**** Halloween.

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I don't partake in Halloween. Just an irritating time of year when the shops are selling seasonal tat and kids are roaming the streets begging for sweets. Easily ignored usually, I don't put any decorations up and I just turn off the lights in the front rooms to make it obvious I'm not bothering with it.

This morning however, I came outside to find this on the side of my car and the remains of a pumpkin scattered on the road nearby.







Very large dent, and right on the swage line. But the worst bit, the dent is so deep it's caused the paint to crack. Which means rather than a couple of hundred quid to just get the dent pulled out, I'll now need the panel resprayed - which, I've learned before, is significantly expensive with the paintwork on this car.

No point to this thread other than to rant. **** Halloween. And **** the ***** who did this.

 

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Not sure how it would be accidental. That side of the car is in the road, and across the road is just a small green, with no footpath, so someone would have deliberately been on that side of the car to do it. I'm guessing it's older kids anyway, we saw a few groups of young kids with parents wandering around on our way home, but generally our road is pretty quiet.

Absolutely fuming right now. One of those moments you wish you could have caught them doing it.

 

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I would be absolutely bleeding from the eyes with rage if I was in your position right now. ***** sake

Can confirm. Am angry.

 

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To quote my own rant to someone yesterday:

Shops filled with crap and the Internet, work and pubs are filled with *****, slags and "look at me, isn't it fun to dress up!". **** off!

@Conscript I assume you'll have a get a police incidence number and go to your insurance for a shafting? Or are you going to get it fixed outside of insurance?
Either way, report to the Police even if it's just to ensure it's a part of the statistics.

My girlfriend was saying I should go through insurance, but to be honest, I'd rather avoid it. I already have a claim from when she shunted someone last year, I'd rather not risk pushing my insurance costs up again.
I guess I could report it to the police, but let's be honest, what's the point if I don't go through insurance? Nothing will come of it, except raised insurance premiums by way in slightly increased vandalism statistics in my area.

I'll probably just go and get a quote from the place that did a repair a few years ago when someone hit me, on that same rear wing incidentally. Much worse damage then, and they pulled it all back into shape, never nay sign that it had been damaged. If I'm going to pay through the nose, at least I know they'll do a good job.

 

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Unlucky surprised a pumpkin managed to do that much damage.

Same, to be honest. I have no idea how heavy the average pumpkin is, but I assumed they were pretty dense, hence being able to carve them into intricate shapes without them collapsing.
I'll accept that it could have been done by something else, but it's about the size of a pumpkin, it happened on Halloween night, and there's the remains of a pumpkin nearby.

 

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There could be others that have had their property vandalised and potentially caught on camera or known to them. I'd rather report for stats and have the potential to be able to hold somebody accountable. It also makes it harder to Police without valid stats, but you're right, could maybe increase premium in the area.

Thanks. I have made a post on the local "neighbours" facebook page, just in case there's any other reports of vandalism in the area.

 

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Got any pics of the pumpkin?

Only that. There's some bigger fragments scattered on the glass across the road. I'm guessing someone hit the car then smashed it on the ground, or foxes have taken most of it off.
Didn't seem worth taking pictures of the rest of it, I'm hardly going to launch a full crime scene investigation.

 

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Just took the car down to have it looked at by someone I know who's done some bodywork for friends. Luckily he's quite experienced with pearlescent paint so knows what's involved - small repairs aren't really possible, it will need most of that wing painted and blended into the doors and lower sills.
He quoted about £420, and he's also going to look at the scuff on the bottom of the front bumper which has been bothering me for a while. A better quote than I expected to be honest, although obviously not something I want to pay for at the moment. However, not worth going through insurance for that, so I'll just suck it up and move on :/

Not that it'll make much difference, but did you hear anything, for how much of a dent that's made, i would have thought you'd hear one hell of a thud.

Does the car have an alarm? I'm surprised it didn't trigger it!

Didn't hear a thing. Our bedroom is at the back of the house though, which might be why. Stupidly, I forgot to check the dash when I got in it earlier - the immobiliser light flashes faster if the alarm has been triggered since it was last locked, I think.

What a nightmare Have you checked if any neighbors have CCTV?

get a wireless CCTV camera overlooking your car!

I'd be peeved! :| sorry to see that.

my lexus got messed with too, one day parked at the gatwick airport and scratch on the side and rear bumper! people have 0 care about others property.

I know that neither of my immediate neighbours have CCTV, and there's no one opposite. Other houses up and down the road are mostly elderly couples, so unlikely to have CCTV.
I have decided I'm going to start parking it on the driveway again though. We stopped doing it as it bottoms out on our heavily sloped driveway and it was just less hassle to park mine in the road and use the driveway for my girlfriends Sorento. But now I don't have to drive the GT everyday, I think I'll just put up with the effort of negotiating it on and off the drive when I need it - it'll be sat in front of the garage door too, so maybe time to invest in some CCTV overlooking the drive.


Just about calming down no that I've got it booked in to be repaired. Still fantasising about what I'd like to do to the perpetrators though

 

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I was trying to think of a polite way of pointing out that it had probably been painted before, but thankfully you already know.

Yep, that panel was repaired about 5 years ago when someone pulled out of the junction I was turning in to. Funnily enough, the guy who I just got the quote from used to work at the coachworks which did that repair - which is good, because I was very impressed with the repair they did back then.
Out of interest, how could you tell it's been repaired from the pictures...just the way that the paint has cracked?

 

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What's so special about the paint, is it peapearlescent or something?

Yes. Has to be applied in stages over a wide area to ensure a proper colour match. Means smart repairs are almost impossible. Pain in the arse tbh. On the plus side, this means the small stone chip on the same panel will get covered. And while it's in, the guy is also going to do the kerb scuff on the lower front bumper.

@Psycho Sonny it's a GT86 and I take great pride in it, so I'll be leaving it to someone who knows what's they're doing.

 

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Little bit of an update to this. I posted the images in the local Facebook neighbourhood group. On the same group, someone a couple of roads over has posted a video from their CCTV of some people pulling up in what looks like a Ford Kuga, walking onto their driveway, stealing three pumpkins off the doorstep then speeding off down the road, throwing one at a van as they pass.

Someone else from further up my road also posted that they'd seen the same car driving down our road, stealing more pumpkins and smashing them in the road. They also got a partial reg and reported it to the police, thinking they were burglars. Apparently the police did send a car to patrol afterwards.

In the morning I'll ring and add the report of damage to my car to the existing report. I doubt it will get anywhere, but you never know, they might investigate.

Knobs

 

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Indeed. But then, who would steal a car then draw attention to themselves by driving it around the neighbourhood being a nuisance in the early hours? Dickheads.

 

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People are stupid, they probably didn't consider that houses have CCTV now. Or they were drunk or high on something.

Hopefully the police will be able to piece enough evidence together to find out who it was. But don't count on it unless it creates enough social media outrage.

Yup, I've just this minute reported it and all the details from neighbours accounts. Not expecting anything to come of it, but you never know.

Oh well. Dropping the car off on Friday to be repaired. Most annoying thing is I'm on my second of two weeks off, and one of the things I'd been planning to do was give the car a good wash, polish and wax in time for winter. Not much point now.