Key decisions

[Mactech]

My S class works hard for me. This week it covered over 1000 business miles with a couple of trips to Yorkshire and to the NEC.
At some point on my travels some kind soul has felt the need to run down the NS rear quarter with a key or similar to leave a metre long scratch in the paint work. Nice car or unlucky, I will probably never know, but one of you might have had experience of 'Chips away' or similar companies.
The alternative will be an expensive re-paint of the whole rear quarter with or without insurance involvement

 

[television]

Is it through to the bare metal

 

[glojo]

My S class works hard for me. This week it covered over 1000 business miles with a couple of trips to Yorkshire and to the NEC.
At some point on my travels some kind soul has felt the need to run down the NS rear quarter with a key or similar to leave a metre long scratch in the paint work. Nice car or unlucky, I will probably never know, but one of you might have had experience of 'Chips away' or similar companies.
The alternative will be an expensive re-paint of the whole rear quarter with or without insurance involvement

Words fail me and in a way I feel sorry for the brain daed idiots taht think it clever to desecrate such vehicles. What a pity you don't know where this mindless act was committed. I say this in the hope the idiots were caught on CCTV.

Will a cheap repair be of the quality that you will want? The sad thing is that it will not have the nano top coating.

Good luck with the repair and thanks for spoiling my week-end (I'm now seething and feel the need to talk to these idiots)

Regards
John

 

[Mactech]

Is it through to the bare metal

Does not appear to be, but it is certainly through the clearcoat and well into the colour.

 

[glojo]

Does not appear to be, but it is certainly through the clearcoat and well into the colour.

Has the S-class got all steel exterior and don't forget the metal might be galvanised. (I'm still fuming)

REgards
John

 

[Dieselman]

I wouldn't go for a SMART repair as you can always see them, especially on metallic colours.

Maybe this could be repaired by just touching in the scratch with colour and lacquer, then wet sanding and polishing.

Would be worth posting onto http://detailingworld.com/ as a number of the guys do paint repairs.

If you want it absolutely perfect there is probably no other way than respraying it.

 

[television]

On similar lines to dieselman do not bother with chips away, its the wrong time of the year to do anything with paint outside.

In the spring you could use an aerosol along the scratch and the over spray wipes of with ease like butter.

Maybe at Jays meet I will show how these things can be done

 

[Mactech]

Thanks, at this time of year it will only be seen when the the car is clean!
I will wait a little will before I decide how to repair it.
Maybe new cars are like new windscreens. My experience is that as soon as you replace one a flying stone will head your way

John, go watch the Brabham / Fangio film agian.....that makes it much better, but sorry to have spoiled your weekend.:
I'll clean the cars properly tomorrow and have a good look

 

[glojo]

John, go watch the Brabham / Fangio film agian.....that makes it much better, but sorry to have spoiled your weekend.:
I'll clean the cars properly tomorrow and have a good look

I would definitely seal the scratch whilst your deciding

I would watch the Fangio film again but I doubt he will nudge Brabham off the track.

Fangio was a master at putting these huge cars into four wheeled drifts and of course having the back at a different angle to the front. Jack Brabham was slowing him down

Regards
John

 

[kjay]

My deepest sympathys Mactech!

A despicable and pointless act of vandalism.








Hope you get it sorted.

 

[robert.saunders]

The kindly young paperboy scratched my car with his bike whilst parked on dad's driveway; cheeky so & so, he received a good thrashing (in my mind)

 

[Mactech]

I comfort myself with the fact that this scratch (although very anoying) is nothing like as bad as the 'scratch' by a truck on my stationary estate car just six months ago

I must have targets stuck to the cars!

 

[television]

I comfort myself with the fact that this scratch (although very anoying) is nothing like as bad as the 'scratch' by a truck on my stationary estate car just six months ago

I must have targets stuck to the cars!

Ouch, that was an expensive one

 

[robert.saunders]

Double ouch

 

[The Dent Guy]

From experience in the trade, i have come to know plenty of bodyshop guys and several franchisees of ChipsAway.

A bodyshop will tend to paint the whole panel and possibly blend into the adjacent panel, while a SMART repairer will paint the scratch and then blend the laquer out a bit further, then blend the edge. For a rear quarter, it makes no real difference if ChipsAway or a bodyshop does it. If you can hook your fingernail onto it with ease then it will need respraying for sure.

What matters more is the quality of the individuals workmanship. Difficult to quantify i know. Sloppy masking off, overspray, flatting marks and coarse orange peel are all signs of a shoddy job.

 

[Mactech]

Thanks for that! I can hook my nail into the scratch so I guess a respray is the only way.
My experience with bodyshops is inline with yours. The guys who repaired the E Class estate made a cracking job of the panel and paint work, but I had overspray on the wheel and bumpers and the underfloor tray looked like it had been on a farm for a week when I collected the car.
Maybe you can recomend areally good shop?