God help some of these people that are truly idiotic, and straight up *******s...

While parked at the local DMV today to pay a registration fee, I return to my car to see a nice deep scratch to the rear, passengers side door The scratch is so deep that bare metal is showing. There was a piece of **** civic coupe parked next to me when I left, and when I returned, the civic was gone. This jerk next to me must have opened his door as if his car was on fire. The scratch itself is about a centimeter long, and a 1/2 centermeter wide. I quickly drove to an autozone and bought some touch-up primer which now looks absolutely horrendous. Where do I start from here now?.. Am i looking to repaint the whole door? Go to dealer and buy touch-up paint? Thanks in advance for any input you can add.

God help this person, If i see him around again

Sorry for the profanity--Im just really ticked off.....



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Agron
1989 300E
Monotoned Smoke Silver
97 Style Replica E420 Rims 205/55/16
Euro Headlights
Clear Corners
20% Tint
12" Sub-enclosure

Well Agron,
I know you said that you moved here from Brooklyn, but welcome to the land of ass holes from Brooklyn and Staten Island. E-mail me at romelo@earthlink.com I have a friend on the island that does detail work for a living, maybe he can look at it and tell you what course to take..

Sometimes I have to realize not to be angry--after all, I do live in New York City, and stuff like this is bound to happen right? You just cant have a nice car in NYC anymore. gotta get me a run down civic, and throw on some clear taillights to look cool

But why my car.....

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Agron
1989 300E
Monotoned Smoke Silver
97 Style Replica E420 Rims 205/55/16
Euro Headlights
Clear Corners
20% Tint
12" Sub-enclosure

Sorry to hear about that!! You would think that people would have the courtesy to watch out when getting into their cars but NO!...I sometimes spend a lot of time looking for parking just so I can get 2 relatively new cars on either side of me, if it's a piece of **** car I move on because that ******* obviously doesn't give a damn about his car and definately will not give a damn about damaging yours...I take special care to avoid the teenie honda cars (you know the ones with the my exhaust is bigger than my head things)there are no shortage of them in NY.
If I end up parking next to a car I don't like I usually try and place my door mirrors in the swing path of their doors so that if they open abruptly they will hit my mirror and not my paint...I can't tell you how many times that has saved my ass...I come back to my car and find marks on my mirror all the time especially when I park next to trucks. The DMV parking lots are notorious for this because people come back to their cars pissed (you don't know what frustration is 'til you've been to a New York city DMV.

I really am sorry about your car man but living in Queens I know the same thing is going to happen to me too eventually and I am dreading it...I am so paranoid sometimes that I take time to memorize the number plates of the car next to me Believe me some of you think that's f***-up but no, its New York I have a friend whose truck bumper was ripped off by this guy who tried to squeeze into a spot he couldn't

OUCH!!! Very sorry to hear of your situation. Unfortuantely once its down to the metal you have two options...have a pro touch up the area with an airbrush and wet sanding or have it repainted. Talk to your local dealer and see what they recommend. (if you are going to be trading the car with them one day, having the work done the way they specified should go a long way towards keeping the trade value as high as possible) I'd also look to make sure the metal was not dented when this happened. If it was, call a good PDR.

Hope this helps...Lee

PS Automotive vandalism and hit/run should be punishable by torture and death.

[This message has been edited by Lee Scheeler (edited 07-28-2000).]

This is exactly why I use my old 300SD as my daily "beater" car. I don't worry about parking it next to any other car, and at the same time still have the confidence of driving a Mercedes. God forbid the 250SE or the DeLorean should ever get a door dent! Ever try to get someone to work with stainless steel?? A new DeLorean fender is $2,700 and I don't even want to know how much a door costs!


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Rgds,
Aaron Greenberg
MB technician
Precision Motorcars, Cincinnati, Ohio
'67 250SE Cabriolet
'77 450SL
'80 300SD
'85 380SE
'86 420SEL
'89 420SEL
'93 300E 2.8
'74 Jensen Interceptor Mk.III
'81 DeLorean DMC12
'84 BMW 745i Turbo

It is such a shame that the people with beaters, kids, careless spoiled kids (and adults) will not give the proper respect to sheet metal. I have a deep respect for sheet metal because once scratched or dented, the paint or panel will never be the same. Proper repair is so expensive it is often not worth it. We all see the door dings. I am embarrassed to admit how far I will walk to be in a remote spot even though my car is far from pristine. I would like to get an older Benz, not too nice but runs well for a daily driver. Maybe soon, but my significant other would have a fit, after some of the repair bills she has seen.

Curses to the careless. There are magnetic pannels that can be attached that will protect your car. They are available through Precision Auto.

Steve
'85 500SL Euro

I'm with Lee on this: torture should be expected & encouraged.

It's all about respect (sorry to get all ephemeral folks) and in NY there is almost none. Keeps me in the 'burbs. Heck, that's why you buy a car from Ohio/W. Pa/IN/IL etc: they are respectful and do their best to avoid marring someone's car.

Got my 500E from W. Pa: not a scratch on it.

Kinda sad, actually. The people in NYC likely need a good smack up side the head (Agron80, any arguement?!?), because many of them totally lack respect for others' things. That sucks.

I hope things work out for ya.

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE