Scratches All Over My Car

[Chunky1]

I drive in Bangkok only. My car has accumulated scratches all over it in only a year. When I look at other cars in parking lots, they don't appear to have nearly as many scratches as my car and it is only a year old. I have no idea what the heck the cause is. Do motorcycles driving alongside and behind your car cause scratches? I usually check the driver's mirror often and i don't particularly recall having seen motorcycles riding that close. If a motorcycle bumps the side of your car, will you know about it? Most of the scratches are on the drivers side. These scratches go beyond doors being opened in parking lots. Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas what can be causing a seemingly endless number of scratches on my car?

[Slip]

Have you got dogs?

[Chunky1]

no dogs. i am the only driver.

[crisp]

What type of scratches?

If they are small (fine) then they have probably got there by washing with a dirty sponge or cloth.

Where do you you get your car washed?

Do you park it where many people can brush past it?

Most scratches can be removed with cutting paste & then waxing again. But probably better to get it done proffessionally

If larger then a respray or maybe partial respray.

Hope it helps

[hkt83100]

Are you parking in a soi with bushes and other plants at the sides? Scratches can come unheard but very visible when parking your car...

[MikeyIdea]

Well, cars in Thailand do accumulate scratches faster than in London but not necessarily faster than in Paris. Driving motorcycles rarely scratch

I'd question the bushes, cats and dogs around where you park.

[Chunky1]

i know the spider web type scratches come from washing with a dirty rag, i have that, but i also have a bunch of other scratches on my car. i don't park by trees or anywhere with dogs. i park in car garages often like everyone else.

so motorcycles driving along the car doesn't cause scratches often?

i have some very long scratches that appear to be at the same height at which a motorcycle would pass. i am really having a hard time figuring whatever else could cause them, however at the same time i usually watch from the drivers mirror and it does not appear that they are getting that close.

i usually let my car get pretty dirty before taking it for a wash, do you think that could cause extra scratches beyond the typical spiderweb style scratches that you see from a dirty rag.

[MikeyIdea]

I have been driving in Bangkok for 19 years, I do not have the experience that motorcycles cause scratches often.

My experience

Thai family members do though. Carrying the laundry past the car around to the side of the house has caused several scratches on our car. Reading the newspaper on the bonnet doesn't scratch after the first day but it will eventually..., I don't have enough fingers to count all the times my wife has scratched the corners of the car

I am happy with my a bit scratched car, but I have lowered my expectations too

Addition:

"i usually let my car get pretty dirty before taking it for a wash, do you think that could cause extra scratches beyond the typical spiderweb style scratches that you see from a dirty rag.

Don't think so, I also let our car get pretty dirty. We are always using one of the local manual car washing companies (100 - 120 - 150 bath), some don't clean very well, others do a better job. Haven't noticed much about scratches though (except the small small ones though, I consider them unavoidable and don't bother).

Edited June 17, 2010 by MikeyIdea

[Lumumba]

Have you been driving through a volcanic dust?

[MoonRiverOasis]

i know the spider web type scratches come from washing with a dirty rag, i have that, but i also have a bunch of other scratches on my car. i don't park by trees or anywhere with dogs. i park in car garages often like everyone else.

so motorcycles driving along the car doesn't cause scratches often?

i have some very long scratches that appear to be at the same height at which a motorcycle would pass. i am really having a hard time figuring whatever else could cause them, however at the same time i usually watch from the drivers mirror and it does not appear that they are getting that close.

i usually let my car get pretty dirty before taking it for a wash, do you think that could cause extra scratches beyond the typical spiderweb style scratches that you see from a dirty rag.

I think it'll be much easier to diagnose if you were able to upload a picture of the scratches...

[Chunky1]

talked w/ dealership and they thought the scratches were from a motorcycle. i am still on the fence. after they washed and buffed the car the scratches are not very visible. no photos.

[robblok]

talked w/ dealership and they thought the scratches were from a motorcycle. i am still on the fence. after they washed and buffed the car the scratches are not very visible. no photos.

