Hi All

 

My lease on a white Superb Estate is about to end and I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to deal with a lengthy scratch. 

 

A year or so ago, someone keyed my car, starting from the rear right door and reaching almost the tail light. The scratch is not that deep, but still visible and I'm worried that when they come to collect the car they'll quote me something crazy. The colour is non-metallic candy white. 

 

Has anyone experienced something similar? Does anyone know if I have to take it to an authorised repair shop or could I fix it somewhere else as well? I live in SE London, so any recommendations of local/non-local repair shops would also be appreciated. 

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Dimitris

My son used Autoglym scratch remover. https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/autoglym/scratch-removal-kit.aspx

 

He had a lease car that had a long scratch down the side. 

I was impressed with the result he got and I used it on a small scratch I had on my car and it almost removed it completely. You have to really look to see anything.

It's worth the £19 it cost as that's peanuts against a professional repair, it may save you a fortune.

Good call @facet edge. Another alternative I have had success with (small scratches though) was Meguiar's ScratchX. Remember to wax it well afterwards as that will further reduce the visibility of the scratch.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turtle-Wax-52712-Paintwork-Restores/dp/B06ZYWG67F/ref=asc_df_B06ZYWG67F/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310493449173&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2514103171682495954&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007304&hvtargid=pla-460135290175&psc=1

 

hides a multitude of sins,

 it washes off with rain etc, so best to apply just before handing the car back.

when it does eventually wash off, it'll not be your problem  😎

The worst case would be that you paid for a bodyshop repair that was rejected when the car was inspected. VWFS repair charges are usually very reasonable so I'd try to polish it out as suggested rather than risk paying twice. If the rest of the car is in good condition, they might let you off anyway; I was pleasantly surprised to get away with no charges when I returned my previous lease car with a deep scratch in the front bumper but otherwise immaculate.

Thank you all for the feedback!

 

I'm thinking of using a kit from chipex, but it's somewhat more expensive at almost £40. I'll make sure to check the products suggested above as well.

To give you a rough estimate you are probably looking between £180-£230 per panel to put right using an independant company 

 

As with all scratches if you wet the scratch and it's invisible to the eye the yes, a compound and polish would get the majority of it out 

 

If the scratch still remains when wet then no amount of compounding or polishing will remove it as it's through the clear coat.

 

Keyed cars are unfortunately usually the latter do to nature of the beast...

 

Also just because the paint is non metallic unfortunately doesn't mean you get away 'blending issues' like with metallic/pearl paints , it's less of a hassel but would still need the vast majority if not the whole panel repainting.

 

If you do decided to try have a go with some compound/polish product go over the area with some Glaze (Poorboy's is around £12 a bottle) then wax it . Glaze acts like makeup for cars and can hide minor swirls and scratches. It does wash off so best to wax or even seal and wax your work.

 

There are many things in this world that happen then simply baffles me. Keying someone's car for no good reason is simply NOT ON.......

 

Hope you get it sorted !!!

Another good trick is to buy a pack of cheap microporous surface wiping clothes (the dry ones, not kitchen/bathrooms wipes with a greasy cleaner built in).  Use these to wipe in and buff up the touch-in paint.  Much easier to get good finish than just using the little brush.  And if some not fully dry paint ends up on the cloth, not a problem as just throw it afterwards.   Sometimes need to polish a bit, let it dry bit more, then polish again few minutes later, it’s all about hiding the damage not making long term fix.

 

 

 

A ceramic coating will also do an element of in-fill to the clear coat to reduce the visibility of the scratch once you've polished it.