Keyed

[Has]

Really sorry to hear what the scum did to your new car. It happened to me a few years ago, the car wasn't new but still p****d me off. They went down the street and did about 10 cars in total, I don't know what kicks they get from it.

I'm sure it will look as good as new when repaired.

[vrskeith]

Gutted for you . Words defeat me , other than a few choice ones ! 

 

Hope fix is quick and not too painful.

[themanwithnoaim]

Are you guys talking 'full respray' as in the entire car? Surely just the affected panel is enough?

 

Sorry to hear about this, it's ****ed me off, bet it's worse for you :(

Sometimes one panel looks outta place under sodium lighting, bodyshops have got better over the years though, might get away with just the one panel, might not, depnds how good the bodyshop is, thats a pretty new colour isn't it.

 

Regards

T

[brownfox]

I wonder if a dash cam would have caught this?

[Matt Pez]

Assuming it was kids, I just hope that who ever did it, grows up and someone does it to their future pride and joy so they know what it feels like!

[Oldfellah]

Apart from loads of sympathy, in line with others above, almost the worse thing is that it takes the pleasure out of owning a lovely new car doesn't it? One's pride and joy never quite seems the same again after this sort of experience. Do hope you can get it sorted, but agree reporting to the police is a good thing: if they ever catch the toe rags for something similar it will add to the tally of their misdemeanours and potentially to their sentence(s).

[Eddie-NL]

I wonder if a dash cam would have caught this?

Probably, not that will do you any good

 

A few years ago my old car was keyed, by yob in a gang. I went out with my camera and took pics of them only to be threatened with a knife. Phone the police who turned up a few minutes. did they catch them....No

 

watch any of the police documentaries on the telly and you will see that even if they are caught red handed they get off scott free or receive a very minor punishment.

 

I say time to dig up Charles Bronson

[gadgetman]

Someone posted a how to in the detailing section. Might be worth a go.

[Guest Cossiecol]

Are you guys talking 'full respray' as in the entire car? Surely just the affected panel is enough?

 

Sorry to hear about this, it's ****ed me off, bet it's worse for you :(

You wouldn't respect the whole car for just the bonnet unless the car was a fair age as the paint would be harder to match.

For new/young cars you only need to respray the effected area.

[Tramell]

I just can't imagine what twisted mind causes someone to key a car???   Perhaps if the owner in some way upsets someone (repeatedly making a noise at night, driving dangerously, parking inconsiderately) you can just about understand it but to do it to a complete stranger simply because they take care of their car???

 

Having read through the posts offering advice and sympathy, the only explanation I can think of is some moron working at a respray shop.

 

You have my sympathy.

[vulcan]

So sorry to hear your bad luck if it was my car I would try to get them to keep the repaint as small as possible. Having said that you need to seek out someone who has these skills. 

[scotsblood]

If you haven't considered it already chips away might be worth a punt. They seem to work as franchises so I'd check the quality/feedback of the individual concerned otherwise it's likely to be a full respray of the boonet.

 

I agree about ChipsAway, give the local franchisee a call and get him/her to give you the names of garages that use the service, yes the trade do use them, and speak to those who have had jobs done. In a former life I worked for a Jaguar dealership and we used a local guy to do all the small non-Jaguar work we had.

Good luck and mind the blood pressure if you fume too long!

[SC03OTT]

I'd rather go to a decent body shop than use a SMART repairer. I've heard mixed views on them.

[baz555]

I went out this morning to find some utter b*****d has keyed my bonnet. I've only has the car for 2 months.

 

It's a couple of inches long and goes through to the primer. The question is, can I just get the scratch repaired or am I looking at a full bonnet respray?

There are some great companies that repair  scratches... 

[fiisch]

Death penalty is too good for these pricks....

[spacenase]

Many thanks everyone for your kind responses. If I ever see them doing it again, I'll be trying to arrange a hospital visit for them.

 

I've found a couple of other cars further down the road that have been keyed along the whole of their sides, so I'm just glad mine wasn't parked on the road!

 

I've taken it to a local bodyshop that has done an excellent job for me before, and they'll respray the bonnet for £250, so I'm reasonably happy with that.

