# Car vandalized last night



## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

This is one of those things you always fear when you park your car in a public place. I went to a nightclub last night and parked my car less than a block away (there was no valet). When I got back a few hours later, there was a deep gouge from someone keying it the entire length of the passenger side and several gouges on the hood.

It goes down through several layers of primer, but I don't think it got to the metal, even though the mark is about 1/8" wide.

I guess this means the entire side and hood being repainted. I hope that doesn't diminish the value of the car when I go to resell it. The buyer could think it was in an accident and I just wasn't telling them.


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## norcal 528i (Dec 2, 2003)

That sucks man. :irate:


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## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

:thumbdwn:


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2004)

Take pictures of the damage. Lots of them. This way, when you sell and the potential buyer takes the car for a pre-purchase inspection and the shop finds that it's been repainted, you can show pics of the damage that was repaired proving it wasn't accident damage.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

TD said:


> Take pictures of the damage. Lots of them. This way, when you sell and the potential buyer takes the car for a pre-purchase inspection and the shop finds that it's been repainted, you can show pics of the damage that was repaired proving it wasn't accident damage.


good idea!


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## the head (Mar 16, 2004)

That bites!  

I don't understand what the deal is with people these days.


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

TD said:


> Take pictures of the damage. Lots of them. This way, when you sell and the potential buyer takes the car for a pre-purchase inspection and the shop finds that it's been repainted, you can show pics of the damage that was repaired proving it wasn't accident damage.


That's a good point, I'll do that. The estimate came back at just over $2000, but I'll just be out the deductible.


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## Mike Bell (Mar 18, 2004)

uhg. That's an icky feeling. Sorry to hear about that. Talk about instant rage...


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## LeucX3 (Dec 26, 2001)

Kinda makes the innocence of your car feel gone. Unless you already did that in the backseat.


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## SONET (Mar 1, 2002)

Gosh that's too bad. I've had my car keyed before too. I think that was a worse feeling than when I got rear-ended, because at least that wasn't on purpose. :thumbdwn:

Make sure you ask around about body shops and check out their work first-hand before commiting to anything. Also, ask what kind of paint they use - it does make a difference.

Good luck

--SONET


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## jvr826 (Apr 22, 2002)

Bummer dude, but I will tell you, body and paintwork these days is pretty damn good. The right shop should be able to restore your paint to an exact factory match in color and texture. I had an accident similar to Sonet's, but not as severe, and the shop that did mine matched the TiSi paint perfectly. The new owner didn't even ask about an accident before he bought, but I told him and showed pics of the before and during repair so he knew exactly what had been repaired. Didn't sway his decision one bit.

I can't and never will be able to understand how a person gets pleasure out of defacing someone elses property. Makes absolutely no sense to me.

Choose your shop carefully and you'll never know the difference. One positive, i'm sure you have chips in the hood like the rest of us, you'll have a clean slate again.


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## eyeopener (Jan 24, 2004)

Brett, just out of curiosity, what part of San Diego were you in?


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

BrettInLJ said:


> The estimate came back at just over $2000, but I'll just be out the deductible.


You'll be out the insurance deductible, plus whatever increase your insurance company tacks on because of the claim. It's the gift that keeps on giving....

Mean people suck. I guess it's some warped misplaced jealously just because some one happens to own a beautiful car. 

Alex


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

BrettInLJ said:


> That's a good point, I'll do that. The estimate came back at just over $2000, but I'll just be out the deductible.


 I never understood what people get out of keying a car. I had a similar incident with my 318ti where it was keyed from front to back on the passenger side.I used the dealer's body shop. They did a beautiful job and even 3 years later you could not tell the difference between factory and new paint.

It is probably also a good idea to keep a copy of your receipt with the pictures. That way you can prove the true extent of the repair work and the quality. Your future buyer can be reassured that you did not get a MAACO paint job.


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

eyeopener said:


> Brett, just out of curiosity, what part of San Diego were you in?


I'm in La Jolla, but his happened downtown.

I'm going to the best body shop in San Diego (West Coast Specialties) so I'm sure its in good hands.


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## DanB (Feb 20, 2002)

BrettInLJ said:


> I'm in La Jolla, but his happened downtown.
> 
> I'm going to the best body shop in San Diego (West Coast Specialties) so I'm sure its in good hands.


You're going to Ryan Hernandez? BTW, where exactly were you parked when this happened?


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

DanB said:


> You're going to Ryan Hernandez? BTW, where exactly were you parked when this happened?


I was on Essex St, not far from Balboa Park. I usually deal with Patrick there. Is it a bad sign that I'm on a first name basis with everyone at a body shop? Sighhhhhh...


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## BrettInLJ (Oct 3, 2003)

Update: Looks like its going to be 10 business days. I'm paying extra for them to repaint the drivers front fender so I will be shiny and chip free like the hood and passenger fender. In the mean time I'm driving a Buick LeSabre rental. OMG... the horror!


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## jvr826 (Apr 22, 2002)

Could have been a Geo. That's what one BMW center arranged for me as a loaner when my 328is was in for 5 attempts to fix the cats. I felt so unsafe in it that I wanted to wear my full-face motorcycle helmet to commute to work. A Buick will at least absorb some impact. 

I hope your car turns out great and you forget all about this experience!


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## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Bummer, Brett. The shop will make it all right again. Mine's been to the shop 4 freakin' times. The first 3 were not at all my fault and the most recent was the fire hydrant that jumped out onto the rear bumper while my wife was parking. 

I have Geico and they treated me real well. They said that I could have the claim removed if it affected my rates but the fact that they gave me the ability to do this was remarkable. I know a lot of people are afraid to tell their insurance company anything...I no longer worry about that. As it turned out, the amount of the repair bill wasn't big enough to touch my rates so all is well that ends well.

Chris


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