My Integra GSR Keyed. Advice on paint?

[mickeylex]

Someone keyed my near pristine Integra GSR.

The guys who have seen it in the SF Bay know how clean I like to keep that car (like my NSX). Now there is a key mark across the entire driver door and front fender. I've had the car since new and its never had body/paint repair work. I was PO'd, but I'm past that now and need to get it repaired. The key mark is down to the bare metal and is deep. Paint color is Milano Red.

I ran a search and based on what I read, it sounds like I need to repaint the panels. I was hoping if anyone knew of a way to get key scratches (that are down to bare metal) repaired without repainting the entire panels. Is there some new technique out there for this type of repair or am I looking at a repaint?

 

[rowr]

Holy crap, Nalesh!

I know how pristine you keep that car..sorry to hear of the problem.

As you know, I've had that key mark on my driver's side door for the time I've owned the car. Every knowledgable person and shop I've talked with insists that to do the job right, the entire panel(s) have to be painted. I'm just not quite yet willing to do that yet, and have lived with that scratch until I can find an alternative way to get it fixed.

Hope things turn out ok...

Charles

 

[zahntech]

If its all the way down to the metal you are screwed....you gotta get the panels painted...sorry :frown:

 

[FDNewbie]

Wow...sorry for your loss. I never understood what drives ppl to be so stupid as to do something like key your car

Yep, if you can feel the scratch, it's gotta be repainted. And once it involves the front fender or rear quarter panel, labor starts going up significantly, because to do it *right*, you can't just paint those panels on the car. You'd have to remove the bumper completely to make sure the paint goes all the way to the edge of the panel (the edge you can't see, between the panel and the bumper). Otherwise, if the bumper isn't removed, the paint will eventually begin to chip and flake, because it's not continuous to the end of the panel.

Also, make sure whatever shop you take your car to has no idea what Bondo is. That stuff is garbage, and will flake, bubble and fall off later. Professional body shops will only use metal glaze, which actually adheres to the car's panels, and becomes a part of it.

 

[NRG]

That sucks big time. did you do anything bad to someone recently? I would only think that someone that knows you did it on purpose.

If something like that happen to my car, then I would probably fix it and sell it. I can't live with knowing that a deep scratch is behind the re-paint.

Sorry.

 

[nuccaJB]

I had a sweet Teg and had the same thing happen. Damn jealous bastards! Why can't people admire and not destroy?

Have them remove the panels and repaint the area. If you have pinstripe amke sure they remove it before they paint. I had a good shop cut corners and paint along the pin stripe. As long as the key job is localized you may get lucky and only have a couple panels to paint.

Maybe you should shave the side moldings and key holes and get a little extra painted? JMO

 

[Osiris_x11]

Color, Year?

What color was the Integra? I've seen some work by some paint "gurus" on fingernail-deep scratches (ie. keying) to the metal, and I was VERY impressed by the results. But sadly, the results only are worthwhile on white, yellow, and a few select colors only. I really don't have anymore specifics, but I'll try to find out more.

Unfortunate incident indeed, but what can you do... :frown:

 

[nuccaJB]

Milano Red

 

[whiteNSXs]

These f@#$ing losers have no place in the society but jail. They should be caned like that Michael Faye trash was. I am very sorry for you.
Steve

 

[W]

Sorry for your loss.

You'll have to get some major paintwork done.

 

[Vytas]

Gee, Nalesh, sorry to hear about your misfortune. I remember when I last detailed it for you, I've never seen you so happy. To hear what happened is just sad. Hope you find a good shop to do the repaint correctly and to your satisfaction.

 

[mickeylex]

Thanks for all of your replies. I've called the claim into insurance. It's a comprehensive claim, so it will cost me $250 to fix (deductible) and it doesn't count againt me with insurance (my insurance company is pretty good about that). The full repaint of the panels looks like the best way to go, so that's what I'll do. I have one estimate from a shop that removes everything (bumper, door handles, trim, etc) for repaints and it's about $1,200 to repaint the fender and the driver door ($250 of which I have to pay). It's a bummer, especially since I was just getting ready to upgrade the stereo system with D'Ecosse's help and now I have to wait on that.

For those of you who were wondering about how it happened. It happend at the Pleasanton BART (train station for those of you not familiar with the Bay Area) last Monday. Its my daily driver, but that day my wife took it. Her car was low on gas so I was going to take her car and fill it up for her that day. She was originally going to take her SUV instead of her car, but wouldn't you know it - the SUV had a flat tire (we picked up a nail in S.F. from a day trip the day before). Well, she couldn't take her car and her SUV was out, so I said "hey take my Integra". The Integra has only been to that BART station five or six times the entire eight years we have lived here (and the entire eight years I've owned that car). She always parks in the back of the lot with cars like Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, etc., so she parked the Integra there. When she got back to the car after work, the other cars had left already and the Integra was sitting there all alone (very shiny and clean as I'd just waxed it the weekend before). The car was parked in only one stall with plenty of room to allow other cars park next to it. I guess someone just decided that it looked too clean so they keyed it.

Maybe I'm getting too old to have a car like that - with all of the Integras that are riced-out, beat up, primered, etc, it's no wonder someone would pick mine to damage (you don't see clean ones anymore so jealous people don't want others to enjoy what they have). Maybe it's time to get a sedan as a daily driver (hmmm...the outgoing Lexus IS300 might be a nice choice).

 

[NsXMas]

Damn that sucks. Stupid idiots who will get their payment in full, this life or the next.

 

[nuccaJB]

My wife just bought a used IS300. It was amazing how cheap an 01 with low miles was. We got a super sweet deal. Fun car to drive too.