Spent an hour or two finalising some paint issues that were obvious on a decent clean and minor detail.
Basically I had a couple of light(ish) but long scratches that were on black paint even more noticable. A bit hard to work out.

 

What is quite odd is they appear to be attempts to "key" to be honest as they followed the window contour on the back window quarter ( both sides too) some symmetry to where they were on the car. but going up which couldn't explain driving past something etc.

 

One side was worse than the other and looked like it was down to basecoat !!! but thankfully a very thin line. Very noticeable when you are aware of it.

I almost wondered if I got something caught in a washing sponge (yeah right!), but I seriously doubt it with the conviction/straightness of the line.

(it was a pencil ish line rather than full on envy scratch - but I will add IF it was a human being that is a half arsed faggot that doesn't even know how to do a job properly, probably the kind of person that has a weak handshake and a weak personality to match).

 

Or maybe its some bizarre contradiction in their brain, they really wanted to scratch it properly, but then thought how can you leave envy lines in a Skoda ? What does that say about you ??? ho hum.

 

Anyway moving on - could have been from before I even bought the car to be honest, but I'll have to keep an eye out that some criminal (prepared to damage someones car) hasn't got it in for me

 

So onto repair.

Artist brush, I'd already got the colour from wifes car (black magic) and not even OEM but a halfords can, but did the job.

So very sparingly brushed the paint ( I'd collected spraying into top of can ) into / around the damage line.

I've then left it to set, about a week to harden.

Now I've focussed on the abrasive side, using 3m abrasives.

First the clean down of the car, to prep.

Using a water spray also and then small micron disks on a backing buffer, random motions to bring down the slightly too high paint until it blents. Constantly spraying the disk and the paintwork to clear the paint collecting on the work area to keep the disk clean.

After satisfaction its brought down, clean down again and look at stage two, polish.

With 3m finesse/perfect-it finally polishing a shine back into the damage I made.

 

Job is a result after not really that much time, you wouldn't even know there had every been any damage to be honest and only very minor traces as I could have polished more. Should have done before and after to give some idea, but who glorifies the damage on their car.

Very very happy / proud with the results, and two fingers up to saddos that think they can damage others property. Okay it wasn't really a significant keying to start with, but obviously was enough for me to be aware and there was damage.

 

So it got me thinking how much this hurts people, I am actually quite happy to extend my assistance to others that need assistance with deliberate vandalism through keying ?

So if you are close to me and need help then feel free ( I will not charge but obviously happy to receive a donation in the way of hobgoblins/bottles of scotch whiskey etc !) You would need your own materials however = paint colour matched to car in a can, or mini-pot, and would be handy to have a very small set of artist brushes which you will be happy to be disposed with.

Edited 2 April, 201610 yr by vRSAnt

Nice write up. The world needs more people like you and less of the tw@s that do stuff like that!

I've always worried about pedestrians (generally women) on the pavement or passing in the gap in car park and their handbags - sometimes theres not much interest in the cars they are passing and the bags often have nice 'scratchy' metal buckles on them.

^^^^^ this is the most likey cause. Or scratches to your bonnet due to putting their bag on your bonnet to take a selfie........or some other woman related pointless activity.

I'm sure you can tell a keying beyond accidental damage, in this case its a line that starts not quite direct with the straight line ( start off the key meeting the paintwork) then the angle meets up with straight line which runs for a while until it rather abruptly then leaves the paintwork. Not the wavering style you see but still some kind of deliberate act.

So unfortunately I disagree its not the most likely cause -

the damage is almost symmetrical attempts on both sides of the car (coincidence!!!), both going diagonal and upwards rising with the window quarter but initially starting at an angle from the line ??

Nope, I'm sorry I don't buy that, it definitely seems more deliberate to me.

 

I'm hoping that its just something I overlooked when I got the car with it full of silicones etc and not directed at me, and was something for the past owner.

 

Well If its towards me, well 1- I know how to sort it anyway removing a lot of the emotional impact it would normally have,

and 2- now I'm forewarned I'm in a better state of awareness of this criminal damage, so may not work out so well long term for someone if its close to home/work - That is mostly the only 2 places the car has been so shouldn't be too hard to keep tabs especially with the better/brighter weather we will be having now!

