Car scratched (vandalised)

shayser

Scumbag, whoever it was. Scratched the word f**k across my passenger door. It's doubly sicking because I had agreed a trade-in for a new car just hours earlier. Guess that's gone down the tubes now.

It doesn't look too deep, I think. Definitely taken off the metallic. Is there anything that works that I could try myself to get rid of this. How much would a professional job set me back?

drdre

OMG :eek: , What car is it? Where do you live as i know a painter in enniskerry who might be able to do it.The door fully sprayed and sanded etc would cost approx 500 euro.

shayser

MkV Golf GTi. Metallic silver. €500, that's a lot! I'm in Donegal but if I had to travel I would. Would like to try some DIY first.

ciano14

somebody scratched my car also although it is a '92 Micra so its not biggie but they also did overturn it to its side on my road so i don't know ..f***in kids
but my uncle recently had his car door resprayed and sanded somewhere in Wicklow/Wexford set him back about €650

AntiVirus

Bejaysus, 500 and 650 euros to get a door resprayed! I've had my whole car done for 1,800.

smokey2

anyone who'd pay that to get a door painted needs their head read!!

150 euro a panel a lad charges me!!

one of my cars was scratched a while back and I got some G3 cutting paste and it took ages but it was almost invisible after!!

if it didn't work I'd go lookin in a local scrap yard for a door the same colour or try traynors if they don't have one they'll find it for you and far as I know do c.o.d.

500-650 euro madness

TomMc

shayser wrote:

Scumbag, whoever it was. Scratched the word f**k across my passenger door. It's doubly sicking because I had agreed a trade-in for a new car just hours earlier. Guess that's gone down the tubes now.

It doesn't look too deep, I think. Definitely taken off the metallic. Is there anything that works that I could try myself to get rid of this. How much would a professional job set me back?

From the sound of it I get the impression they scratched the paint down to the primer. I will ask this question anyway, just in case its not as bad, but does your fingernail catch in the scratches ?

ambman

there is a bloke on the killshane cross on the old north road in dublin. he is excellent and cheap. banged out my back wing and resprayed it 150 yo yo's. was quoted 850 some place else. i have his number if you want it.

shayser

TomMc wrote:

From the sound of it I get the impression they scratched the paint down to the primer. I will ask this question anyway, just in case its not as bad, but does your fingernail catch in the scratches ?

I can feel it with my fingernail but I wouldn't say that the nail "catches in it". It looks not very deep. Someone I showed it to didn't see it until I showed it to them. This was in daylight. Now, at night, with the streetlight it is obvious.

I got scratch remover before for another car and it wasn't any good. Was wondering if anybody used something that did a job for them.

TomMc

If you can feel it with your fingernail, but it does not really catch and its silver you should be able to tone it down somewhat. Car-Lack scratch remover is the best but you will only get in online, As you are up north, I would say if there is a halfords or a good motor factors near you get either the Mer scratch remover made by Farecla or their own brand one and apply with the softest microfibre cloth (suede type). Otherwise Meguiar's Scratch X but this is probably too gentle to get the best results. AutoGlym's Paint Renovator is ok too if you use it carefully. Don't use T-Cut. The applicator cloth you use needs to be very soft too in order to avoid putting more lesser scratches in with these kind of abrasive products.

shayser

TomMc wrote:

If you can feel it with your fingernail, but it does not really catch and its silver you should be able to tone it down somewhat. Car-Lack scratch remover is the best but you will only get in online, As you are up north, I would say if there is a halfords or a good motor factors near you get either the Mer scratch remover made by Farecla or their own brand one and apply with the softest microfibre cloth (suede type). Otherwise Meguiar's Scratch X but this is probably too gentle to get the best results. AutoGlym's Paint Renovator is ok too if you use it carefully. Don't use T-Cut. The applicator cloth you use needs to be very soft too in order to avoid putting more lesser scratches in with these kind of abrasive products.

Cheers, Tom. I will give it a go.

TomMc wrote:

If you can feel it with your fingernail, but it does not really catch and its silver you should be able to tone it down somewhat.

I wonder would that be good enough for the dealer.

