Some charmer has run a key lightly but precisely along my wife's 1999 Polo from bonnet to hatch. It doesn't seem very deep, and I wondered if anyone has had success with T-Cut Quick Scratch Remover or similar, following by a good waxing. The paint is a blue/purpley slightly "pearlescent" finish.
Repainting the wing, 2 doors and tail would be costly, right? To the point of an insurance claim on a guaranteed NCB? Cheers...
This should improve things considerably privided the scratch did not get as far as the metal. If the scratch is deep, a rust-killer followed by a tiny bit of touch-up paint will be cheaper than going to a paint shop. Use the T-Cut after applying the paint with a small brush. If you do nothing, the rust might become unsightly.
If you claim on your insurance, irrespective of guaranteed NCB, you will repay the claim within 2 years through increased premiums.
The message from Jim contains these words:
I've often thought that insurers should double the premiums for cars with these finishes - they're so expensive to fix and the rest of us feel the pain when we renew our insurance.
Thanks. That's helpful. I'll give it a try this weekend and see how it goes.
[To email go to my address and take out the dog...]The message from Lordy contains these words:
Do like I do - don't repair it!
Erm, all paint finishes are expensive because repairers deliberately make it so.
You cannot be serious.
The message from Lordy contains these words:
Ah, now, there you have me!
Not an option unless you are not particularly concerned with your car's appearance, altho - with regard to some of the comments that were made on the polishing thread (can't remember if it was here or .misc) - there would appear to be a high possibility that may be the case for a lot of people here :/
Hmm, still worth considering repainting. The insurance class for this type of car might not be that high. If OP has 4 years NCB, then a claim might set him only 2 years, so after 2 years he will be back on 4 years NCB. If OP chooses this route, make sure the quality of the work is up to scratch (oops did I say that).
...especially if they know an insurance company will be paying. (As I've said before, this is a myth - insurance companies can only pay for things by taking money from people who claim).
Farecla G10 and lots of elbow grease, or G3 with lots of care but less elbow grease followed by G10 to shine it all up nice again afterwards. That's what you want.
Anyone buying the car who has a clue is going to have some idea that the entire side of the car has been repainted. They're likely to think the worst and think that side of the car's been driven down a wall or it's had a big knock from the side. If you get a spot repair or just polish the scratch out, as long as it's not rusting, it doesn't look terrible, and nobody's going to think your car's had a smash when you come to sell it.
Yes, there are arguments both ways. I think the car will be difficult to sell as it is with a scratch all along the car. It doesn't affect the mechanics of course, but there are more than transport to car ownership. So if money can be found 'cheaply', then it might be worth doing provided, as you say, that it doesn't make matters worse. So using the exact VW paint colour will be important.
If you think it might happen again, take a look at this site (shop around before purchasing, of course). It surprised me how affordable a motion activated camera linked to your VCR, for example, might be. It is not impossible that the culprit is known to the police and a video could lead to a prosecution.
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