My Car got Keyed!!!

[sarsman45]

This is my first post in the forums.

So I was checking out my truck tonight because I had to check up on some stuff, and then I noticed that the the truck bed was keyed! Upon further inspection, the whole passenger side was keyed!!! (why?! )
Any suggestions to fix this? I know that I need to fix some parts asap because some of it goes to the metal (going to use touch up paint), but is there anyway to fix without having to go to the shop? Its a Tundra with Thunder Grey Metallic as the paint.

I'm going to follow Mike Phillips advice on touch up for rock chips:

Chip repair is never easy and unless you have some experience with this type of thing then it can be very challenging to make the repair actually look good. Paint chip repair consists of two things,

Applying touch-up paint
Making the repair look good

That's two things and the second one is the hard one, anyone can dab some paint to the surface.

Meguiar's doesn't have an official "how-to" on chip repair, the best thing you can do is NOT use the brush built into the cap, instead use a toothpick or do like I do and go to an artist supply store or a craft supply store and purchase a couple of very fine tipped artists paint brushes and a little bottle of paint thinner to clean the tips and the brushes are not cheap. Clean the chipped area as best as you can with whatever tool/brush/pick etc. you can find and then apply just a little touch-up paint into the chipped area and then stop and walk away from the car. Allow the paint to dry for a couple days and then inspect, if you see that you have room to apply more touch-up paint then apply a little more and again, stop messing with it and let it dry.

Most people use the brush that comes built into the lid and go from a divot, (a low spot in the paint), to a blob, (a high spot in the paint), because they apply too much touch-up paint.

So less is best, move slow, take your time.

but is there any other way to fix these scratches without wet sanding (have no experience but my friend does)


Pics will be posted tomorrow

[john m.]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

First off Welcome to MOL

Now really I would not attempt this on your own without having any experience with this, you say your friend has wetsanding experience but does he have experience with a polisher to remove the sanding marks? I think your best bet it you want to go the touch up route would be to find a pro somewhere near you with touch up experience that can help you out.

[sarsman45]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

First off Welcome to MOL

Now really I would not attempt this on your own without having any experience with this, you say your friend has wetsanding experience but does he have experience with a polisher to remove the sanding marks? I think your best bet it you want to go the touch up route would be to find a pro somewhere near you with touch up experience that can help you out.

Thanks for the welcome. My friend is pretty experienced in this field (he sent his car and mine from hell and back after 10+ years of oxidation and sun damage and left it shining like new before she died.


He also repainted his dad's old school Chrysler van (poor mans paint job with everything into it) and is a freelance detailer but he's currently on vacation right now and I probably wont see him for at least a few months or so due to school.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

If the whole side is keyed you have a lot of work ahead of you.
I've longest one I've done is about 2'.
You have to fill in the scratch with paint, sand it down then buff out the sanding marks.
It takes time and practice, so do a small section first.
If you don't know what your doing you can sand through the CC.
So have your friend help you.
You can fix it just take you time.

Now for the disclaimer:
I'm not telling you to jump in paint your car and wet sand it with no experience.
To me wet sanding isn't a big deal, a lot of people here make a big deal about it because you can damage the paint real easy.
So don't think I'm giving you all the information you need.
But you can do it, it's not that hard.

[rusty bumper]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

Now's the time to check up on your insurance policy and see what kind of comprehensive coverage you have. If the deductible is not too high (or if you're like me and have a zero deductible) then I would opt to have the areas repainted. Course, you'll need to file a police report too.

It would beat having to fill and blend those areas with touch up paint.

Just my .02 worth.

[sarsman45]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

Well here are the pics in thumbnail form (if you want a close up just click on them). I think that all the lines except for the tine one in front of the access door have been cut to the metal in various points. The insurers (parents) dont want to claim as we have claimed a few times this year for accidents that happened to us and dont want the insurance to go up any higher than it is already. What should I do?





This is the longest line (about the whole door length so ~2.5 feet)

[Markus Kleis]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

That looks quite deep, sadly the only thing to make much of a difference will likely be to touch it up or repaint.

