The Scenic has been keyed all along the drivers side. We think it occurred last night when we went out for a meal (there were gangs of chavs hanging about) but that's not really relevant.
Deep (white) single scratch along rear quarter and both doors at about door handle height, with a lighter one which looks like it'll polish out on the (plastic) front wing.
Would really prefer not to do this through insurance, as SWMBO is still building her no claims. Are there any more cost effective options than a complete respray, or does anyone know of the best way to deal with this?
Cheers
DP
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DP
Sorry to hear your evening was spoiled - hope the wine wasn't corked as well. :)
You've probably thought of this already, but minor damage repair companies such as Chips Away and Dent Docktor seem to do a good job.
A white scratch suggests it's only skin deep which might be easier to repair.
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Try and find some friends/colleagues recommendations for 'smart' repairers in your area, i see these lads performing their art in various car compounds, they only repair and paint the localised part necessary and their work is good.
Most of them are busy on contract work, but there are some dent**** type companies that are more inclined to quote for retail work.
Alternatively there must be a handy little paintshop somewhere localish, 1 to 3 man band place where you're not paying for extra admin etc staff, might be able to get a good repair quite cheaply, again its word of mouth. This is the type of chap i use.
Very annoying this mindless vandalism should have happened to you.
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm still absolutely livid. As you say it's the mindlessness of it. If someone had smashed the window and nicked the stereo or something else from the car, it would have still been really annoying, but at least I could have understood the reason behind it. This however is just impossible to understand.
Just working on uploading a couple of pics now for more info.
Thanks again! Will explore the routes suggested.
Cheers
DP
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Photos of the damage
Rear quarter and door
i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv196/DP_75/Picture160...g
Rear door closeup
i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv196/DP_75/Picture162...g
Drivers door closeup
i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv196/DP_75/Picture161...g
Rear quarter and door closeup (fainter area is after a single wipe with a cloth)
i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv196/DP_75/Picture164...g
:-(
Cheers
DP
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Thanks for uploading the pics, hope the little scrote didn't strain himself with the effort required to do this, lets hope he doesn't breed..;)
Let us know how you get on.
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Very annoying DP. Looks a well kept car otherwise. Not that that should make any difference to the matter but you know what I mean. Shame.
I once had damage like that to one of my cars which was caused more by carelessness than malice.
I had parked in the multistorey at Kendal Milnes dept. store in Manchester. Irritatingly expensive enough in its own right.
For some reason after getting out of the car I glanced back to see a fat woman squeezing between my car and the one next to it laden with purchases and sporting a large, possibly designer handbag festooned with studs and chain details. I did sort of wince at several elements of this scenario but in particular at the sight of the handbag being dragged down the side of my car.
Didn't have time to either go to her aid in the form of giving her a shove to extricate her or to inspect the damage to my car but on my return found hideous marks such as you have on your Renault.
I never did get around to having them fixed. Resultantly, every time I subsequently washed the car I had a sort of "Reggie Perrin" hippopotamus moment.
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 15/02/2009 at 10:54
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For some reason after getting out of the car I glanced back to see a fat woman squeezing between my car and the one next to it laden with purchases and sporting a large possibly designer handbag festooned with studs and chain details. I did sort of wince at several elements of this scenario but in particular at the sight of the handbag being dragged down the side of my car.
funny how these 'people' never have their bags against their own cars.....
I never did get around to having them fixed. Resultantly every time I subsequently washed the car I had a sort of "Reggie Perrin" hippopotamus moment.
'' I didn't get where I am today, by wasting money on scratched paintwork! ''
(not aimed at OP... just a running joke from the show...)
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'' I didn't get where I am today by wasting money on scratched paintwork! ''
Heh heh !
How so often the truth lies in jest !
;-)
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Ha ha. Thanks guys! :-)
Humph - it's a family workhorse that leads a fairly hard life, but we've looked after it cosmetically and mechanically. I've just been out front and seen it again, and the sheer pointlessness of it still makes me angry. Although it wasn't concourse by any standards, it was a clean car until yesterday.
Will ring around some local mobile dent / scratch repair places tomorrow and see what's what. Will keep you posted.
Thanks again
DP
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It might not be too expensive to put right. I believe these repair guys can work all manner of magic on bodywork.
On a serious note, it would annoy the socks off me too. My scratched car annoyed me as well but a combination of being too lazy and mean to do anything about it and a recognition that due to my silly mileage my cars are usually worth no more than loose change in the end caused me to ignore it.
