Any idea?

Hi all,
Some time back I noticed a small dent and some paint scrubbed off my right hand door. I first
thought this was due to a parking problem (an other car's door hit mine). However the day
before yesterday I washed the car and I found exactly the same kind of damage on the left hand
side door. As both places are almost mirrorviews one of the other I started to wonder what could
have caused this as both locations are well within the protected area by the rubber doorstrips
and the iron sidesteps I have, also the location is too high to be caused by a car's door, (see
pic 3 I took vertically, my indexfinger is on the right hand door on the spot in question, as
you can see it is well within the protected part of the door). Earlier this week I read on another
forum about all kind of methods thiefs use tryhing to get into other's cars, one of these methods
was to put a tennisball cut in two halfs over the lock of certain VW Golf models and afterwards hit
very hard the ball, the lock would spring and give free access to the vilains. I wonder now, as it
happened at almost exactly the same place if they didn't try something similar on my Freelander ?
Any ideas ??

could be stone chips coming up when the wheels are turned

Can't be, when wheels are turned inside the body they hit the inside of the fender, when they are turned outside they fly away. And at, with less than an 1/2 inch difference, at the same place? Also the scratches go from left down diagonally to the right up side of the damage, completely diagonal as to the traject of stone chips or whatever.

Could be a parking problem involving someone entering a vehicle with luggage on a daily basis, probably a sports holdall or similar. That may account for the diagonal markings.

Regards WP.

nice watch willo

have you washed it recently?

willo said:

Hi all,
Some time back I noticed a small dent and some paint scrubbed off my right hand door.

Click to expand...

Its good to know if it was an attempt at taking the car, IT didnt work,
But your really didnt have to gouge some circles with arrows into your paint work! we can see the marks
Those coloured rubbing compounds make a decent job or hiding marks like this. dosent make it any less annoying for you thou.

I'd be more worried about the circle and arrow that some ****s scratched on your door.

Dunno what happened there Mondos post wasn't there when I posted.

GRUNT said:

I'd be more worried about the circle and arrow that some ****s scratched on your door.

Click to expand...

Er yes i thought this was a UK problem guess you've got the jealous types in Belgium to, find out who did it and ill set ma ray gun on him next time i pass your land. . .

slob said:

have you washed it recently?

Click to expand...

Yes, last week, and before it was about 2 months I think ??Why ??

Next question
[did you blow dry it?]

Looks like shopping trolly marks to me. My dad's car got the same, the couldn't work out how anything had got past the rubbing strips at that height. He lined a shopping trolley corner up with the door next time he was at Tescos and hey presto - it was exact. The wire construction of the trolly allowed the top wire to go further in, past the car's rubbing strip.

Worth testing to put your mind at rest

Shopping trolleys could be the cause, will check it out next time I'll go shopping. (But I doubt it though). Anyway, the damage is done and can't put the clock back. As for mondo's "did you blow dry it?" No, just the usual way as I did it the past 45 years...