Stickers for Company Vehicles: Lettering That Lasts and Is Allowed

Two vans from the same fleet, the same advertising: after the first winter, the logo on one is lifting at the door edge, while on the other it still sits as it did on day one. The reason is usually the surface underneath the vinyl.

Stickers on a company vehicle have two opponents: the surface and the weather. On top of that comes the question that precedes every application: what are you actually allowed to cover on a vehicle? The technical information comes from the manufacturers' processing guidelines. For your particular vinyl, the figures in its own data sheet are what count.

What is allowed on a company vehicle

First of all: this section is for orientation only and is not legal advice. What applies in an individual case is decided by the authorities: the vehicle registration office or the vehicle inspection centre. Here we only paraphrase the wording of the law.

The Austrian Motor Vehicles Act (Kraftfahrgesetz, KFG) is clearest on the number plate. Section 50(1) KFG 1967 prohibits fitting devices that can cover a vehicle's number plate completely or partially or make it illegible. Section 49(6) KFG requires the number plate to be fully visible and easy to read, and the border of the plate to remain fully visible as well. The tolerance of around 10 cm² mentioned there is tied in the law to standard number plate holders. Whether it can be applied to an adhesive film is, if in doubt, a matter for the authorities.

It's a similar story with lights. Under Section 14(6) KFG, number plate lights must make it possible to read the plate from at least 20 m in darkness and clear weather, with white light that is not emitted to the rear. And Section 16(1) KFG states: if reflectors are covered by a light carrier, reflectors must also be fitted to that carrier. For the workshop this means: number plate, lights and reflectors stay clear, with a little space all round.

That leaves the question of notification. Section 33(1) KFG provides that changes to a registered vehicle which may affect road and operational safety or environmental compatibility must be reported by the registered keeper to the provincial governor (Landeshauptmann) without delay. Section 42(1) KFG requires any change affecting official entries in the registration certificate to be reported within one week. Advertising lettering is not expressly mentioned there. That implies neither a yes nor a no. If you want to be on the safe side, call the registration office before the vehicle is lettered.

Where car stickers hold and where they don't

The processing guidelines all state the same condition: a clean, dry, sound surface, free of wax, polish and silicone, plus undamaged paint. Rust, scratches, stone chips and brittle paint are expressly named as exclusions. There the vinyl sticks to a layer that no longer holds itself.

Freshly painted parts need time. New and repair paint must be fully cured, otherwise the vinyl can blister. We allow three weeks from painting; the painter will tell you the exact time.

Then there's the shape. A sliding door is rarely flat. Swage lines run across it, along with panel gaps and handle recesses. The manufacturers are open about this: they exclude their warranty if vinyl lifts on sharp-edged swage lines, as are common on vans and panel vans. Plastic add-on parts and bumpers need an adhesive with stronger adhesion.

How long a vinyl lasts is decided by the surface, where the vehicle is kept and how it is cared for. The manufacturers' figures apply to vertical outdoor surfaces. On the roof and bonnet the values are lower, because there the vinyl sits in the sun all day. The manufacturers themselves name what shortens the lifespan: an unsuitable surface, inadequate cleaning, constant heat and humidity, air pollution, high UV exposure, and insect remains or bird droppings left on too long.

Which vinyl for which surface

Flat surfaces: vinyl with air-release channels

Side panels and tailgates. Vinyls with air-release channels are designed for dry application: the adhesive has fine channels, and trapped air escapes to the edge as you squeegee. Many of these vinyls can be lifted off again once while positioning, but not all of them.

Swage lines and curves: cast vinyl

Cast vinyls have hardly any memory: they lie softly over the shape and barely shrink back after stretching. That's why they go where the surface doesn't play along: over the swage line, around the edge. Where a cheaper calendered vinyl lifts after one winter, the more expensive vinyl is the cheaper decision.

When a protective laminate pays off

A protective laminate, gloss or matte, goes over the print and takes some of the mechanical stress and UV exposure. For vehicles that do a lot of motorway driving or follow the gritter in winter, it's part of the job. For stone chips there are dedicated paint protection films.

Cut or printed?

Three routes to the same logo when you have car stickers printed. Contour-cut elements are cut along the edge of the design, with no visible border. Cut vinyl letters are plotted from single-colour vinyl and come on application tape. A printed element with a background is the choice for gradients and photos. Windows have their own rules. More on the types of vinyl under Foil Technology.

Application: what really happens during installation

According to the manufacturers' guidelines, application and removal belong in the hands of trained professionals, because improper work can damage the paint. There are also two hazards: alcohol-based cleaners are highly flammable, and heat guns get much hotter than a hairdryer. Our sign-making team handles vehicle graphics including installation. What the processing guidelines specify for it:

It starts with a wash, using a programme without wax. After that everything has to be dry, including in the swage lines and joints. Otherwise water that creeps out of a joint an hour later ends up under the edge of the vinyl. Then the surface is degreased, with good ventilation, no naked flames and no grinder nearby.