Hope it has a happy ending. You could be forgiven for feeling quite vengeful to idiots who do things like that.
Anyone know how much tazers are ?
;-)
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Doesent it wanna make you want to cut their hands off. As you rightly say - its the pointlessness of it, the sheer spite.
They look fixable by the chips away type boys tho.
Edited by Altea Ego on 15/02/2009 at 23:03
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DP, will be interesting to see how you get on with the smart repairers.
I have 2 small scratches on my car, similar to yours in width but only about 2 inches each. Pretty sure my son did it with his bike passing the car in the driveway .
I emailed the pics to 3 different repairers here in Glasgow and each of them said they couldn't do it without major resprays due to it being metallic paint which I see yours is as well.
So I have therefore just left them, yes they annoy me but I ain't forking out hundreds for some resprays when the same thing , or a shopping trolley or whatever, could happen the next week!
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DP -Are you anywhere neara good valeters or detailers?
If you check out Detailing World and look at what they can do with wet sanding and then polishing it is incredible. I can't be certain without seeing it in the flesh but I bet that if the paintwork were sanded down and then polished back up it would lift most or all of the scratch quite cheaply. (I'm after a practice car actually so if you pass through the NE then call in at mine and I'll have a bash with the wet and dry!)
Failing that, I would find a small local bodyshop and get them to respray it, my dad paid about £300 for the BMW approved repair on his Z4 for one panel, I spent £400 at an independant to have both rear quarters cut away, new bits welded in place of rusty metal and then resprayed to an absoloute top quality. I would imagine that a guy like mine could do the job for £200 to £300 as there's no panel work involved. Must be cheaper than an insurance claim, and believe me when I say that I'm very, very fussy but couldn't fault his work.
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Should these disgusting little scrotes ever actually achieve enough in their miserable, rotten lives to own anything that they cherish and can be proud of - let's hope someone will come along and key it, throw bricks at it or set it on fire.
If only karma was a law of physics.
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Thanks all for the replies. Will also check out the detailing route - thanks Blue.
Local (and very helpful on the phone) Chips Away guy is coming to have a look tomorrow morning. Told him it was a deep vandal scratch along the entire length of the car, and it was a metallic paint, but it didn't seem to worry him.
Many places seem to advertise be a variation on the same theme - "filling" the scratch with paint to a level just proud of the surrounding paintwork, and then blending it in using fine sandpaper, followed by a good polish.
Will keep you informed.
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Unfortunately, that will be a hard metallic colour to match. So I dare say that a smart repair will show too much. To be honest, I would consider having the panels re-sprayed. But good luck anyway.
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... that will be a hard metallic colour to match...
The idea - I think - is the fine sanding process uses paint from the area surrounding the scratch to colour it, so there's no matching involved.
I've had some limited success using a lipstick-like repair stick which was just a generic green - so not directly matched to the Focus's Neptune colour.
Scratches were caused by next door's cat and my repair looked the part when it was just done.
You certainly couldn't see a different green colour.
Trouble was the stick material seems to wash away, so the original scratch reappeared after a week or two.
A professional using professional kit should be able to do a much better job than me.
Edited by ifithelps on 16/02/2009 at 11:31
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How ghastly DP, commiserations. Doesn't look too deep and I wouldn't like to have to do an invisible repair to metallic paint myself. But there may be people who are good at it.
Living as I do in the middle of the country's biggest town I really favour a rough military-style finish that looks even better with a few scuffs. Even slightly neglected and grotty cars like mine can be further vandalised, as mine was while I was away over Christmas. I didn't really mind that one - a fat squiggle on the nearside in gold spray paint - but when I have had nice-looking cars I have minded that sort of thing more.
I do think that a person who will scratch a stranger's well-kept car on purpose is a pretty low form of life. Youth isn't an excuse.
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Lud, strikes me you could be on to something there. Perhaps if you were to carefully tape some newspaper over the windows and lights etc and then attach a note to your car inviting the gold squiggler to finish the job..........
;-)
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It's a thought HB, but I don't want a gold car really. It does have one blue door handle though, on the same side as the gold squiggle, giving it a sort of Williams Renault tinge.
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Local Chips Away chap came today while I was at work. had a good look at it, and reckons he can do a fill and polish repair for £300 that he guarantees we won't be able to spot afterwards.
SWMBO said he inspired lots of confidence, and was out there for a good 10-15 minutes feeling and examining before saying he could do it. Also has lots of good references on his website.
