I need to yell for a moment at all the cock suckers who have EVER keyed someones vehicle.  I walk out into the parking lot where my beautiful 2000 Sonoma usually resides. Today it was a different story entirely. Some little son of a bitch decided it'd be "fun" to take a rock to my driver's side door and tailgate.  It couldn't have been a superfical scratch, no... It had to go all the way down to the bare metal. Now I have a $27,000 pickup truck that looks like a piece of shit  all because some person wanted  SHITS AND GIGGLES. Payments can barely be made on it as it is.  Now I'm stuck with something that is going to haunt me for the next year until I can come up with the right kind of money to pay for it to be professionally done.  

Has anybody had experience with touch-up paint, if so, got any pointers?

Luckily I had enough lying around to purchase a little kit for scratch repair.  See, here's the worst part about this crime... the bastard made me take money out of a piggy bank which was meant for my SKS!!!

It feels like I have been raped [BD]
Too bad head hunting isn't legal anymore...

[chainsawkill]
[pissed]

I think it should be capital crime to screw with someone's ride. I had one of our "south of the border friends" back into my Testarossa red 3000gt vr-4. How the hell can you miss something that bright and beautifull??!!

Now on to your question, get your truck very clean and carefully apply touchup paint, go at it slow and don't use much at a time, then put clear coat touchup as well and then use a power buffer after everything has dried. It may get you by until you can have it prof. fixed.
My condolences to your truck.
idaho-ar15

Hear U SKSGUY..

Members of my family has felt it on one brand new car and a on a sports car...

Did not catch the bastards ...

The advised given to you on taking care of it is somewhat what we used to fixed it.

It sucks but it's hard to prevent it once your car has been target by low lives.

Sorry to hear that .. I know even when Insurance is there you have that deductible!

Sorry to hear that, I'm sure it was infuriating to discover.  My tailgate on my then new 99 4Runner was scratched lightly, while I was in a book store.  I always wondered if some asshole just walked along and scratched the ass end of cars and trucks as they walked through the parking lot.


Jim

Sorry to hear that.  People just don't get it, you don't F- with a guys truck!!!  Mess with me all you want but don't touch my truck! My buddy had a brand new 4' whip antenna on his bronco at his apartment at school last year.  Comes out one morning and it is gone.  Ripped off, not stolen to be used, just F#CK!N broken off right at the base.  You know what you have to do to break a damn whip antenna?  Practically hang on the damn thing.  Some people just don't get it.

You have to understand that incidents like this should be forgiven as there is alot of anger going around in the country with the WTC thing and all.

I hate those idiots who commit mindless and pointless vandalism.  Those SOBs should be caned and then jailed.

In '86, I had a classic 64 chevy that took a bud bottle through the brand new windshield.  I still wish I could get revenge for that one, but I never caught them.  Whoever invents a security camera for cars is going to be one rich mf.

A lot of malls have parking lot security cameras these days. If it was at a mall you may still have time to get a copy of the tape before it loops back to the start (it would have to be a very slow tape I imagine).

I can't imagine your pain.
I had a guy key my car because he thought I cheated his buddy out of the closer of 2 parking spots at a shopping center. He had to walk an extra 5 steps to get to the store.
I was younger and a little more wild and went after him and his friend with my stearing wheel club. I totally lost my mind!
And I only had a scratch 5 inches long!

Some people really SUCK!

Too bad we couldnt have some ISLAMIC JUSTICE on the little sh!ts that do that stuff.
"An eye for an eye" - If we had a bunch of CANE SCARRED or ONE HANDED kids due to tagging and such it wouldnt be so cool anymore - GUARANTEED!
Specwar

  SKS-I managed to catch a cretin trying to steal my POS Honda Accord..(Parked in front of a still open gunshop..)

First time I ever saw a punk piss himself.. It was JUST a 1911..(And a Model 11 Remington, and a M-1918 BAR, and possibly a couple other weapons.. I forget how many people were working that day..)

We were laughing so hard, we just let his ass go.. Thinking back, we should have called his mommy to bring a dydee, cause I would'nt have wanted to put his drippy seat in a cop car.. Some of our best customers were cops..

On a serious note, that touchup paint won't help with a bad keyjob.. A bodyshop will feather out the gouge, then reproduce the factory type finish, basecloat/clearcoat and all..It's worth the money in the long run..

Hope you catch the bastards someday..it's very gratifying..

