Squee Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Hi, I only got my Zed on Saturday afternoon and love it to bits already. However, this afternoon I've noticed a large-ish (just over two inches) and very deep scratch on the bonnet which was definately, definately not there at the weekend. I really can't figure out how it got there - I cleaned the car on Sunday and can't think how I could have done it and since then I've only been out in it once for a 15min drive on Tuesday night (would have noticed it then if it were there). Worringly towards the lower end of the scratch the paint appears to be lifting slightly. Here's a few pics showing it and also where appeared on the bonnet: I'm so upset and puzzled! Any ideas for short term damage limitation? Is cleaning it (I use Meguirs with lambwool mit) best avoided for now? Thanks! S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Ouch that looks painful. Hope you manage to sort it. I'm sure some knowledgeable people will be along shortly to offer tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRS Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 looks more like the paint has split Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Or maybe some jealous person thought it would be nice to scratch your paint.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Thanks all. Steve - surprisingly for the UK summer it's been very hot today - could a mixture of heat and strong sunlight have caused a fine scratch to expand? I guess it could have been an act of vandalism but I really doubt it. I dread to think what'll happen if I caught anyone having a go at my Zed! I've been idly thinking of a bonnet respray so will have to investigate further but I know how hard it is to match black. Also won't have the pennies for some time as purchase of Zed + tax + insurance = quite an expensive month! S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRS Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Thanks all. Steve - surprisingly for the UK summer it's been very hot today - could a mixture of heat and strong sunlight have caused a fine scratch to expand? I guess it could have been an act of vandalism but I really doubt it. I dread to think what'll happen if I caught anyone having a go at my Zed! I've been idly thinking of a bonnet respray so will have to investigate further but I know how hard it is to match black. Also won't have the pennies for some time as purchase of Zed + tax + insurance = quite an expensive month! S. Paint can crack and split under intense heat, especially if moisture has got under the surface of the paint if the paintwork is slightly split, once it gets under and you have a lot of heat drawing out the moisture it can cause paint to crack and split, lifting the paint from the surface. Its just what it looks like from the pics, is the paint lifting all the way along the scratch, or just one end? A bonnet respray will probably cost in the region of £300. A member on here (Coldel) has just had his rear bumper sprayed black and the match is perfect. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=51660 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 could a mixture of heat and strong sunlight have caused a fine scratch to expand? S. Yes and No. Cars are painted to withstand tremendous heat, like for example Arizona where temps reach 45 and above and the sun shines for 90% of the time. What you see there most commonly is very faded paintwork. There is however the possibility that this isn't the original bonnet and that its been badly prepared before painting which can cause the paint to split and lift, however, looking at the 3rd picture I'd say a screwdriver was the most likely cause Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Yikes that's really bad! Smart repairer might be able to help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Man Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Is there any traces of rust under the scratch? Looks very fresh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Sorry to hear about this. Two things either some scumbag has done it - report to police or check underside of bonnet. Does it look like its been resprayed before? Check for primer underneath and any overspray. I cant see from the picture but is there primer filler or metal in that scratch? If filler its likely a respray? Did you buy private or dealer? If dealer take it back and tell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFTERSHOX Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Yikes ! That looks a nasty one. Hope you figure out what happened / who did it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Without wanting to panic you or make assumptions, but soon after I bought my car I had paint lift off the rear bumper (hence the paint job on the link in the post from Steve) turns out the guy before had what they call a 'blowover' where they just spray over damaged paint with similar colour and poor paint mix to hide problems from a buyer, Taras at RT-P spotted it straight away with his trained eye. This blowover wears off after a short time though - some unscrupulous sellers (like the guy I bought mine from) will do this to shift the car without you realising the paint issues. Get it looked at by an expert they could give you some advice on whats happened. Could be that it was there before and cheaply repaired, maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Cheers for the sympathy all! Thankfully the scratch does look a little worse in the pics than in the flesh (normally very hard to get pics of details on black!). It is thinner/finer than appears in the pic - too thin to be caused by a screwdriver I think - and does seem more likely to be a crack in the paintwork. There's no signs of respray and there's no variation in colour across the car and you can tell that it is a very fresh mark as the metal exposed underneath is completely clean. Steve - the paint is lifting only towards the bottom of the mark and I'm concerned that if anything gets underneath it will start to lift/peel a lot more. I'm 100% convinced it wasn't there yesterday as we had a friend round last night who assessing some minor bodywork scratches and he'd definately have noticed it. If a good respray's £300 then I could cope with that - there's the usual stone chips and minor scratches on the bonnet anyway that you'd get on a 54 plate car so would be nice to get it all perfect - just can't afford it for a couple of months and don't want the