I can only conclude that this thread would have been improved with pictures.

I have a feck off massive scratch down the bonnet of my GTD that I cant figure out how it got there.

I reckon its probably a bloody cat.

I have a feck off massive scratch down the bonnet of my GTD that I cant figure out how it got there.

I reckon its probably a bloody cat.

Some cats love to Climb on cars when the sun has warmed up the surface.

i am very carefull with the Paint on my car but after the Winter i got a few scratches and i Wonder how they got there and if the Paint itself is very poor. my Toyota does not scratch so easily.

well, a few weeks left and its time to polish and wax the car.

Nope, not a cat like I said symettrical on both cars. Anyway they have five claws, would be more than one scratch lol. And would have to enjoy dropping down cars on BOTH sides. Stretching the imagination a bit that.

 

It would have been nice to have before after, but like I said I don't glorify damage -I just wanted to fix it ! Which pretty much, I have ( I can't see it any more).

 

Look at this gallery image, the scratch would have been about 10cm left diagonal from petrol cap and ran along that diagonal pillar adjacent to the edge of the window.

http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/SKODA-Octavia-RS-4876_18.jpg

 

I had the same on the other side, but far lighter ( scratches but now down to basecoat), that just needed more polishing out rather than more detailed treatment.

Such symmetry can in my opinion only come from prior planning ?

An alternative argument is a faulty car washer ( but not from me, I don't use them ) from before I bought the car, but again I find a bit too coincidental !

I can only conclude that this thread would have been improved with pictures.

 

Thank you for your feedback.

 

Well here goes then, I found two close together I had forget to take account of as it was smaller, and further down the door for some reason. Could have been a more typical scratch by looks of it, not at all like the ones that seemed to follow the window contour as its just a horizontal scratch pretty much.

 

I've literally spent only just 10 mins on this, as it was warmer earlier, but only just went out in a light top and its freezing! But gives you an idea.

 

I'd already taken account of paint relatively carefully brushed into the scratch with a small-ish art paint brush (althought the end of the brush was hard by then!)

So that was stage 1 already already completed as below

Ok but not pleasant

 

 

Now stage 2, get my bits !

 

stage 3, commence with random orbital movement sanding (not left right, circular, or up/down) with micron backing ! Plus frequent wetting of the pad and paint to remove paint material ( too abrasive)

 

stage 4, what a mess! Notice the milky residue from abrasion of the paint surface with the micron disc

 

stage 5, after washing off the milky paint residue, heavy buffing with a microfibre and the perfecting polish

 

Not a bad start for 10 minutes work, not quite disappeared totally yet, but a lot less noticeable than it was

 

I honestly can't even tell a trace of the one that was following the contour of the rear near the window even for looking, but I spent more time on that ( warmer!)

 

My idea is to "fill" the crack with paint initially but without leaving it proud of the paintwork, which to start with looks a mess, working the excess paint down again with very fine abrasives, so you are left with literally almost perfect approach to the paint scratch. Then you are least are left with less of a scratch than you started with.

Edited 6 April, 201610 yr by vRSAnt

Your pics don't work.

Strange, works perfectly fine for me.

Not working for me either

I don't see it either.

My 2 year old decided to wheel his toy (metal) car down the side of my Octavia, its not bad but i can see it, utter **** 

Sorry bout the pics, just realised its cos its a public forum on the site I uploaded but I guess my profile is private, it was because my freedom lapsed a bit of time ago, and haven't got in a rush to renew lol

My bad.

 

Remember what I said previously I did this when it was cold "I've literally spent only just 10 mins on this, as it was warmer earlier, but only just went out in a light top and its freezing! But gives you an idea."

 

I spent far longer on the scratch on the back quarter before this picture example -

which was just a rough example and done in fraction of the time due to request for pics, its all down to time and patience, can't really be seen at all now for the one at the back. I will admit on this one you can still see a bit of a line still in the pictures, but do compare this to the blob

 

Pictures also do accentuate (due to flash/light) what you would see by eye in daylight also.

 

 

Edited 13 April, 201610 yr by vRSAnt

Pretty decent job. I've repaired many light scratches in a similar way or by first filling the scratch with clear and then flatting just that back. A rotary or da makes light work of removing 3000 grit marks