My car suffered its first 'dink' when it was just three weeks old, another a couple months after that then nothing until a couple of weeks ago. Now I've collected another 3 in just two weeks, two are on the doors and one on the front bumper where someone has scraped by.

It's bloody annoying, especially when I go to great lengths to find what look like 'safe' places to park in i.e. miles away from the front door of the Tesco's etc. What I've noticed is that however remote the place I choose to park someone always parks next to you. Two of the recent marks are on doors and look as though they are paint transfer only, but the bumper scrape has some paint transfer but also some of my paint has been removed down to primer level.

I've used coloured polish to good effect on a couple of light scratches (from bushes undergrowth etc) but the bumper certainly requires more than that. Anyone used touch up on their car yet?

Sounds like a very familiar problem
The best remedy is to get a rusty old heap to go to the shops with (call it the wife’s car if you like) and lock your goldilocks up in the garage for weekends . 2007 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Manual with Premium Pack & Moonroof.
Stornoway Grey with Ebony Black Pleather, Clear Indicators, Body Side Mouldings etc.

Not used my paint touch kit yet, I haven't had the guts to as i have seen botched jobs before

I have found this on another website which seems quite a good description on the process

Quote:

I always use basecoat first and then clear after.

Firstly.......Clean out the chip of any loose debris, ideally a fibre pen otherwise you could just use a q-tip with some panel wipe/ipa or thinners. Just apply enough basecoat to 'colour' the chip whilst trying to avoid overlapping onto surrounding paintwork. Easiest way is to 'drip' some in off a very fine paint brush although sometmes a johnson cotton bud canm be used to good effect. IYou can speed up the dring time by using a hairdryer aimed at it although basecoat can be dry in 10-15 minutes.

When dry apply lacquer to the area by dripping in to the chip, allow to dry and then keep up with this method until you have a dry layer that is proud of the surrounding area. Ideally i would leave this twelve hours to harden before going any further as the last thing you want to do is work on it too early and remove the lacquer whilst its still not cured.

Now ready for the 'levelling'. Ideally you need to make yourself a small sanding block. A lego brick or something similar can work quite well.....do not use your fingers as you will invariably end up removing clearcoat from the surrounding area that is otherwise sound and will end up with distorted ares when viewed in the light....especially on black. You will know when you have achieved the desired effect with the 2000 wet/dry as there will be no visible 'ring' around the repair that is not sanded. At this stage you are ready for polishing with your polishes of choice on a firm pad.

Thats it in a nutshell. Any probs you can always drop by if youre passing a syoure not a million miles away

Hope this helps

Yeah it's interesting.
If you park in a completely empty car park I guarantee the next car in will park right beside you.

It's funny watching the first car in a completely empty car park drive round and round and round undecided where to park as there are no other cars there to guide them!

Mrs G always goes mad if I park at the back of the carpark. But I find it easier and faster to park in the empty bays and you can always park nearish (never next to) a trolley park area which compensates for the extra walk along the car park.
I bet if we both drove a car each I would be in the supermarket before her as she would spend 5 mins looking for the very closest available space  At work
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"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

I was sitting in the car the other day at the supermarket waiting for the other half and I heard a rumbling noise.
At first I thought it was someone passing with a trolley so paid it no mind, but it got louder.
Eventually I looked up and a runaway trolley left by some lazy too busy to put it in the trolley park was hurtling down the hill about to hit my FL2 on the side.
As I had only had it a few eeks and was still getting used to it and the locking was on I failed to open the door in time and it whacked off the side.
Luckily it hit the mouldings and didnt seem to leave a mark.

Grrrrrrr