[beanbaguk]

I probably mentioned this a little while ago, but just one month after picking up my 1.5 year old G30, some mother-f***ing-c*** decided to make two large key marks on my hood.

They are about 2-3 inches in length each, and while I've had my local detailer patch them up as good as possible when he paint-corrected my car, I'd like to have it resprayed to remove the eyesore entirely. From a distance, you cannot tell they are there, but when the car is gleaming and the sun is out, they stick out like a sore thumb.

I don't have any photos to hand while I write this post, but can add some later.

My question is regarding the respray work. The car is Sapphire Black so being metallic, some have told me I'll need to blend the new job into the wings and window pillars. However, my detailer reckons that's not needed.

Obviously the former is a lot more expensive so what's the consensus? Is this needed or can I get away with just respraying the hood?

[AP]

I'm not an expert but my guess (stress guess) is that as it's new paint I'd have thought just the bonnet would suffice . If the car was older then that might have been an issue

Someone who is an expert on paint will I'm sure be able to guide you

Sorry to hear that . It really annoys me that there are people out there with respect for other people's property and the law never goes far enough for those that are caught in my opinion. These people need to string up by their xxxxxs as far as I'm concerned. There is simply no excuse.

[clee1982]

I'm sorry that happened, really hate that...

[beanbaguk]

Here are the photos of the key marks. It actually looks more like a knife. Either way, my detail did an excellent job but when the flash goes, you see it instantly with the light contrast. Same happens in the sun.

[Warp Ten]

Really sorry that happened. It appears that the detailer did a decent job covering it up but I know it it is still visible to you. If you can catch your fingernail in the scratch it would have to be repainted to properly fix it. When I have had this issue and did not want to do a complete repaint, I have used Dr. Color Chip with excellent results. It is like the repair you had done--it really just colors the scratch with diluted matching paint so it is less visible. But it was cheaper than a repaint and really made the scratch or stone chips pretty much invisible to most folks. If you are (like me) pretty anal bout your cars a repaint would be the way to go. If you have a really good body shop you might be able to get away without blending on a fairly new car. I remember (back in 2014) that usually we had a quoted internal cost hood repaint at about $500 when we were evaluating price for a used car on trade. It's undoubtedly more now. If we actually took the car on trade to keep (often just went to auction) and actually did repaint (not always) we would never spend the money for blending unless if was going to be very obvious. --Bob

[claykin]

A really good painter can single panel respray and have it look very close to the oem paint. You may find most body shops will highly recommend you allow them to blend clear into the adjacent panels to lessen the likelihood of the respray standing out.

Most people don't realize refinish paints used by a body shop, even BMW approved paints, are not the same as the paint sprayed at the factory. The factory paint (E-coat, base and clear) are a slightly different composition which adheres more like an electrostatic paint.

Yes the fact it's metallic adds complexity but metallics also hide other issues that would be more easily seen in a solid color.

[ArchieV]

If the paint still looks fairly fresh all around I would say not worth blending and just stick to the hood, however what I would do is do a nice detail so bring out the luster which should help in "blending".

Just my 2 cents.

[ztx84]

Sorry to hear this - I can't understand why some people do this to cars, just doesn't make sense! Agree with others through - you will likely be able to spray the bonnet only and have it match well. If it were me I'd ask around for recommendations for local bodywork specialists, often it is word of mouth that helps you find the best people. Hope you get it sorted soon!

[claykin]

Keep in mind when the hood is resprayed, basecoat (color) is only applied to damaged areas. The entire hood does not receive base coat. However, the entire hood will be sprayed with clear. Clear is often the difficult coat to get right when doing single panel repair. Not all clear is truly clear and clear lays up and tints different based on how it's sprayed, temperature, humidity, etc....