Toon--soldier

TomMc wrote:

If you can feel it with your fingernail, but it does not really catch and its silver you should be able to tone it down somewhat. Car-Lack scratch remover is the best but you will only get in online, As you are up north, I would say if there is a halfords or a good motor factors near you get either the Mer scratch remover made by Farecla or their own brand one and apply with the softest microfibre cloth (suede type). Otherwise Meguiar's Scratch X but this is probably too gentle to get the best results. AutoGlym's Paint Renovator is ok too if you use it carefully. Don't use T-Cut. The applicator cloth you use needs to be very soft too in order to avoid putting more lesser scratches in with these kind of abrasive products.

Why wouldnt t-cut work?

TomMc

Shayser, on a dark colour its much harder to disguise, but on silver you should be able to tone down, to the point you would have to be actually looking for it, and inspecting it quite closely at that.

Otherwise, you are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Silver is one of the hardest colours to match, so a respray is no guarantee that things will be perfect once again. I doubt anyone will match that colour and do a top class job for the kind of money been quoted here. 500+ is the norm to repaint a door with a quality bodyshop. The cheapest jobs usually turn out to be the most expensive in the end. A dealer would get it done for much less than you yourself would, and so better to take the hit (if it comes to that, off the trade-in allowance, than the hassle of dealing with bodyshops with the possibility of a poor finish and been without your car for a day or so). Let the dealer worry about it; many are use to this type of thing happening, they are not emotionally attached to cars like owners are, only "White-Goods" to them, so its not such a big deal. Just another extra job before resale.

Toon--Soldier (like the name) T-Cut will work, it is just that it is of average quality at best, a bit crude, compared with other more specialist products. CarPlan (T-Cut) make products for the general public, Farecla & Car-Lack for pro's - If you try them out, and use carefully, you will see the difference.

maidhc

TomMc wrote:

500+ is the norm to repaint a door with a quality bodyshop. The cheapest jobs usually turn out to be the most expensive in the end.

The car is being sold.

Btw I got 2 bumpers and rear 1/4 panel resprayed, along with a nasty dent taken out of the panel (kicked in by a bucko) for €600. It was a perfect job!

€500 seems madness for one panel unless it is gold plated or something.

colly10

shayser wrote:

I can feel it with my fingernail but I wouldn't say that the nail "catches in it". It looks not very deep. Someone I showed it to didn't see it until I showed it to them. This was in daylight. Now, at night, with the streetlight it is obvious.

I got scratch remover before for another car and it wasn't any good. Was wondering if anybody used something that did a job for them.

Ye I've used T-Cut Original a few times for problems like this. I used it on the sisters car last week cause she ran it through a carwash and scratched the bonnet to bits. It should do the job.

It a slow job and it takes alot of elbow grease. You will probably have to do the whole car to keep the paint matching so pick a bright day, otherwise you won't see if you got it all.

You wont have to do the entire car evenly but you should do the whole car.

TomMc

maidhc wrote:

The car is being sold.

Btw I got 2 bumpers and rear 1/4 panel resprayed, along with a nasty dent taken out of the panel (kicked in by a bucko) for €600. It was a perfect job!

€500 seems madness for one panel unless it is gold plated or something.

I know the car is sold (or at least sale agreed) that is why I am advising shayser to let the dealer worry about it. You are not going to gain anything by having it repainted. You either take the hit from the trade-in allowance or pay for it to be repaired yourself and run the risk of a poor job, where you are still diddled. Painting a metallic silver door with panels either side of it, is not the same as just a bumper and quarter panel. Colour matching is far more critical, and any different shade of silver far more noticeable. A MK V Golf GTI is as much an image car as a performance one, and potential buyers would demand and expect excellent presentation, not mediocrity.

For the record, I know of one bodyshop in Dublin that charged a grand to a friend of mine to paint a door and a quarter panel where no panel beating involved. Yes madness to pay it but when its a brand new and very expensive car, many do not want to take any chances where the quality of the finish is concerned. And even more puzzling is that he had to wait several weeks for any appointment, so obviously people continue to pay those extortionate prices. Its a minefield in this country and you really need to know the right person, and who takes real pride in their work, to get value for money.

T-Cut was ok years ago on single stage (non clear-coated) solvent based paint. Don't use it on the water based ones of today. Why start cutting away and reducing sound paint. It's madness. Remove your scratches with a better quality scratch remover which will not leave such a discernible haze. If you must, then follow up with mild finishing polish to restore a high gloss and showroom like shine.