back in, but I think its worth it. Makes for a cleaner install too

 

[Billct2]

We remove screws and go over rivets.
And why is he shopping if he's been having his trailers done by the same place evry two years?
And if that's what he's been doing where'd he get his extrensive knowledge about al the other hacks?

 

[blueben]

I can definitely see that it would make it an easier install but seems like a waste of time.

I was concerned with the screws being stripped or damaged as well Pat. Mentioned that to him but he shrugged that off.

As for why he is shopping around, I don't know for sure. He said he usually took it to a place about 5 hours away when he visited his daughter.

I have no problem taking them out and doing it, it just seems like a wast of time. Especially since the design he uses is mostly black and then have a bunch of silver dots all over it.

I would assume it cant take much more time to remove and replace them as it does to go over them.

It just seems odd to me. Not saying wrong, just odd. I guess we will see if I get the job now.

Thanks for the input.

 

[petepaz]

And why is he shopping if he's been having his trailers done by the same place every two years?


because the last guy got sick of his attitude and priced it really high so he would go somewhere else or be paid for the aggravation.

 

[jfiscus]

All of the sign companies prior to this one where I have worked and I did some of the installs at, we hardly ever removed the screws for graphics installs.
A subcontractor I've used for years has done literally 10,000 wraps and says he had only removed the screws a handful of times before we started using him here.
An installer who is an employee here says he has always removed the screws on enclosed trailers (excepting semis) unless the trailer is old and they aren't going to come out easily.
A lot of our customers here are very particular that we remove the screws...
So, YMMV!

 

[HulkSmash]

Removing the rivets is not the right practice. When a customer tells me how to do my job right, he's looking for another shop. Any seasoned shop/installer will not remove the rivets. It does not make it any easier. You can lay a row of rivets in 20 seconds. It's not hard.

 

[blueben]

He just brought by one of the trailers. Half the screws are already missing and I could unscrew some by hand and about a 20" gash into the side about where his logo would have been. Turned him away basically saying it was not worth it for him to put any money on the outside of it until he fixed it up. He got pissed and left.

Called a friend of mine over at another shop to ask if this guy had come to him yet. Turns out he had and they sent him on his way too.

As for the screws, I would prefer to leave them in. With the RollePro, They are so much easier to go over than lets say 5+ years ago.

 

[Stanton]

Does anyone else take the screws out?

I am thinking this is something your customer is really into
and wants it to look good to him at whatever cost.

OR, he does not know the cost difference / look benefit.

Make up a board for this sale and future exhibit.
Covering done both ways.

Let them see it from 12 feet away.
Give them the price difference.

It is all billable options.


Sometimes a customer knows exactly what they want
until they need to write a check.

 

[Mosh]

He's fired if he was in my sho;!

 

[Stanton]

Called a friend of mine over at another shop . . .

You guys ever go for lunch ? :Big Laugh

 

[SightLine]

Never - it damages the integrity of the trailer. I can show you a 30 foot state owned trailer right now that is literally falling apart from having all of the screws removed. Some other shop has wrapped it and re-wrapped it for them, both times removing all the screws. They no longer deep the trailer safe for road use. Each time they move it now at least a dozen screws simply fall out and a dozen more are half out. You can walk up to the trailer and push on a corner and the entire trailer shifts and leans!! The aluminum sides of smaller trailers are a critical part of the trailers structural integrity. I personally am not going take on that liability.

This particular agency now dictates that screws are never to be removed... It actually looks worse in my opinion when the graphics are covered with dots where there is no material and I'd think it would take twice as long since you have to take them all out and then put them all back in. I have dealt with some out before too - little snags of metal around some of the holes, etc - I think I ruined 2 or 3 squeegees by getting big nicks in the edge.

 

[blueben]

You guys ever go for lunch ? :Big Laugh

Actually yeah. He is actually my sisters Brother in law. I help them out at times and they help me out when needed.

 

[Bly]

Wow. Sounds like your customer knows it all.
Get him to show you how to wrap bumpers and deep recesses while he's at it.

 

[Stanton]

Actually yeah. He is actually my sisters Brother in law. I help them out at times and they help me out when needed.

Was referencing a past post of mine that caused some waves.

You get it. All interconnected. Even if not related.

 

[Printasaurus]

When we have some of our unskilled labor, the ones that specialize in picking up trash and moving boxes, sitting around doing nothing, we'll remove the rivets as part of the prep at no additional charge. If they demand they be removed, we'll switch to calendared wrap vinyl, since you don't need it to conform at all or we charge more for the time and stick with our cast wrap vinyl. It all boils down to time for us. I've gotten good with a foam roller and hate stripping self-tapping screw holes, so I try to keep them on the cast path, if I'm the one doing it.

 

[GAC05]

If it is a matter of time one of these will make those rivets a distant memory in no time flat.
(just need a good air compressor).

wayne k
guam usa

 

[phototec]

More money, more money!

He just brought by one of the trailers. Half the screws are already missing and I could unscrew some by hand.

Sure, it's an easy up-sale, just explain to him that after the second time removing and reinstalling screws, the hole is wobbled out and the existing screws will no longer hold (you showed him loose and missing screws), tell him you need to use new screws that are one size bigger so they hold tight and secure.


So, the wrap price for a conventional install is $xxx.xx
Screw removal and install is an adder of $xxx.xx
And the additional price for new larger screws is $xx.xx


As long as you get paid to do the extra work, make the customer happy. The last two large companies I worked for, we were taught, "The Customer is always right", even if they weren't.

 

[Stanton]

(just need a good air compressor).

Ha ha ha , there are chemical fueled nail guns.

they make tones of bubbles under water.

 

[formanek]

NEVER! Just wrap over them and cut a relief hole at the bottom of each rivet. I have done a bunch of refrigeration trailers and without the relief hole at the bottom of the rivet they can condensate from the inside of the walls and cause a huge water bubble.