The processing guidelines give minimum values in the low double digits and an optimum range of a little over 20 °C surface temperature. This means the surface of the bodywork, not the air in the room. Which value applies to your vinyl is stated in its data sheet.

The position is fixed with masking tape, then the squeegee works from the centre outwards in overlapping strokes. Lettering goes onto the panel on application tape, so that the letter spacing is right. The last step is the one beginners skip most often: everything that has been stretched, plus swage lines and every edge, is post-heated with hot air. That is in the vinyl manufacturers' processing guidelines and decides whether an edge stays down.

Washing without ruining the vinyl

The adhesive needs time to reach final adhesion. The processing guidelines give around three days during which the vehicle should not go through a car wash; we'll tell you at handover when your vehicle can be washed. After that: hand wash or a textile car wash without a hot wax programme. Their soft cloths are gentler than the hard plastic bristles of a brush car wash, which can rub the surface dull and lift edges.

Pressure washers, as well as aggressive chemicals and solvents such as acetone, generally damage vinyl and should be avoided on a lettered vehicle, especially at edges and borders.

With dirt, speed counts. Tar, road salt, bird droppings, insects, tree resin and wet leaves leave clearer marks on vinyl than on paint. They should come off straight away. A canister of water and a cloth in the vehicle are the simplest care for a fleet.

Leasing and the day of return

What applies on return is set out in the leasing or fleet contract. Ask there before anything is applied.

Car stickers can be removed, and the manufacturers describe the principle: surface and surroundings warm enough, lift the vinyl at one corner, warm it moderately, then fold it back flat on itself and peel slowly, never pulling straight up from the metal. According to the manufacturers' guidelines this also belongs in trained hands; the temperatures are in the data sheet of the applied vinyl. The manufacturers expressly do not promise that a vinyl will come off quickly, easily or without adhesive residue. Their warranty also excludes paint flaking during removal and changes to the paint that remain visible later as a faint outline. This concerns the manufacturers' material warranty. For our own installation work, the statutory rules and our general terms and conditions apply.

For leased vehicles we recommend: photograph the condition of the paint beforehand and align the period of use with the contract term. Whether removable or permanent is decided before you order.

The sliding door with the swage line

The following case is constructed; it sums up typical consultations. A plumbing and heating business with three vans wants the logo large on the sliding door. A swage line runs across the surface, and two of the vehicles are leased.

The result: the design is rearranged, the lettering stays above the swage line, and only a single-colour area runs over it. For the curved section a cast vinyl is used instead of the standard vinyl, and on the leased vehicles the choice of material follows the contract term. Number plate and lights stay clear. The logo ends up smaller than in the first design draft. It still gets read.

Five minutes with a flat hand

Over more than 30 years in the trade, our founder has learnt an order of work we don't deviate from: a vehicle design is planned from the surface first, and only then from the logo. The company dates from 2017; the rule is older.

If you put a logo across a swage line because it looks good on screen, you pay for it twice. Once for the application, once for the repair. The five minutes in which someone runs a flat hand over the door are the cheapest of the whole job. What else makes for visibility is covered in Stickers You Can't Overlook.

Conclusion: a question of material, not taste

Company stickers on a vehicle are not a matter of taste but a decision about material. Clarify beforehand:

• Which surface? Flat, curved or divided by a swage line?
• What is underneath? Paint or plastic, and in what condition?
• How long should it last? A promotion, the contract term or permanently? Is the vehicle parked outdoors?
• Removable or permanent? With leasing, check the contract first.

Sending a photo of the side of the vehicle in advance usually saves a round of back and forth. You may cover up or blur the number plate in it; how we handle your data is explained in our privacy policy. With the free file check we check your print file technically: format, resolution, bleed, contour line, white layer and print direction. We do not check content or spelling. Get in touch via our contact page. Custom stickers can be ordered online in the koeck-print.at shop. How we work on vehicles is described in Professional Vehicle Wrapping and Vehicle Lettering.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to report company lettering on a vehicle?

Section 33(1) of the Austrian Motor Vehicles Act (KFG) requires changes that may affect road and operational safety or environmental compatibility to be reported to the provincial governor (Landeshauptmann) without delay. Section 42(1) gives one week for changes that affect entries in the registration certificate. Advertising lettering is not expressly mentioned there. This is for orientation only, not legal advice; if in doubt, the authorities decide. Ask the registration office beforehand.

Does the vinyl damage the paint?

According to the processing guidelines, the paint must be undamaged before application; on rust or brittle paint, paint can come away when the vinyl is peeled off. The manufacturers exclude paint flaking and later outlines from their material warranty; for our own installation work, the statutory rules and our general terms and conditions apply. Removal is done flat and slowly, never pulling straight up from the metal. This is for orientation only, not legal advice.

Can a vehicle with car stickers go through a car wash?

Not straight away: the processing guidelines give around three days until final adhesion; we'll tell you the exact time at handover. After that, hand wash or a textile car wash without a hot wax programme. Brush car washes with hard bristles are out, as they can rub the surface dull and lift edges. Avoid pressure washers, especially at edges and borders.