A resident in China recently noticed a surprising heat-related trend. Cars began to grow "baby bumps" on the hood and other parts of the bodies.
A woman in China captured some videos of the unique trend. The footage showed multiple Audi sedans, as well as an SUV. The sizes of the bumps varied. The SUV, in particular, featured a bump on the hood and two others on the passenger side doors.
"That's why the real ones paint their car," one Instagram user posted after seeing the footage.
A record-breaking heatwave in China caused sleek vinyl films, applied to cars to protect the paint, to bubble, stretch and swell so that they grew these bizarre "bumps" on the cars' hoods.pic.twitter.com/FBUNwOe8zG
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 15, 2024
The reason for this comment is simple, the bumps were in the vinyl wraps covering the cars. When vinyl heats up, it reacts in different ways. It can expand under extreme temperatures, especially if moisture becomes trapped between the vinyl and the vehicle's surface.
This moisture negatively affects the adhesive. It can lead to small bubbles on the surface of signs or cars. It can also lead to large bubbles in extreme cases.
"For those wondering. This happens when you have your vehicle wrapped by someone that doesn't know what they're doing," another Instagram user commented.
"Moisture trapped between the vinyl film and the paint expands when it gets hot and does this."
The heat can also cause the vinyl to shrink in certain situations. This is something that often benefits people who wrap cars for a living. If there is a wrinkle in the vinyl, the wrapper can use a torch or other heat source to shrink the vinyl and remove the wrinkle.
They can also use a torch to shrink the vinyl around troublesome spots on the car, such as door handles or rounded edges. This method is one that NASCAR teams use when they are applying wraps to cars either at the shop or in the garage at tracks across the country.
Painted schemes are no longer the method used in motorsports. Applying wraps is easier to do with the frantic NASCAR schedule, and it is less time-intensive. Vinyl is much easier to repair after incidents in practice or qualifying destroy a sponsor's logo.