My Victor Meldrew moment - help!
Discussion
The overall condition of my pride and joy 450 Chimaera was just about perfect, apart from a quite minor car park scuff on the edge of the rear "bumper" moulding. So recently I decided to book her in to a reputable and recommended body shop to have it corrected, so I could have a car that genuinely looked as if it had just come out of the showroom.
Job was completed perfectly and the car came home to be wrapped up for the awful winter period we've just endured. Then, last Saturday, out came the sun, a real sniff of spring in the air and not a cloud in sight; game on!
First stop was the local gas station to top her up with some fresh Optimax and, while standing there with nozzle in hand and admiring the gleaming paintwork, I noticed to my horror that the passenger door edge was looking distictly unusual. In the famous words of good old Victor himself I thought to myself - "I don't belieeeeeeeve it!" .......
While my beloved Chim was in the hands of the bodyshop to have its only blemish rectified, some plonker had obviously allowed the door to swing open into something like a concrete block wall. The result, which I was staring at in disbelief, was a previously perfect door edge now looking horrible due to the chipped lacquer - and this damage is far more noticeable than the minor scuff it had actually gone in to have rectified (at considerable cost).
Tell me please - is this the kind of thing we all just have to expect when our cars are left in the care of "experts", or am I just like Victor doomed to suffer such catastrophes? (A Tuscan I previously owned came back from a service with a nasty score in one of its brand new stainless steel end cans). Just as with the recent door damage, I didn't notice it until the car was back home, so could not point a finger of blame at anyone.
So, the main question is, please, with the damage appearing to be chipped lacquer only, could I get a decent repair by carefully building up new lacquer in the chipped areas with a very fine brush and then blend it back in by flattening it down with very fine grade wet & dry paper?
Or do any of you know of a better way of making it good?
Any advice will be very much appreciated.
A grumpy and despondent Victor.
Job was completed perfectly and the car came home to be wrapped up for the awful winter period we've just endured. Then, last Saturday, out came the sun, a real sniff of spring in the air and not a cloud in sight; game on!
First stop was the local gas station to top her up with some fresh Optimax and, while standing there with nozzle in hand and admiring the gleaming paintwork, I noticed to my horror that the passenger door edge was looking distictly unusual. In the famous words of good old Victor himself I thought to myself - "I don't belieeeeeeeve it!" .......
While my beloved Chim was in the hands of the bodyshop to have its only blemish rectified, some plonker had obviously allowed the door to swing open into something like a concrete block wall. The result, which I was staring at in disbelief, was a previously perfect door edge now looking horrible due to the chipped lacquer - and this damage is far more noticeable than the minor scuff it had actually gone in to have rectified (at considerable cost).
Tell me please - is this the kind of thing we all just have to expect when our cars are left in the care of "experts", or am I just like Victor doomed to suffer such catastrophes? (A Tuscan I previously owned came back from a service with a nasty score in one of its brand new stainless steel end cans). Just as with the recent door damage, I didn't notice it until the car was back home, so could not point a finger of blame at anyone.
So, the main question is, please, with the damage appearing to be chipped lacquer only, could I get a decent repair by carefully building up new lacquer in the chipped areas with a very fine brush and then blend it back in by flattening it down with very fine grade wet & dry paper?
Or do any of you know of a better way of making it good?
Any advice will be very much appreciated.
A grumpy and despondent Victor.
Edited by Telecaster on Monday 14th February 14:16
Edited by Telecaster on Monday 14th February 14:19
No advise on the chip but I know how you feel. Mine came back with a scratch on the drivers door. Only noticed it a week later and could not prove anything.
Classic keys in hand, slam the door and remove the paint scratch.
I didn't mention it and it winds me up every time I open or close the door and will do until its resprayed.
Classic keys in hand, slam the door and remove the paint scratch.
I didn't mention it and it winds me up every time I open or close the door and will do until its resprayed.
Edited by P400PLS on Monday 14th February 18:02
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