Bodyshops are coming in between £800 and £1000 - a big difference. It looks like Chips Away will get the business. Will book it after payday and keep you informed.
Cheers
DP
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DP thats good to hear.
Can you ask him if he has any good contacts in the Glasgow area as I said before, the guy I contacted up here about mine said it would be a respray job.
Would be good to get a second opinion!
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Sorry to see the damage on your car. Before sneding for the paintwork cavalry have you sen the paste that 'drags' a small amount of paint over scratches. May be worth a try followed by copious amounts of colour code polish. Did my daughters Rav bumper after a minor scrape today and its not bad.
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Chap is coming tomorrow to do the job. Will post update / pics ASAP.
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DP,
I bet you're fed-up of being reminded what happened every time you approach the car.
Has to be the best thing to get it sorted, even though it will cost a few quid.
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Well, it's a blinding job. There's a 2" long section on one of the rear doors, where if the light catches it just so, you can just about trace the line of the scratch, but this is knelt down with the eye right on the paint. Oother than that I can't see it at all.
The guy also took out a separate scratch on the rear quarter that was there when we bought it, so it's actually better than it was!
Will post pics later.
Cheers
DP
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As promised:
tinyurl.com/cwag3p
tinyurl.com/dn5cpk
tinyurl.com/czqk3j
tinyurl.com/cuyno8
If anyone in the Reading area needs body repairs, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this guy.
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 28/02/2009 at 16:15
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Brother in law came over - he is uber-picky with paintwork, and he walked around the car for a few minutes and had to ask me which side had been done. That was good enough for me.
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Glad its sorted DP and not too bad cost wise.
Thanks for the follow up and pickies, i'd like to say a good result and in a way it is, but i would have a bad taste left over from the cause of it in the first place and quite sure you have too.
Think those Saudi's have the idea when dealing with the likes of the pond life's involved that caused this, come to think of it almost every other country seems to have more idea than us, starting with a big stick.
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>come to think of it almost every other country seems to have more idea than us, starting >with a big stick.
I have suffered more car crime / car vandalism in Holland than any other country.
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DP, I read with dismay your original posts about the mindless damage to your paintwork.
£300 is a lot of money - but it's a bit like having one of those rare really expensive meals out; if it's a stunning meal you can justify spashing out for it occasionally. And let's hope it's not occasional this time, but very much a one-off.
A remarkable repair - certainly can't see anything on the new pictures. If your BiL couldn't even tell at close quarters, £300 is a fair price for a magnificent job. Money well spent.
I'm actually quite stunned at what can be achieved.
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DP, good result, don't suppose he knew anyone in the Glasgow area??
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DP,
Don't think you could have done any better, and you could have done worse, by having it resprayed, for example.
Nifty work with the camera/computer, too.
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DP - i take it you saw him work his magic. Would be interested to know how its done.
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Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement - Bobby - he couldn't help with a Glaswegian contact. Sorry.
Unfortunately all this has been slightly overshadowed by the car leaving us stranded for the first time today with sudden and total clutch failure. A loud bang, followed by no clutch pedal, and hydraulic fluid dribbling out of the bellhousing. No warning of impending doom whatsoever, apart from a one off odd behaviour from the clutch 15 mins before.
Mechanic mate taking a look tomorrow. :-(
Edited by DP on 01/03/2009 at 19:52
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Sorry to hear about the clutch - that'll teach you to say how reliable your Scenic has been without touching wood every time ;-) What's the mileage?
Excellent job on the scratches though.
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Thanks boxsterboy. 62k. Have a glimmer of hope that it's a £35 bit of pipe failed (plus an hours labour), but won't know till we get it down to the garage later. Good local Renault indie is doing the work.
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Glad you got it sorted. My Gfs Bravo was done on Sat night outside our house. I think it was someone with a gripe because of how it was parked (half on the pavement) as we had people round and she couldnt park it where she usually does. Its a quiet cul de sac with a cut through at the end and things like this never usually happen. Im still fuming now. Its been done along the passenger side front and rear doors, the one on the front door being down to the metal so I doubt whether chipsaway will be able to manage it.
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PR - call them anyway. The guy couldn't have been more helpful or less "salesy". Honest appraisal, and no pressure at all.
It makes you sick, doesn't it? My commiserations.
Cheers
DP
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It does. Thing is, Im nearly convinced this wasnt the work of some chavs but of some middle class dog walker or similar who took exception to the way it was parked. There were 3 cars directly outside my house none of which were touched.
There is a family friend with a paint shop so he is going to look at it later on, then we will take it from there.
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