Meplat-

Go ask the mall-ninjas, but the security cameras I've seen have such crappy resolution that anyone more than 50 ft away, if that, is gonna be very difficult to identify.  If you're lucky, you may be able to get something like a distinctive vehicle they get into.  Maybe some of the black-hooded ones can weigh in on this topic.

Most important is to do something now to prevent rusting.  Any wax, silicon, etc should be removed from the area to be rouched up.

If you have insurance, get an estimate from a good body shop of YOUR choosing, and ask them to name the paint systems they use.  There are a handful of main ones, any others would be chancy.  

The other guys are right, definitely comprehensive, with a lower deductible, and you'll be amazed how much time they estimate for sanding, other prep, there may be a crease that needs to be filled, and of course paint time (color and clear coats) and all the materials.  The point is not to shock you or bum you out, but if you do have insurance, take advantage of it now, even if you have to sacrific to kick in for your deductible.

It would be interesting to set up an SUV or pickup with bumper & window stickers from NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Safari International, and Rocky Mountain Red Meat Eaters (OK, I made that one up).

Then the mall ninjas could watch it from all sides in their usual unobtrusive way and pounce stealthily on anyone who messes with it. Only partly kidding.

The PD in my old town use to take a vehicle and throw in a leather jacket, fur coat, boom box, tools, whatever would make it look like payday.

Then they'd put it under surveillance and pop the bastards.

So up till now, was your truck a virgin?  If so, you can take some consolation in your good luck up till then.

You'll get past this.  My truck had that 'been around the block' look.  The advantage was that in the woods I didn't need to sweat the small branches.

Were you parked like an ass?

I have seriously FUCKED someones car up for that.

Going to Jr. College

The parking lot was FULL. Not just that one... ALL of them, only place to park is 2 blocks away at the fucking mall...

driving out I see ONE parking space!! I almost jumped up and screamed.

So with a big grin I race on over there....

Some shitheel in some new Honda mommy and daddy bought him/her was parked like their ass, crooked! They were almost sideways in the parking space... taking up TWO fucking spaces...

I pull in with my shitty 1980 Toyota pickup truck with only an inch to spare.. couldn't open my door. I knew this.

I unlock my door.. and as hard as I can I swing that motherfucker open. "BASH!"

Me: "oops.. no workie.. me try again..."

"BOOM!"

Me: "aaaawwwwww...."

So I back up a few inches... repeat. But a lot more punding of my door... just "bam bam bam bam!" trying to get my door open... heh.. ya know if they parked straight I coulda opened my door just fine. But no...

This went on for 10 minutes until the whole side of that car was FUCKED up.

I then parked at the mall and hoofed it.

Buncha savages in this town.

Frank- Man, that's nasty..

I just unscrew the schradervalves from their tires, and lay em under the driver's side wiperblade..Use one of the good screwdriver style tools, and the sabotage can be done within a couple minutes..

No damage, unless they decide to try and drive, or turn the wipers on..

Meplat-

If you caught someone doing it to your car, or a buddy's car, what would you do?

My wife had her car broken into when we first moved here.  I have figured ever since, if I was walking down the street and saw it happen, I'd wait until the guy was leaning into the car, and smash the shit out of his knee caps, or pound his head into the car.  Same thing if I saw someone keying my car.  As long as he didn't see me, I would probably just walk away lying there screaming until the cops showed up, return and play dumb.  (I can be a sadistic bastard at times).  

Welcome to Chicago. Also, if you are from Chicago, you must have a dent on the car somewhere, this is manitory.  
c-rock

[url]http://www.smdistributor.com/Auto/gs_27_scratch_remover.htm[/url]

always wanted to know if that stuff works....
[;)]

GS27 actually works. I got keyed at work. (The area is a dying downtown, and two section 8 hotels just converted from old people apartments to straight 8. The firm is building to suit in the suburb area, but for now we are in the ghetto)
Anyhow, it took about an hour, and this was a deep long one, all the way across the tailgate. I had to use the crayon thing and keep putting it on and wiping it in, and then I finished up the next week with the clear stuff (can't put it over the crayon right away, it will smear off)
You could not tell what happened after the clear stuff went on, and it still looks great almost a year later.

thanks Happyshooter,
based on that im going to go out this weekend and get some for my truck, i've has a long scratch for a about a year , guess i'll just clean itr really good before i start ,,,