paint peeling off before then! I really don't think that it was a scumbag - I park facing the house so surely someone up to no good would sabotage the back which faces the road and is only a few foot from the pavement? Stanski - yes it was a dealer I got it from and I am going back to see them next week anyway as they're doing a couple of wheel bearings. To be fair though I don't think there's much they could say about the scratch/paint spilt as it wasn't there when I viewed and bought. Argh! S. Edit - just seen your post Coldel - I bought the Zed from a garage which sells mainly higher end stuff like Audis and BMs etc and they do seem like good enough sorts (if you can ever trust car salesmen 100%!). They had allegedly sourced the car for a potential buyer but at the 11th hour the buyer couldn't get the finance hence was put up for general sale. I very much doubt that the garage I bought it from have been up to no good but I guess I don't know the circumstances that led the previous owner to sell - maybe if they were part-exing then they'd get a cheap colour touch up to try and get more for the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 It is thinner/finer than appears in the pic - too thin to be caused by a screwdriver I think - and does seem more likely to be a crack in the paintwork. Argh! S. You could well be right, but I would have expected a crack of that size to be straight and not elliptical. Of course, photos can be deceptive and it's difficult to get things in scale to but it just looks to me like an entry point at the bottom of pic 2...maybe a Stanley knife? Yes, it could have had a "blowover", but these usually bubble before they crack, any sign of bubbling? metal exposed underneath is completely clean That's another clue to its origin, I wouldn't expect cracked paint to lift both the primer and the undercoat to expose the metal underneath, not unless the metal was dirty when it was sprayed. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Take it back to the dealers just to show them - dont assume anything, remember you can get your money back anyway - regardless of who's fault it is you have only had it a few days? Get a paintshop to look at it to see what they think? Its worth a try, if your going to keep it anyway (which I am sure you will and get it resprayed, then just sand down the exposed (lip) of that paint -the bonnet is aluminium anyway - but dont leave it too long! If you dont ask........ Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 To be honest Sqee I think this is a bit of an oddity rather than malicious - surely a vandal would put it somewhere more offensive to the eye. By the same token I'd be very surpised if this is any kind of paint defect (apart from anything it would open up gradually rather than overnight)......its too clean and its down to the metal - its a 'man-made' scratch of some description but God knows whats happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 Ta again for your replies Agreed Ricey - defo don't think it really can be some little scrote or a crazy neighbour as they'd have done it elsewhere on the Zed. Just still so puzzled! We've got loads of really thick wood pidgeons round here - dunno if one of those could have done something with it's beak?!? Thankfully as the mark/scratch is very near the lines of the bonnet so the eye's drawn away from it. Managed to get all my work done early today so had an afternoon driving round in my Zed (first proper time since picking it up!) and love it to pieces so much even if it does mean you get strangers coming up for a chat so yes Stanski, I'll definitely be keeping it will still point out the paint damage to the garage though just to see if I can hustle anything extra out of them. Will report back with any news! S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Maybe a coupe of neibours got frisky on your sexy bonnet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 well they are some sexy ass curves! and there was me thinking there was bird droppings on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Very hard to know without actually seeing it in person. It could be a paint defect/ie a bad patch job, or could be malicious damage. The 350 bonnet being aluminium is very soft, so if it's hit with any impact it will leave a dent, if lightly maybe not. The beginning point looks a bit deeper than the far end. I went through similar when my bonnet was hit by a large bit of flying metal, it left two gouges, 2mm deep and a dent. With the stock paint it is very thin, so to my eye, your pics don't depict stock paint, ie patch job. I could be wrong. I was lucky, as I wasn't prepared to have imperfect bonnet, so managed to source one from a dealer at a very good price, had it sprayed, gloss on the the underside too. If possible can you take some better pics??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincolnbaggie Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Any cats in the neighbourhood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmck13 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Thats a bodged paint job with a split unpeeling like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 Bronzee - yep I'll try and get some better pics - been tipping it down today but will try tomorrow. Baggie - well I've got four house cats so it can't have been them there are a few outdoor cats in the area but I've never seen on a bonnet before but I guess if one was chasing a bird it could have happened. CMCK - could be I guess but there's no other signs that it's a bad paint job - colour of the bonnet matches the rest 100% and there's also stone chips lower down the bumper - if it were a recent paint job then surely they'd have patched them up too? Hopefully going to see a highly recommended re-sprayer/painter this week so will post up his opinions. Cheers again all S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Any cats in the neighbourhood?[/quote +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Any cats in the neighbourhood? +1 Very, Very unlikely to be a cat, they simply don't have the strength or weight to scratch down to the metal and even if they did they can't just open one claw at a time so there would be some evidence of light parallel scratching. Seeing as your car is black there would also be very obvious footprints as well, I can always tell when one's been on my car . Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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