Car got keyed

[imported_t41n7ed]

i know there are posts like this already, just wanted to share my pain..



to make it short, i spent the night at my friends house in greenwich, ct.. woke up the next morning to leave and there was this long key mark on the driver side of the car.. pics attached.



this should seriously be punishable by death, i was so0o0o0 pissed when i saw this(im refraining from using vulgaraties).. vandalism = not cool



was wondering if there is any way i could make this look as good as new without having to repaint.. the car is a 1996 BMW M3, engine rebuild, vanos replacement, cluch assembly replacement done at 108k and the day after i get it back... this happens



thanks for any input

[imported_GMCloud27]

Wow.....That`s a bit too painfull..... :(



Sorry to hear about your M; it`s sad to see that people have nothing better to do than tick off others by destroying the second most expensive item to own (not to mention you just had the work done on it)



Unfortunately I don`t have any ideas on a solution but I`m curious also since my first thought was a repaint or working a lot of ScratchX in...



Would like to know also how to treat something like this...

[imported_t41n7ed]

normally i wouldn`t really mind if i had to get it repainted.. but the thing is, its origional paint....

[imported_Grouse]

I had someone steal my mirrors in boise out of my tahoe, heated and auto dimming. Totally pissed me off. When i saw the price. 600 a piece i understood why.

[TigerMike]

That`s gonna unfortunately need a repaint...no other way to really make it look 100% gone. :(



File a claim with the police, and you will not have to pay much from your insurance to get it fixed with the police report. Prolly less than $500 out of your pocket....yes, it sux but there aren`t many other options.



I feel your pain and anger, believe me.

[tustah]

My condolences to you. A key job that bad requires a repaint. There`s nothing you can do.

[velobard]

Man, I`m sorry to see that sort of thing. I worry because since this spring I`ve had a choice between parking under a tree that leaves a fine mist of sap over everything, or parking on the street in front of the house. I go with the street. Just last night I found a firecracker someone attempted to set off tucked between the bottom edge of the trunk lid and the bumper. I just had the trunk and bumper repainted in March, so I wasn`t too thrilled. The good news was the firecracker didn`t go off, the fuse went out and it just left a minor scorch mark that pretty much just wiped off. I just worry that my car is in such a vulnerable position. You have my condolences.

[imported_t41n7ed]

it does look like a repaint, thing is how do i get a paint job thats as good as the origional paint. whats the downfall from getting a whole new paint job (besides money) then keeping the origional paint?

[rcl1221]

it does look like a repaint, thing is how do i get a paint job thats as good as the origional paint. whats the downfall from getting a whole new paint job (besides money) then keeping the origional paint?



IMO if you decide to do paint, do the whole car. The cheapest will be to keep it the same color. Just look for your paint code on the inside of your drivers-side door jamb. In most cases, you should be able to get the paint matched. I know German companies somtimes use BASF paint as opposed to PPG or DuPont, so it might be a bit harder. You should be able to keep the same color, and everything.



What a body shop will do, is just scuff up all of your paint to get it ready for new paint. The car won`t go down to bare metal.



Oh, and If you`re looking to save a few bucks, you can do the prep-work yourself.



Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

[Five Star]

Paint technology has come along way, there is no reason to get a complete job



Just look for a shop that does quality work, doesn`t use these so called bargain or low-end paints.



Has a good reputation, and offers a warranty against defects such as paint, prep, or blend issues.



Most important see how they buff out their cars after wetsanding. make sure yours is swirl free




it does look like a repaint, thing is how do i get a paint job thats as good as the origional paint. whats the downfall from getting a whole new paint job (besides money) then keeping the origional paint?

[imported_t41n7ed]

thanks for the advice... ive seen a few cars around my area who have gotten new paint jobs and the only thing im worried about is the paint looking "fake" as if the whole car was made of plastic.. ionno musta been a cheap job or something.. i just want it to look like it was when i first bought it :-/



dont mind me im being paranoid about my car again

[Charlies02GLS]

Try posting in your regional forum and see if anyone has recommendations for a painter as that might help your search for the right guy/gal.

[ALTANertive]

I`ve heard many good things about House of Kolor brand paint.

[drck1000]

That sucks man. I never understood why people would do such a thing. Senseless and probably purely out of jealousy. Would this be covered under your car insurance policy? I have insurance for vandalism and theft which I mainly got when I was living in Washington to cover damage to the windshield from rock chips. The first car that I had in Washington got stolen and I ended up getting more back than I purchased the vehicle for. I understand that there is a lot of value in the original paint or equipment so the repaint might not be 100% to your satisfaction. But I would like to think that would be much better than trying to hide those scratches with a paint blend. Gook luck to you as the M`s are awesome vehicles.