Typical life for a magnetic sign

[raider]

Replacing some magnetic vehicle door signs for customer and noticed the vinyl on the old ones was faded and peeling. My records show they're about 4 years old. Used Oracal cast vinyl and was surprised how they deteriorated. Magnets hardly ever removed from pickup. The vinly looks like calendered instead of cast. Never seen any of our material weather sold quickly. Customer says others they've bought in the past have done the same thing. Is this normal, and if so, is the magnet to blame?

 

[OldPaint]

mags always have been TEMPORARY SIGNAGE!!!!!!! 6 MONTHS, or less at max 1 year. tell the elcheapo customer this WHEN YOU SELL IT TO THEM, and include the 5 or 50 WARRANTY, FIVE MINUTES or 50 MPH, whichever happens 1st)))))) .........that goes with ELCHEAPO MAGS...most place today are selling for $39-59 A PAIR!!!!!
and your REPLACING THEM FOR FREE???????? I HOPE YOU AINT THAT can i say dumb without a lot of people sayin iam givin you a personal attack???? if they had em 4 years, why in the hell didnt they just put VINYL on the door ??????

 

[Fitch]

"Magnets hardly ever removed from pickup"

Idiot- (customer that is). Magnetics are temporary signs designed to be placed on and taken off vehicles.

Four years is excellent value. Sell him some more.

 

[CentralSigns]

Charge the customer for a new one. Don't give a warranty, that would be foolish. Most times they come back saying the best mag material you can buy was no good cause they blew off within a week. I would call a couple years a long life. As for the vinyl material used maybe Oracal was getting there vinyl from Avery, oops. Cast is better to use on magnets that may or may not be stored flat, remember calendared is for flat lays only not the curves behind the pickup seat.

 

[OldPaint]

PAY ATTENTION: MAGNETIC SIGNS ARE TEMPORARY SIGNAGE..........MAX LIFE EXPECTANCE 6 TO 12 MONTHS.....SELL AND TELL PEOPLE.....5/50 WARRANTY or print it on THEIR RECEIPT!!!!!! end of story.

 

[Carl Crabtree]

I give each customer a sheet with instructions for care of magnetics. At the top of the sheet in big bold letters it says:

WE DO NOT WARRANT OR RECOMMEND MAGNETICS IN ANY WAY!
USE AT YOU OWN RISK!

I explain the drawbacks of magnetics to the customer when they order them and try to talk them into vinyl letters. I still sell a lot of them, but noone has any reason to complain if they fall off or rust the vehicle.

Be honest with them up front. It saves a lot of headaches.

 

[TheSnowman]

Yep, it's temporary, no warranties. I had a guy that bought a "new" truck, and called telling me that my magnets were bad. I said, is it a used truck? He told me it was, I said it could have possibly had some body work done to it, and had bondo in it. He tried a couple things, and came to that same conclusion. I saw him driving around a couple weeks later in this 1975 POS dump truck rusted through, and he had screwed them to the dump bed...it looked ridiculous.

 

[SignaramaFL]

Like said before, they are temporary signage, and also used (down here) for people who live in HOAs who cant have permanent signage but want to use their vehicle as advertising. And four years is actually fairly good!

 

[Marlene]

did you cover the entire magnetic with cast vinyl or just apply some letters to the mag? the surface of the magnetic and the vinyl on top will expand and cntract at different rates. these thigns have been baking in the hot sun in Texas for 4 years. I am suprised they have lasted 4 years.

 

[signage]

I would consider yourself lucky that they even came off the vehicle after being applied for four years! Make sure you give them a care for and usage sheet, stating no warranty.

 

[raider]

did you cover the entire magnetic with cast vinyl or just apply some letters to the mag? the surface of the magnetic and the vinyl on top will expand and cntract at different rates. these thigns have been baking in the hot sun in Texas for 4 years. I am suprised they have lasted 4 years.

Thanks Marlene, that was my question: Why would CAST vinyl last on a pickup door and not on a magnet on a pickup door. Guess I should have clarified the question.

And to cool off the topic, the customer isn't complaining, I'm not warrantying them, customer doesn't want decals directly on doors at this time, and I caution customers about the temporary/no warranty situation with magnets . . . buts thanks for all the advice anyway.

 

[agonyofcain]

I am surprised it never was taken off by a hoodlum. Customers here complain that people steal theirs acting like its our fault and we have to redo it for them free. umm no.

 

[Jillbeans]

No sh!t, my first set of mags which I handpainted in 1986 is still in use.
They look like hell.
Not the paint or the mag but my horrendous layout.
Love....Jill

 

[Techman]

Why would CAST vinyl last on a pickup door and not on a magnet on a pickup door.

Because they are washing their mags with a car wash pressure washer.