Which colour-shift wraps turn purple?
Five films in Avery Dennison’s ColorFlow range list purple as one end of their shift. Avery’s North American Supreme Wrapping Film overview labels each ColorFlow colour with the pair it moves between:
| Avery ColorFlow film | Code | Pair, as Avery labels it |
|---|---|---|
| Gloss Rushing Riptide | SW900-674-S | Cyan/purple |
| Satin Rushing Riptide | SW900-673-S | Cyan/purple |
| Gloss Lightning Ridge | SW900-611-S | Green/purple |
| Satin Lightning Ridge | SW900-610-S | Green/purple |
| Gloss Hidden Forest | SW900-789-S | Green/purple |
Purple is half of each pair, not the whole car. Depending on where you stand, a panel will show the partner colour, the purple, or a blend where the body curves.
Cyan partner or green partner
Rushing Riptide pairs purple with cyan, two neighbouring cool colours, so the change is the quieter of the two kinds. Lightning Ridge and Hidden Forest swing between purple and green, which in the shop’s view is the jump people notice from across a parking lot. If you want the purple seen before the shift is, start the swatch shortlist with Riptide.
Gloss or satin
Riptide and Lightning Ridge each come in both finishes; Hidden Forest is listed in gloss only. Avery’s SW900 data sheet puts gloss films above 85 gloss units and satins at 20 to 30, so a satin flip shows its colours through a softer sheen.
Where do 3M’s colour flips fit for a purple look?
3M sells flips, but its paperwork names them without the hues. The 2080 brochure lists Satin Flip Volcanic Flare (SP236), Gloss and Satin Flip Psychedelic (GP281, SP281), Gloss Flip Deep Space (GP278, with a high gloss HGP278) and Satin Flip Ghost Pearl (SP280).
None of those documents says which of them reach purple, so a 3M flip is a swatch decision, made outdoors. Watch the names, too: 3M’s Plum Explosion (2080-GP258) sounds like the answer, but the brochure lists it among the gloss colours, not the flips.
What if you want purple without the shift?
Avery makes steady purples as well, and they sit in different durability rows from ColorFlow:
- Satin Metallic Purple (SW900-566-M) and Matte Metallic Purple (SW900-565-M), rated with Avery’s metallics.
- Gloss Metallic Vibrant Violet (SW900-522-M) and Gloss Metallic Popstar Concert Purple (SW900-521-M).
- Diamond Purple (SW900-587-D), from the Diamond line, which Avery rates at 3 years vertical in Zone 1.
- Gloss Fun Purple (SW900-568-S), a special effects film carrying gold flake, also in the 3-year row.
How does a purple flip read under Fraser Valley cloud?
The shop’s view: a flip needs a defined light source to show off, and flat overcast spreads the light so evenly that one end of the pair tends to take over, with the other showing only along the edges of curved panels.
Abbotsford logs about 1,887 hours of sunshine a year in Environment Canada’s 1981 to 2010 normals, and in the shop’s view low autumn sun or streetlights at dusk bring out much more of the travel. Look at swatches in both kinds of light before you choose.
Which cars carry a purple shift well?
Curves do the work, so coupes and sports cars with big fender arches and a rounded roofline show the most movement. A boxy SUV with flat doors shows less change, though the shift still turns up at the corners.
Plan the trim with it. The shop’s suggestion is black trim, so the colour leads, rather than chrome competing with it. How flips behave as a family, and why each piece must go on in the same direction, is covered on the colour-shift wrap page.
How long is a purple ColorFlow wrap rated, and how is it kept?
Under Avery’s Instructional Bulletin 1.30 Canada is a Zone 1 country, and in that zone ColorFlow is rated for 4 years upright and 1 year flat. That’s shorter than the 5-year manufacturer warranty the shop publishes on vinyl. 3M’s 2080 warranty card gives all its colours 7 years vertical and 2 horizontal in Zone 2, and the 3M zone map shades Canada Zone 2. Ask the shop which term your chosen film carries before you book.
Care depends on the finish. Avery’s cleaning bulletin allows spray waxes free of petroleum distillates on gloss vinyl, and for satin sticks to mild soap, a 50/50 alcohol and water wipe or Avery’s own cleaners. Don’t add a ceramic coating: Avery voids its warranty for coatings with solvents or distillates, and 3M doesn’t warrant 2080 under any coating. Washing steps are in how to wash a wrapped car.
Plan for repairs, too. 3M’s 2080 maintenance FAQ warns that a replaced section can look different because of lot changes and the wear on the rest of the wrap. When the wrap comes off, it’s heat and a slow peel; see wrap removal.
Getting a purple flip quoted in Langley
Pick two or three ColorFlow codes, such as Gloss Rushing Riptide (SW900-674-S) or Satin Lightning Ridge (SW900-610-S), and send them, along with your car’s year, make and model, via the quote form for wraps; a text to 604 534 6433 works as well. Mention it if you’d like a black roof with the flip.
Plan on leaving the car for 3 to 5 days for a whole-car change. Hours at Unit 312, 20560 Langley Bypass run Monday through Saturday, 9:00 until 17:00.