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-   -   Car Vandalism! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/42362-car-vandalism-6.html)

I had some autographs in kannada on black cars shiny bonnet. And recently someone has gone and etched the registration number of my car on the bonnet very deeply...not just once, but repeatedly :(

I dont think it has anything to do with state/country etc. You have jerks everywhere.

The only common factor is how good the car looks; the newer/shinier it is, higher are the chances of vandalism. I got a deep scratch the 2nd month I got my Red City. I didn't remove it and it's the only one I got in 5 years.

I had a white Escort before the City. Someone took great pain to crawl under the car and write some religious funds underneath the bumper with a ball point pen!

This happened in Seattle as well. The car next to mine in the secure underground carpark was a Ferrari 308, which routinely got black paint sprayed on the hood. The guy kept a running videocam in the car for 2 weeks and finally recorded the act. Apparently an earlier tenant who had a tiff with the Ferrari owner.

Gears,
Red-One.

off late it has been shown as a heroic act in some of the south indian movies, which is very effective way of spreading such filthy acts.

well i caught two persons who stole a wheel from an apartment .i and my friend pavan drove hard on my kinetic (tipped by the watchman of that apartment) and we finally got hold of those two and handed over them back to the watchman .they got bashed blue and black.Indeed i have police quality in me dont I.

[SIZE=2]Since my car's brand new, black and shiny, I usually cover it with one of those silver covers when I park it outside my office. The other day some jackass actually took a blade and slit through the cover and left a scratch along the driver side rear door.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Luckily I managed to get it buffed out. The damn car is only a month old and it's been hell trying to keep it scratchless and vandalism free. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]I know the day I catch someone scratching my car is the day I go to jail for doing something violent.[/SIZE]

I feel sorry to see that almost all of us have had this happen to their cars sometime or other. My story is a bit different... one of my friends had bought a new Metallic Red Innova and left it with me (it was only a day old...) for fixing the stereo, etc. I had this car parked on my usual parking lot on the apartment and the next day I saw sommone had made very deep scratches on the side running from front door to rear fender. I know it was not my fault but still ended up spending a fortune to get the doors painted perfectly cuz I didn't want my friend sad/upset....

Wish there was some way we can catch these culprits.... I am going to subject them to every treatment mentioned on this thread.

man thats bad.. a brand new innova scratched.. but you know what i guess most of the time its the kids who do this.. as i have seen some kids when the school leaves they walk very close to cars standing there and also sometimes waiting for the vans to pick them up they lean on the cars with those heavy bags on their shoulders..and the bag is generally supported by the cars bonnet or boot.. but you really cant blame them.

Well... I wish it was something like that, but I am sure it was some lowlife cuz it was clear that someone did the "artwork" with a sharp object like a nail/screwdriver. I always had minor scratches on my OHC that I buff off and polish with turtle wax... the ones that get created by kids and even adults when they place things on the bonnet and boot.... but this one....well... I don't want to say it out loud.... :Frustrati

The sad part is that it really limits the choices when it comes to car coulours... Black, Ferrari Red, Deep Blue all are good coulours to have - esp with beige leather internals...

Now one is left with the standard white/silver!

Anyone knows any good scratch remover?.. not the rubbing coumpounds

Happens to my cars regularly. Trying to come to terms with it but not able to.

I just take the car to my service centre after the damage and try to touch up or remove by polish.

Luckily nothing has been stolen from our cars till date. Hope it doesnt happen InshAll_h.

Steer, thats sad....
In Blr, this thing is quite common.. My Dicor already has scratches on the bonnet and sides that could only have been done intentionally.. Similar on my Siena in the past few years..
Get-wrenching as it is, I try to develop a level of emotional detachment from the car exterior.. In the kind of country we live in, it is inevitable. This is as far as scratches go. I lose it when the damage is more physical..

Two emotions come up when something like this happen - "anger" at the damage to the car and "frustration" at not knowing who the culprit is so that we could take some action. And it takes atleast a few days for the pain to go away (still, everytime you see the damage, the pain pops back).
What I usually do to prevent such things, include the following :
1. Keep the car ALWAYS covered when not in use. It also helps prevents unintentional scratches due to kids playing etc.
It is a pain removing the cover every time I take the car out and then putting it on. But I would suffer that rather than a scratched car.
2. Take the extra pain to park it inside the apartment complex / home instead of leaving it on the road (even if I think I will be back in few minutes). People walking on the road seem to have a hobby of vandalising cars.
3. Avoid going by car to areas known for such problems. Most parts of T.Nagar in Chennai are notorious for this. I avoid that place like the plague. My wife understands and thus whenever we can't avoid it, we go by bike.
4. When out of town, I leave the car at my office parking, covered.

Not entirely fool-proof, but quite a deterrent.

This is indeed a topic I would not like to participate at all, but just can't help it. I think, this is THE SINGLEMOST FURSTRATING THING that can happen to a car lover.

The pain is higher in the initial months of owning a vehicle, but it never ceases to hurt even when it happens to an old vehicle. I have picked up street fights with others who had touched and scratched my vehicle. On a hindsight, it was never a wise thing to do.

Now I own a black vehicle and as Rudra Sen said - only GOD can help me.

Time and again, I keep pondering upon what can be the solution -

a) Get it carefully retouched - nah, does not look good. Whole panel might need repainting - costly proposition.
b) Teach the culprit a lesson - if he can be traced at all. Additionally, how long can one pick up fights and quarrels and spoil one's day and mood?
c) Covering the car at every parking - cumbersome and impractical at times
d) Take the cars only to such places where there is adequate security prohibiting vandalism of this kind - also means I shall hardly drive the car - not practical
e) Get rich enough to buy a new car or get it repainted every time, keep car-bodyguards who shall keep a vigil at parkings - not happening in this lifetime
f) Ignore and become philosophical - think, this is the only way to retain sanity

Sorry for the ranting, but I am completely at my wits end on this one and deeply feel the pain of all car lovers. Hope someone provides some solution in these lines - 'a cheaper way of scratch removal / a practical approach of rendering scratches less conspicuous".

This is one rare topic where there will not be any debate on T-BHP. All unanimously agree. BTW, coming to cheaper way of scratch removal, has anyone tried www.com-paint.com? They seem to be very cheap (price), but not sure how effective they are.