I would imagine you would feel it when a motorcycle hits your car or at least hear it. I can inmagine that in slow moving traffic a motorcycle could hit you. I have never seen a motorcycle scratch a car yet and i drive a bike myself. I would think you would feel it if the handles of a bike would hit you.

[MikeyIdea]

talked w/ dealership and they thought the scratches were from a motorcycle. i am still on the fence. after they washed and buffed the car the scratches are not very visible. no photos.

Sorry Chunky, I don’t buy it, I’ve done over 300,000 km mixed between cars and motorcycles, that goes against my experience here.

Advice: Reduce expectations a bit, cars do get scratched more often here, whatever you try to do…

[Heng]

Maybe you aren't driving friendly enough.

[TerryLH]

"i have some very long scratches that appear to be at the same height at which a motorcycle would pass."

The first thing that comes to mind is that someone is scratching your car on purpose. Probably using a key or a knife.

[Chunky1]

i don't live in a moo ban. do most of my driving on sukhumwit and then park at my condo. very little side road driving. i think my driving is pretty friendly, even if it weren't it would require someone to follow me to a shopping mall parking lot in order to scratch my car.

yeah, i am definitely happy i just bought a honda and not a more expensive car. i am not one of those guys who treats their car like a second child, my concern is more out of curiosity.

[Chunky1]

"i have some very long scratches that appear to be at the same height at which a motorcycle would pass."

The first thing that comes to mind is that someone is scratching your car on purpose. Probably using a key or a knife.

the scratches did have the residue of another object's color on them (gray), which is why i guess after the wash/buffering they didn't look so bad.

Edited June 18, 2010 by Chunky1

[hearditallbefore]

It called 'keying' someones car. As you walk by it, you take your keys and using one of them, gouge into the paint and drag the key along as you walk, deep or light, on the car of whomever pissed you off, you are jealous of, or just don't like for whatever reason. Jeeeeez, people have done it forever.

[culicine]

"i have some very long scratches that appear to be at the same height at which a motorcycle would pass."

The first thing that comes to mind is that someone is scratching your car on purpose. Probably using a key or a knife.

the scratches did have the residue of another object's color on them (gray), which is why i guess after the wash/buffering they didn't look so bad.

Sometimes the "keying" might be done by a "convenient" object, like a stone or a chunk of hardened material. It happened once to my car (reminded me to park inside my place of work rather than outside!). I could remove most of it with a cutting wax. Got it resprayed eventually under insurance. Apart from this I've never gotten other scratches alongside the car (150K kms). I'm pretty sure you would feel a bike hitting you, unless the car was parked when it happened. Most scratches from (small) branches can be polished out.

[Chunky1]

here is the before dealership cleaning pic

[Chunky1]

after the cleaning all of the gray is gone and there is just a tiny scratch.

[JetsetBkk]

after the cleaning all of the gray is gone and there is just a tiny scratch.

So they weren't scratches - just surface marks from rubbing against something, like a plant, bush or hedge.

[stingray]

In LOS it's very hard, to keep a car in nice shape, specially in city traffic. Therefore the best thing, to save a lot of headaches, is to drive a clunker overhere. So no worry about.

[MoonRiverOasis]

here is the before dealership cleaning pic

Well, on the plus side it would definitely not appear to be someone maliciously damaging your car

My best guess with be that you rubbed up against a shrub - the lack of gouges and dents (or impressions) suggests it was not caused by a motorcyle.

[richard_smith237]

here is the before dealership cleaning pic

Well, on the plus side it would definitely not appear to be someone maliciously damaging your car

My best guess with be that you rubbed up against a shrub - the lack of gouges and dents (or impressions) suggests it was not caused by a motorcyle.

It looks to me like this damage / rub marks has been caused by a passing motorbike. i.e. by a shopping bag or the handbag of a pillion passenger. It seems more of a rub mark than a scratch.

[yabaaaa]

Do you have a bag?? I have seen womens handbags often scuff the side of their cars as they get in and leave marks like this?

Edited June 19, 2010 by yabaaaa