Deep key scratch - help :(

Unfortunately I drove my brand new 2020 Tacoma from NY to Cali only to find my Truck keyed within a week of living in California..... less than 5k miles on it...

I guess the NY license plate was triggering for the town of Ojai that I’m in... very disappointing

Was wondering what I could do, the body shop I went to quoted me a little over 1500 becuase they said they would need to repaint and try to color match 3 panels ( passenger door and front side panel are the ones keyed, but they said they would need to paint the back door too so difference in color is less noticeable) you can’t really see how deep it is in the photo, but way deeper than anything that can be buffed out.

I don’t have that kind of money right now so I was wondering if there’s a way to fill and hide the scratch for now, and if anyone has had any experience color matching quicksand in a situation like this. The scratch catches significantly on fingernail and is white underneath. I had a simoniz glass coat on as well so clearly it’s going to be a huge headache if I want it 100% the same.

I got a police indecent report just incase I want to go through insurance and get it 100% done “ right” but I’m worried I’ll be left with different colored panels that arent ceramic coated and will need another process to get that 100%

Any help will be appreciated, I’ve been so mad all week over whoever may have done this... People these days! Wtf.

 

There are touch up pens at the Toyota dealer which may make it less noticeable but you will still see it

Sorry that this happened to you - People suck

 

Can you feel it when you run your fingers over it? And can your nail get caught on the edge?

 

Good god they sound incompetent as ever, they shouldn't be saying oh we have to blend so the color difference is less noticeable. There shouldn't be a color difference, especially with a color like quicksand, one of the easier colors to match. Its not pearl white.... they don't sound very confident in their work at all....

 

Yea. It’s deep. Fingernail catches significantly

 

surprisingly enough this was a shop the dealership referred me to. But it did sound like it would end up being slightly off in color which is odd. I did hear Some people have trouble color matching quicksand though.

 

Aww Dude, that sucks. Sorry about your paint. That's gotta hurt.

 

On a 1 month old truck..... driving me crazy lol

 

If its as deep as you say then touch up paint pen may be able to mask it color wise but the groove will still be there.
I would go to a body/collision shop that is local to you, maybe even a toyota affiliated one, and have them do a write up with your insurance in writing and go over what all panels they will repaint and what type of warranty they give for paint jobs.
It is a new so the good thing it that the new paint work will fade with the rest of the car the same amount. My wifes civic got really badly scratched, its a black 2005 so the paint had over a decade of fading and the new paint would have been new and shiny next to the faded paint. Insurance cut her a check for painting the panels that were scratched and she paid the extra out of pocket to get the whole thing painted VW bug blue.

 

Only a week

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nYF46P7B2c

Could try this?

 

very very sad. And then thinking about how much insurance will go up if I file a claim , also sad, then to know that even if I get it professionally done I’ll need to re coat those panels to be even with the rest of the truck ... also annoying... then there’s the fact that I can’t even really be confident that it will be properly color matched.... ahhh driving me insane...

 

I would have to get that fixed right because it would piss me off every time I saw it, a good body guy could paint and blend that color so no one would ever know. It’s cheaper to go with the insurance route pay your deductible, better than 1500.00

 

Too deep for this method

 

Get it fixed the right way OP, it’s a new truck. Your insurance should not go up, it’s vandalism not an accident.

 

Dude sorry to hear about your truck. Sadly key scratches are usually so deep you will need to have those panels and adjacent panels painted to match. Unfortunately there's just no way around it when the scratches are that deep. Take it to a well respected local body/paint shop and just get it done and get your truck back to new condition or you'll be beating your self up every time you look at it. If you had your cera coating put on by a shop then show your receipt to your insurance company and they may cover you on that.

 

if it catches on your fingernail, you will need to use touchup paint or repaint.

 

If you file it as a comprehensive claim, your rate shouldn't change at all. At least that's what my insurance adjuster told me when I filed. He said only a collision claim would raise your rate.

Definitely get all the other apprehensions though. Sorry you have to deal with this brotha. frustrating to no end.

 

Paint will never match, BUT a good body shop should be able to blend. That means, you should never be able to notice. Been there OP. It sucks. Find a body shop to do it correctly and hold them to those standards. There should never be a sharp line as far as a color difference. You replace a front fender, you blend the hood as well. Quality body shops know this. My FRS bumped was WAYYYYY off after an accident, but it was blended. No one ever knew

 

I recently had my drivers side painted because of a ladder falling on the truck on my property. I filed a comprehensive claim with my insurance company (Geico). I only paid my deductible and my insurance did not go up. I used one of Geico’s preferred express shops and theIt paint color was off by a lot. There is a lifetime guarantee on all of their work so I took it back and they wanted to blend the panels into the lighter colored ones (original color). I said no and they repainted it and it came out perfect. Make sure whoever you use gives a guarantee that you will be happy with the job or it’s done over at their expense.