Edited 6 January, 2014 by spacenase

[PekoSI]

Are you sure your insurance does not cover it?

 

I feel sorry for the kind of ppl that engage in any form of vandalism, it's just sad.

[howley87]

we had some T$*t crash into the birds car in the middle of the night and not even a note left to say sorry, took out the headlight, bumper, wing and door so it wasn't a wee knock they went right down it! unfortunatly our insurance wouldn't cover it because the damage was less than £800,  

 

on the plus side the polish lad was too stupid to wipe off the traded paint and hide his car, so we reported him to the police!... and they did nothing!!! fortunatly someone smashed all his windows and poured suger in the petrol cap and clutch fluid on his car (really wasn't me!) turns out there is a gang war between the polish lads in the neighbour hood and my neighbour said they were chasing each other out the street thats when they hit her car!

 

moral of the story, adults can be just as big a scrote as some of these little ********.

 

Makes you angry to think that your own possesions could be destroyed by some jelous idiot. sorry to hear about your motor, and glad you got it repainted for the lower end of the estimate! doesn't happen too often!

[andyvee]

I had a drunk driver write off 3 cars parked on the street, including mine, quite a few years ago when living in Stockport. Came round the corner about 50 and straight into the back of a line of parked cars. Did a runner leaving the BMW they were driving still running in the middle of the street!

 

Funnily enough, it was registered to his girlfriend, who then reported it stolen a few hours later, even though the keys were in the ignition still!

 

The police couldn't prove he was driving, even though he was known to them as banned before for drunk driving. The girlfriend stuck with the 'lost the keys' story etc.

 

Great - lost my excess and my insurance went through the roof the next year.

[howley87]

Insurance prices have gone through the roof this year in Aberdeen coz there was a group of 20 lads walking into people's houses and lifting the car keys! Police would catch them at home and release them after court, most of them are under 18 so the get a slap on the wrist! Luckily they were mainly targeting audi's for the power, (16 year olds driving 250+bhp = stupidity) almost got out of hand as citizens were out looking for these guys as police couldn't do anything. A couple of the older lads got hospitalized for it, nae sympathy for them tho!

Sick thing was on their Facebook page they were advertising what they had done so the owners could watch them boot their cars and then torch them! And they tried to justify it by saying they'd had hard lives and were entitled to it coz we pay insurance! Lmfao

[spacenase]

Are you sure your insurance does not cover it?

 

I feel sorry for the kind of ppl that engage in any form of vandalism, it's just sad.

 

Thanks. I'm fairly certain that my insurance will cover it, but based on previous experience they will slow it down, make it more expensive and my premiums will go up. I just don't think it is worth the hassle.

[fiisch]

I'd agree re.: insurance (and I work in the industry...).  Once you factor in the likelihood of paying your excess, you're probably worse off by claiming in the long run.

 

My nextdoor neighbour recently clouted my Alfa with his '13 plate Range Rover.  It just so happened to occur on the last Saturday before Xmas, and I've seen him stumbling out of the car a couple of times late at night.  No note, nothing.  I left a strongly worded note on his windscreen and he rang up apologising almost immediately....  Clearly didn't realise he'd done it, but has agreed to pay for the damage.

 

I'm just glad it's on the car being sold and not the vRS arriving in March....

[Timoctav]

Sooner or later these toe rags will do something stupid to the wrong person, who will know who they are and then frontier justice will follow....

Edited 7 January, 2014 by Timoctav

[howley87]

yeah but when it does they are made out to be the victim while the person who has had their pride and joy maliciously damaged gets charged and still has to pay to repair their motor!

 

I'm quite lucky I live in the slums of Aberdeen but my brand new abarth doesn't get touched! would appear that they aren't stupid enough to s$%t on their own door step!

[Timoctav]

yeah but when it does they are made out to be the victim while the person who has had their pride and joy maliciously damaged gets charged and still has to pay to repair their motor!

 

I'm quite lucky I live in the slums of Aberdeen but my brand new abarth doesn't get touched! would appear that they aren't stupid enough to s$%t on their own door step!

It happened near me - some toe rags vandalised a car and broke into the owners office one night - unfortunately for the toe rags the victim knew who they were - they both ended up with broken bones a few weeks later....