Designed for backcountry trails, gold-panning trips, and off-road adventures, Pioneer Pauly’s Toyota RAV4 required a fitting design. Sign Media Canada spoke to the team at M2 Graphix, a Victoria-based vehicle wrap and detailing shop, to discover how they transformed this vehicle with a custom topographical print, updated graphics, and a tough, adventure-ready finish.

Tell us about the client and the project.

The project was to give YouTube star Pioneer Pauly’s Toyota Rav4 a much-needed facelift and redesign, in tandem with new off-road modifications for Pauly’s gold-panning bush rig. His existing wrap was nearing the end of its lifespan. The brief was to create a topographical print specifically using the location of his gold claim. He wanted to improve the design, change his colours, make additions, and get a new wrap installed with added ceramic coating.

How did your company land the contract for this project?

Pauly had previously worked with an American company for his original wrap and a Vancouver company for installation. He wasn’t 100 per cent satisfied with the previous design or the installation, so he came to us because of our excellent in-house design team and the quality of installations we pride ourselves on. Also, he is from and lives in Victoria and wanted to work with a local team. He had even attended some of our car shows and spoken with us at the time. He was impressed with our portfolio and knew we were a one-stop shop for wraps.

When did the project begin, and when was it completed?

Initial discussions began in May 2025, and the wrap was installed and completed last summer. We are currently re-wrapping his hood because it sustained damage from being parked under trees (sap and discolouration from acidic pine needles). It’s great that when clients have issues, we can simply reprint the files (we keep everything) and replace panels as needed. He was also lucky to have the ceramic coating, or we would have had to replace the roof as well. We highly recommend adding ceramic not only to protect a printed wrap with an extra layer on top of the laminate, but also for enhanced UV protection to extend the print’s longevity.

What was the scope of the project?

The project involved a complete removal and replacement (re & re) of Pioneer Pauly’s Toyota RAV4 wrap. We removed the original wrap, including the yellow headlight tint. The vehicle was then handed over to our local off-road specialists, Westshore Spring & 4×4, who made modifications such as lifting the vehicle and installing new, larger tires and gold wheels to match the new wrap. Afterward, the RAV4 was returned to us, where we applied a new fully printed wrap, replaced the headlight tint, and finished with a ceramic coating to protect and prolong the wrap’s lifespan.

Did the client have a design prepared, or was everything done in-house?

Pioneer Pauly had a design done previously that he wasn’t totally in love with. He wanted to make the design more accurate, change the logos, sponsors, and placements, and update the colours. Everything was designed in-house by our lead graphic designer, Sydney Morgan.

What was the fabrication process for the project?

The wrap’s body was printed on a Roland TruVis VF2 640 using Avery Dennison 60-in. 1105 vehicle wrap vinyl with gloss 1360 laminate. All logos, text, and social media elements were printed with the same printer and materials, then installed on the second surface for precise placement. The final step was applying Xpel Fusion Plus ceramic coating.

Were there any challenges within the project? How did your team overcome them?

The initial design was challenging!

The previous design was intended to be the topographic linework for Pauly’s gold claim, but it’s believed the original was more of an “artist’s interpretation” than an accurate map, which is what the client was interested in.

Our lead designer scoured B.C. government resources, using the ParcelMapBC search service through the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia, and found official topographic vectors for the remote location of the gold claim. The files were very large and cumbersome, with all strokes and no variation in line weight to enhance the design.

There were overlaps and thousands of nodes. Our lead designer had to pinpoint the exact location on a vast map, pull all the linework apart, convert strokes to outlines with contours for varying linework thicknesses, and add golden accents to give visual interest—an initial client request.

Pauly also wasn’t happy with the logo placements or angles before and wanted to make sure they stood out on the wrap, while adding some golden effects to tie everything together. Logos, sponsors, and social media icons underwent several rounds of proofing to achieve the look and effect the client was seeking.

Our lead designer, Sydney, also included a fun Easter egg for the client. She had seen Pauly selling a prize gold-nugget specimen online that he had found while gold hunting in New Zealand. She saved images of the specific gold nugget from his photos before it was sold and hid it in the client’s fuel filler door to be found later!

Please explain the installation process.

The installation process for this project began with fully stripping the car of its original wrap, including adhesive removal and detailing. The installation team prepped the RAV4 by removing badges, trim, lights, and other components. All vehicle surfaces were degreased and cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.

Once prepped, the printed graphics were applied, starting with the first layer of topographical print. All logos, social media icons, text, and sponsors were applied to the second surface to match the client’s placement requests. Knifeless tape was used in areas requiring precise seams, and the wrap was finished with a thorough post-heat process. The headlights were re&re’d with new tint.

The last step, after the vinyl had time to settle, was applying the ceramic coating to the vinyl. After curing overnight, the vehicle was given a final inspection before being returned to a very happy client! He’s now a friend of the shop and attends car shows with us, showing off the RAV4!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We loved working with Pioneer Pauly and look forward to working with him again! We have an upcoming secret project with him that we can’t say much about… yet. Let’s just say we have the opportunity to work on his childhood dream car. You’ll have to wait to see what it is and what we do with it!