Gloss High Flip Black Psychedelic

3M Gloss High Flip Black Psychedelic is a gloss black film from 3M's 2080 range, catalogued as HGP221. 3M lists 12 other black shades, so it is worth seeing them side by side before you settle on one.

This is color change wrap vinyl from 3M's 2080 line. It resurfaces the car in a new color and can be removed later without touching the factory paint underneath, which is why wraps hold resale value in a way a respray does not. Vinyl changes how the car looks; it is not impact protection, so if you also want the paint shielded from rock chips, the same kind of color exists as color paint protection film at a higher price.

The gloss finish

The gloss finish reads as deep wet paint and is the closest of any wrap finish to a factory respray. It is also the most forgiving to own: it washes like paint, tolerates sealants, and light marring can be worked out rather than lived with. Gloss does show swirls under direct sun the way dark paint does, so a two-bucket wash and a soft mitt matter more than any product you put on top.

Living with black in the Pacific Northwest

Black is the hardest color to keep looking perfect and the best looking when it is. Every swirl and every water spot shows, and in Seattle that means drying the car rather than letting it air dry after rain. Dark colors show water spots, dust and wash marks sooner than light ones, and our rain leaves spots the moment it dries on a panel. Drying the car after a wash rather than letting it air dry is most of the battle.

Care: washes like paint. A two-bucket hand wash and a wrap-safe sealant keep gloss looking new; skip automatic washes with brushes.