Key Scratch Repair on A Black Z4

[FD3S]

I had for two weeks to drive my car and today I discovered that someone has scratch it with key all over it. My car is a Z4M Black Roadster and I park it in a closed parking.

The scratches are deep and you can see the metal under the paint. This f@#ker has scratched every part of the car except the boot and a fender. I see the car like this and my heart bleads

Do you have any idea how I can correct this? Also how I can preserve the price of the car, because I think if I paint it all over the new buyer never will believe that the paint is corrected for key scratch damage.

I would also appreciate any inspirational suggestions of what I can do to this guy who did this?

Thank you guys in advance.

 

[Ducklakeview]

Unfortunately, if it's down to the metal, and all over, the chances of localised repair are slim to nothing. Feel your pain..

Mike

 

[Angelus666]

That's awful news....truly despicable when someone does that to another man's car. To be honest, you've really got only two choices....firstly, you can fill the scratches and then touch up with paint, sand it back and polish, which might give you an acceptable look from 6ft (this will cost about £750)....but, in reality, it's a full respray to get it back to 100% (which is about £4000). You can take full pictures of the damage before the spray to set the mind at ease for any future buyers. You should be able to claim this on your insurance, but of course, it'll affect your future claims.

 

[scooobydont]

If it is down to metal, its a respray, you cannot 'correct it', certainly not to anything how it was. Report it to the police and your insurance company.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Really sorry to read your post OP - that is a really sh1tty thing to do. I just hope something horrible happens to whoever did it.

Good luck getting it sorted.

 

[FD3S]

Guys thank you for the quick answers. I was afraid that I will read what you are writing...
Tomorrow I will take some photos to upload so maybe you can tell me a second opinion.

Really sorry to read your post OP - that is a really sh1tty thing to do. I just hope something horrible happens to whoever did it.

Good luck getting it sorted.

Believe me, I am sure that something terrible will happen to him... :wink:

That's awful news....truly despicable when someone does that to another man's car.

I can't agree more. If you have a problem with me, stand in front of me and say it. This attitude is for the girls...

 

[FD3S]

Some photos that I took today:
















Here you can see the aluminium bonnet of our cars:


Also I have to change the windshield which is scratched also...

The car went today to two different body shops and the one told me that the car needs total repaint to have a good result the other that since the boot, the front and the rear fender don't need repaint it makes sense to do not repaint the whole car. Total cost from 2000 to 3000 euros... The insurance doesn't cover that since it happened on a closes private garage.

With 3000 euros I could do so many nice upgrades to the car.

Since I can not avoid the inevitable I was thinking the following:
1) It makes sense to respray only the damaged parts of the car?
2) What should I ask the body shop to see that it would make the best job for me?
3) Is there any way to be intraceable the repaint of the car to avoid loosing resale value?
4) Does it makes sense to change the colour of the car? Any interesting ideas?

 

[philbo909]

That's awful OP, definitely insurance time.
Any idea of who might have keyed it? Don't understand people who could do something like this to someone's car, scum!
Edit: just seen insurance won't pay out, unbelievable, bastards!
As for what you want respraying and colour change, whatever floats your boat really. Resale value will go down with a different colour I would think, but would make it individual

 

[Mr Tidy]

I've just seen your photos OP - that was some robust key!

I thought things like that were mostly a UK problem, but clearly not - out of interest where are you? )Mind you at least UK insurance would cover it even in a private garage).

I would have thought it would be cheaper to only have the affected panels repainted rather than the whole car - although this does rule out the option of changing the colour!

A good bodyshop should have a painter who can produce a finish of sufficient quality that nobody would know some panels had been re-painted.

Good luck getting it fixed.

 

[FD3S]

Any idea of who might have keyed it? Don't understand people who could do something like this to someone's car, scum!

I have no idea and that is the worst thing because I will never know that they will not do it again after I respray it.

 

[FD3S]

I've just seen your photos OP - that was some robust key!

I thought things like that were mostly a UK problem, but clearly not - out of interest where are you? )Mind you at least UK insurance would cover it even in a private garage).

I would have thought it would be cheaper to only have the affected panels repainted rather than the whole car - although this does rule out the option of changing the colour!

