It wasn’t me, honest!

This is something Peter hears 2 or 3 times a week and often the damage could have been caused by either party.

One giveaway is when there is still brick dust embedded in the paint, walls do not usually wander past cars. Coping stones on the top of low garden walls that are the same height as the damage are another clue, as is the protruding hinge on an old gate post.

The classic ‘W’ on a door is a good sign that someone has opened their car door onto yours and then slid along the seat and got out of the car, the ‘W’ formed by movement up and down on the suspension.

A mysterious ‘comet tail’ collection of  small indentations over and area about the size of a hens egg, was probably caused by some idiot with an egg. When thrown at a solid surface the shell collapses and the sharp edges cut into the paintwork.

Peter has seen them all and judges no-one. So if you have paintwork damage, call Peter on 07830 36 46 86 and he will come and have a look and do his best to provide a cost effective solution.

Does Size Matter? Peter sees cars that have been damaged in most of the Supermarket car parks in and around the City with the one exception, the new John Lewis car park.

Is this because the spaces are getting smaller, cars are getting bigger or drivers take less care?

Does colour matter? Over the last few weeks Peter has repaired more Black cars than ever before.

Most Black cars these days are metallics and pearls. Names like Obsidian and Sapphire are the order of the day, but they are all blacks of one shade or another. Often with 12 or more tints these are complex colours, but ChipsAway Aquaclear system allows Peter to get a perfect match even though most manufacturers have 10 to 20 shades of there own!

So what do you think? Does it matter what colour your car is? Do some colours attract more damage?

Does my partner have to know? Can you keep a secret?

This happens quite a lot with all ages groups and with all ages of vehicle. The record so far is 2 days and 34 miles into ownership of a new car.

I have met up with some very nice people in supermarket and pub car parks and even the odd lay-by.

I’ve had puzzled looks from some people on busy streets who could not understand why I offered to do the work on my drive rather than theirs – “does your partner not talk to the neighbors” – sometimes it is like a light going on followed by “Aah, I see”

My partner has scratched my new car. This is a very common one. It does not seem to matter who answers the door.

If it is the lady of the house it is often “my partner took my car to work today while his was being serviced and look what he has done! Can you fix it?” Usually the answer is Yes.

If the man of the house is at home it goes along the lines of “my partner took the car to the shops and look how it came back! Can you fix it?” Again the answer is usually Yes.

“I bet you get lots of calls from Ladies!”

I got an email from a guy who had found me on the web so I gave him a call to see how I could help, and this was his opening line. He really thought that he was probably the first man to call on my services.

After a moment to come up with an answer that was not rude I explained that I probably dealt with more men than women and left it at that.

The Shopping Trolley did it …

One of the most dangerous things made by man is the Shopping Trolley. Well that’s what Peter would think if he took all the calls seriously.

There is no doubt that a free running trolley can damage your paintwork. If someone forces their trolley between 2 cars they can scratch the paintwork – BUT – if the damage is more than about 1 metre above ground level it was NOT a trolley.