mtbscott

For the first time in my life (and 30+ cars later), some not so nice character decided to key the passenger side of my less than two week old car Friday night. I was mad when I discovered it Saturday morning of course, but also kind of depressed to think about what sort of person thinks that anonymously defacing someone's property is the right thing to do?
I went to three places that evening, didn't speak to anyone while parking at any of them, no traffic incidents leading to confrontation, it was purely a random act of hatred. Analyzing the night's events, I pretty much ruled out stop number 1, and after stop #2 I put something into the passenger side so pretty sure I would have noticed it then under the parking lot's bright lights. That leaves parking stop #3 where I left the car to go into a coffeeshop/dessert gallery with some friends. I parked between a 997S Cab and a Range Rover, literally front row of street parking right in front of an arthouse cinema. The Rover was on the passenger side and would have effectively blocked the view from that side. I would surmise that someone walking by on the sidewalk in front of it detoured just long enough to do it.

mtbscott

Saturday morning I drove by a bodyshop I have used in the past. The office guy/estimator was there but wants me to come back today so his painter can look at it. His first impression was that it would be too deep to buff out but he wants the expert to see it.
I later went by a handwash/detail place. Their detailer said it "might" come out with wetsanding and buffing but he also suggested having their neighboring bodyshop see it first.
Googling around later, I found numerous stories on detailing forums mostly of both pro and amateur detailers fixing keying damage without repainting. Wetsanding and buffing is the first suggested fix as long as the scratch doesn't go down into the primer, I think I'm okay there. Failing that, most of them used touchup paint followed by wetsanding and buffing, their outlook is that repainting should only be the last resort. I don't have the skills or equipment needed to do something like that but will ask around today to see what my options are. I'm still just apalled that someone would do this, and hope it's not something that Porsche owners should have to accept as a regular occurence.

User 040621

Sorry to hear about this. It's senseless. There's always going to be haters, and by God, they're going to make sure you pay (your fair share).

I wonder if any of the businesses have surveillance and would be willing to share with you.

DHill

Really Sorry!! It's a Sad World we live in sometimes. I just don't understand people sometimes. Keep us posted on the fix.

DBYT

Sorry to hear that. I would be furious.

Nicoli35

What a bummer. Thanks for posting your experience seeking a solution to the scratches, I am sure we are all interested in what can be done in this event. I keep expecting it, but hasn't happened yet.

carcommander

I am sure one of mine will be keyed one of these days. There are a lot of haters. My GF's Mercedes has a big scratch in it. Just have it fixed and move on. It's all you can do. good thing you didn't catch them, you would probably be in jail for assault. The thing is most wealthy people made it in their lifetime. Why don't the haters just do it for themselves?

greenpdk

It seems as though a lot more of this is happening. Someone kicked in the side of my wife's Boxster a couple of days ago. Big boot print on the car. $2500. Looks like the small business people, millionaires and billionaires need to give a little bit more before this will subside.

solomonschris

I'm sorry to hear this happened to your car. My 993TT was attacked by a guy with a framing hammer while it was parked in the Bellagio parking lot in LV on my fourth day of ownership. There are lots of ways of looking at this kind of thing and I won't bore everyone with my take except to say that is is better to be the guy with a damaged Porsche than to be the guy who damaged it. My car is as good as new and yours will be soon.

rnl

Nope. I doubt that's the problem. Random acts such as set forth here have always occurred. Be careful where you park.

fester

I'm so sorry to hear this. Makes me wonder what that person might be thinking but there's no shortage of haters. Please keep us posted on the progress! Take care.

chuck911

You know the situation and will have the better idea of course, but a scratch (even one like that) could also be accidental. I've gotten scratched lots of times where it looked to me like careless people loading up, walking by carrying something, even setting something on it. And I know this isn't the case here, but there are also the shops - where you are PAYING them to take care of your car and they STILL scratch it! Or put a dent in it! Of course they all deny. The scratches on an otherwise pristine finish, the ones placed and spaced precisely as from the back pockets of Levi's as a guy sits on your fender? "Our guys don't do that!"
What? Sit on a fender? Like that guy of yours RIGHT OVER THERE??? I could go on and on. Every time is painful. But the point I guess is they are not all jealous haters. Lots of times they are just careless, thoughtless, ignorant or even truly oblivious. Sad but true.

Have you tried claying it yet? Always my first step. Absolutely will not damage or preclude other fixes but almost always will make it look a whole lot less bad.

aamersa

Having an attention getting red doesn't help when it comes to such incidents. The perpetrator may have just walked on had the color been agate grey. Jealousy and hatred is a very unfortunate aspect of human nature.

GeneD

I remember a friend who needed a ride was carrying laundry from the cleaners, bumped the side of the car with the laundry and the cardboard tube slipped off a hanger only to put a nice deep 12" scratch on my pristine 03 M3.

So it is possible to put a nasty scratch in a car by accident. Probably not likely, but possible.

Gene

mtbscott

It was definitely intentional. Accidental contact doesn't leave a wavering scratch that's almost 3 feet long, the picture only shows the deepest part.
I've spoken to a couple of detailers today who have me mildly optimistic that it may be fixeable without bodyshop painting, but they can't come see me until later in the week. I've left messages at a couple of others with no replies yet. I was able to get some of the finer part of the scratch out using some Menzerna polish and Meguiars wax that I had with hand buffing. That gives me some hope that a pro detailer can get this out with the right equipment. The cost isn't the issue, I want it to look good again, but prefer not to have to go the paint route.