Keep in mind that matching metallic paint- especially that metallic paint will be very difficult so set your expectations accordingly.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

Wow!
I'd say a repaint.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

In a case where you have scratches down to the primer, which is what you're seeing here, you really should have a body shop take care of it.

While it is certainly true that someone with a lot of experience doing paint touch up that requires wetsanding and rotary buffing may want to take a stab at this on their own, we DO NOT recommend someone just jumping in and attempting such an advanced procedure. If you think this looks bad now, a botched repair job can only make it look worse. Of course, this is actually a pretty extreme case to begin with, but even minor defects can be made worse very quickly if you don't understand the process of wet sanding and buffing.

There simply comes a time when a professional needs to be called in to repair the damage.

[rusty bumper]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

Well here are the pics in thumbnail form (if you want a close up just click on them). I think that all the lines except for the tine one in front of the access door have been cut to the metal in various points. The insurers (parents) dont want to claim as we have claimed a few times this year for accidents that happened to us and dont want the insurance to go up any higher than it is already. What should I do?

I guess insurance rules can vary from state to state, but I've never had an issue with my insurance premiums going up because of a comp claim.

I've had claims for the following over the years...

• Cracked windshield
• Stolen wheel covers
• Stolen battery
• Broken side glass (someone threw a rock at the car)
• Hurricane Hugo damage
• Slashed tire
• Car egged and had to be repainted
• Tag stolen
• Large rock chip on hood from mower accident
• Hood ornament damaged from deep snow (about a foot of snow slid off the front of my hood and ripped off the ornament )

I never paid a dime out of pocket to have any of these items replaced, or fixed.

If it were me, I would call my insurer, talk to them point blank, and ask them if filling a comp claim would cause an increase in premiums. Comp claims are not that big of a deal for insurance companies (in my opinion); it's the liability claims that are the driving force behind insurance costs.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

I agree with Mike.

There are far too many promoting wet sanding when they should not be.

Read these threads:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34916

And then see what happens when someone makes a mistake:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31694

It takes years to learn to wet sand and buff out a paint correctly. Anyone can do it, but to do it correctly, well that is another thing! Burning through the CC is not a small problem.

Tim

[ZoranC]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

In a case where you have scratches down to the primer, which is what you're seeing here, you really should have a body shop take care of it.

While it is certainly true that someone with a lot of experience doing paint touch up that requires wetsanding and rotary buffing may want to take a stab at this on their own, we DO NOT recommend someone just jumping in and attempting such an advanced procedure. If you think this looks bad now, a botched repair job can only make it look worse. Of course, this is actually a pretty extreme case to begin with, but even minor defects can be made worse very quickly if you don't understand the process of wet sanding and buffing.

There simply comes a time when a professional needs to be called in to repair the damage.

There are far too many promoting wet sanding when they should not be.
...
It takes years to learn to wet sand and buff out a paint correctly. Anyone can do it, but to do it correctly, well that is another thing! Burning through the CC is not a small problem.

I hope that anyone reading this pays very close and careful attention to every one of these words and treats them as golden because I know cutting through sometimes does happen even to the best and most experienced ones of detailers. It just takes a man to admit it.

[3Fitty]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

To me wet sanding isn't a big deal, a lot of people here make a big deal about it because you can damage the paint real easy.
So don't think I'm giving you all the information you need.
But you can do it, it's not that hard.

Maybe it's not a big deal to you, but you didn't mind going through your clear coat. Remember? http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ad.php?t=31694

Most people would not be too happy if they went through their clear coat.

My advice...

If you don't know what you're doing, don't wet sand or get a seasoned pro to do it for you (if it can be done at all).

[3Fitty]

Re: My Car got Keyed!!!

Tim,

You beat me to the punch with your links... I guess great minds think alike... yours just thinks much faster than mine!!!

In any event, your first link is a very informative and useful link that should be followed by all (like me) who lack the experience or training to undertake such activities. I think it is paramount that we not bite off more than we can chew because we will inevitably cause more harm than good.