One of the things I hate the most is when the tops of the quarter panels or tops of the fenders fall under the ‘top’ part of the vinyl, even though its still clearly the side of the car. Then you have to match up a small portion of the design on the top to match the sides. Its especially irritating since I do a lot of Itasha and anime designs. Trying to fit that tiny part of the character on the top, on both sides is a pita and usually takes up all my usable layers.
I get what you are saying but disagree. When adding vinyls to the top of quarter panels on the ‘side’, the vinyl/vinyl groups lose clarity and get distorted. Something about the mapping. I’ve noticed vinyls have a higher fidelity when the tops of quarter panels are on the ‘top’ compared to the ‘side’. Yes it is more effort, but produces a better livery.