A good bodyshop should have a painter who can produce a finish of sufficient quality that nobody would know some panels had been re-painted.

Good luck getting it fixed.

The car is in Athens - Greece. I had to take it for a ride for many many weeks until yesterday because I live elsewhere.

Repairing the panels it will cost around 800 to 1000 euros. However I am not sure that the car will have the same colour after the repair or it will have differences.

 

[TomK]

So sorry to see this, some people
A full respray with a colour change will cost significantly more than staying the same if you are having it done properly.
Given the amount of panels affected I would personally go down the full route I think bearing in mind it sounds like the windscreen is going to have to come out anyway too? I'm no paint expert though and no idea how easy it is to match the black.
I had to pay for a new windscreen from bmw recently, it was ~£750

I think this "3) Is there any way to be make the repaint of the car untraceable to avoid loosing any resale value?" is very difficult to achieve I'm afraid. A trained eye and a paint depth gauge is able to spot pretty much any repainting afaik. That said, if a car had been repainted to an excellent standard with photo documentation I see no reason for it to affect the value. If anything on an 11 year old car (that's not been pampered like a ferrari or something) you could call it a bonus.

 

[FD3S]

So sorry to see this, some people
A full respray with a colour change will cost significantly more than staying the same if you are having it done properly.
Given the amount of panels affected I would personally go down the full route I think bearing in mind it sounds like the windscreen is going to have to come out anyway too? I'm no paint expert though and no idea how easy it is to match the black.
I had to pay for a new windscreen from bmw recently, it was ~£750

I think this "3) Is there any way to be make the repaint of the car untraceable to avoid loosing any resale value?" is very difficult to achieve I'm afraid. A trained eye and a paint depth gauge is able to spot pretty much any repainting afaik. That said, if a car had been repainted to an excellent standard with photo documentation I see no reason for it to affect the value. If anything on a 11 year old car I'd call it a bonus.

Tom thanks for your answer. Your answers were great help for me all this time I am on this forum.
The windshield since it has a small scratch and not a crack will remain as is for now, since I need also brake disc replacement and many other small and with the repaint the cost adds to more than 5000.

Since as you mention the car is 11 years old, I was planning to do a full detail work on the car and that would cost me more than 1500. I try to see the positive side that with the full repaint I would avoid the detailing cost.

 

[Attilio]

Hi,
I’m really sorry for what happened to your car; a really desplicable and cowardly act. Hope whoever did it pays some consequences for what they did.

I think the advice you received is very sound: get it resprayed from a good body shop and keep the pictures to document what happened (it was not a crash that forced you to respray the car).

Best of luck and keep us posted

 

[FD3S]

Hi,
I’m really sorry for what happened to your car; a really desplicable and cowardly act. Hope whoever did it pays some consequences for what they did.

I think the advice you received is very sound: get it resprayed from a good body shop and keep the pictures to document what happened (it was not a crash that forced you to respray the car).

Best of luck and keep us posted

Attilio thank you for you post and your advice.
Believe me it will not be cheap but I will find this coward.

I will update you definitely.

 

[Angelus666]

That's s**t...horrible to see that type of damage. The one last option you have is to wrap the car, which for the £800 cost would look amazing and quickly cover up the marks. It's not permanent, but it saves you spending a lot of money at this point. It would be something I'd consider.

 

[FD3S]

That's s**t...horrible to see that type of damage. The one last option you have is to wrap the car, which for the £800 cost would look amazing and quickly cover up the marks. It's not permanent, but it saves you spending a lot of money at this point. It would be something I'd consider.

Thanks for the advice. I have decided that I will repair partially the damage and will repaint all the car in 2-3 months when I have all the money for that. Unfortunately the BBK has to be postponed...

 

[Anmarube]

It may not be down to the metal, When clear coat is damaged like that it can look to be metal or a white colour, It may be worth a good detailer your way flatting and polishing...(Nothing to lose) or as another thought maybe a wrap..I personally am not a fan of wraps but could be a cheaper solution for you especially if you fancy a colour change.
1st option could be a winner, you never know......Good luck with it whichever way you go....
No need for any person to be so vindictive...

 

[Kingfisher]

......... and change your insurance company!

Alternatively ... if it happens again take it out on a public road somewhere and then phone your insurance company! ...