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Lizard1977

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#100631 15-Apr-2012 13:00
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I want to check this against the collective knowledge of Geekzone before I go any further...

Yesterday, I drove my car through a patch of wet paint on the road.  A truck ahead of me must have had a problem with its cargo, and dropped some white paint on the road.  I didn't realise it was wet, and drove through it.  Later that day, I saw that the front and rear left tyres were splashed with white paint, and the side skirting was also splashed with white paint.  By the time I noticed, it had dried (that's when I realised it must have been wet paint on the road).  I haven't had a chance to try cleaning it off, but suspect it might be difficult.  I have no idea what type of paint it is.

I'm wondering whether this is claimable under my AMI car insurance policy.  I know I can ring them and find out, but I'm curious whether others think this is worth claiming for.  I can't see anything in the policy which precludes it (it refers to "damage" but doesn't define damage).  The only issue is whether the cost to fix it (presumably either a professional valet service or a repaint) would exceed the excess (about $300 if memory serves).  Is this the kind of thing you think would justify an insurance claim?  For some context, it's a 1999 Toyota Altezza, painted silver (so it shows up, but's it's not a huge contrast.  At the moment, it just looks like a mud splash.

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alasta
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  #609558 15-Apr-2012 13:15
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When deciding whether to claim don't forget to factor in the potential loss of any no claims bonus that you may have. 



vinnieg
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  #609574 15-Apr-2012 14:16
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Yeah depending on paint type, it's probably going to be generic arcylic, road paint, or house enamel. It should come off with a good buff/detailing. If it's thick it might take a bit of colour sanding.

According to the description above, it sounds quite small. Might be best to take it to a panelbeater first, before involving the insurance




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scuwp
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  #609579 15-Apr-2012 14:25
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If your car was kept clean and polished beforehand then the paint splashes may come off with a bit of meths or prepsol. Even a quick cut and polish may do the trick. Have a try yourself on a small patch and see what results you get before going to insurance. You could get a couple of quotes from painters first before deciding on any insurance claim. I reckon a bit of DIY may do the trick.





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bazzer
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  #609775 16-Apr-2012 01:20
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Also, don't forget that even though you might have a policy with guaranteed no-claims bonus etc, they may still use any claims as a rating factor at renewal.

Kraven
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  #609790 16-Apr-2012 06:52
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Was that the spill on the Church/Pitt St intersection? Higgins were there looking puzzled as to how they were going to clean it up when I saw it. To be fair though, it was a bit of a mess, basically across the whole intersection!

Lizard1977

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  #609791 16-Apr-2012 07:00
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Yep, that's the one. All the way from Church/Pitt to Featherston, right to Rangitikei, left to Tremaine, and then right again, turning left into the truck depot. I saw a road cone and some sand soaking up the paint at the Featherston intersection.

merve0o0
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  #609796 16-Apr-2012 07:24
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Get some meguires paint cleaner. It's stage 1 of their 3 stage system. It works really well. Telco may have something similar in their range as its made by meguires.

Could also try a claybar they are great at getting overspray and tar off.

Would be an idea to wax after both as any wax that was there will be removed

 
 
 

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heavenlywild
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  #609798 16-Apr-2012 07:40
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My car was splashed by house paint some years ago - it was fairly bad! The entire car was covered with splashes. I parked my car innocently on a suburban street and most likely the house adjacent to me was being painted and with the wind blowing... nek minnit...

Anyway, to my major surprise, the car dealer where I bought my car from managed to polish / scrap / whatever it within a day for just $230. It looked like new again.

So if you are worried about not being able to get the car looking great again... you don't have to:)

EDIT - moral of the story - don't do it yourself, you could potentially scratch off / damage the protective layer of paint. 




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Lizard1977

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  #609815 16-Apr-2012 08:39
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I was wondering whether a proper valet might be in order. Does anyone know someone in Palmerston North that offers a valet paint service along the lines HeavenlyWild has described?

heavenlywild
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  #609817 16-Apr-2012 08:50
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Lizard1977: I was wondering whether a proper valet might be in order. Does anyone know someone in Palmerston North that offers a valet paint service along the lines HeavenlyWild has described?


You need more than a valet. The paint needs to be sand-papered down first.

Take it into any major branded car yard and they should be able to do it for you. 




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grant_k
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  #609863 16-Apr-2012 10:36
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scuwp: If your car was kept clean and polished beforehand then the paint splashes may come off with a bit of meths or prepsol.

Whatever you do, do NOT use Meths on your car.  It will damage the "clear coat" which protects the paint against oxidisation.  I know, because I found out the hard way on a car I used to own, fortunately not on a large area...

Mineral turpentine is safe to use on small areas and will remove tar spots or oil-based paint.  A better bet is a purpose-designed tar or paint remover such as the Maguires one mentioned above.  If it is acrylic paint, that is a tougher proposition, and it will be best handled by an automotive detailing shop or professional valet service.





throbb
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  #609872 16-Apr-2012 10:51
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If you can find out who spilt it there insurance should pay for it, ring the council, they may have a record of it.

  #609878 16-Apr-2012 11:11
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Assuming you have comprehensive insurance, you would be able to make a claim, however the biggest deterrent to doing that will your excess and potential loss of no claim bonus. However, as someone else mentioned, if the spiller of the paint is known, there is a pretty good chance AMI is going to be able to recover the cost from the other party's insurer.

I had concrete from a multi-story construction site spilt on my car once and it was all dealt with by the respective insurance companies.

Waterfront
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  #609897 16-Apr-2012 11:46
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Depending on how must paint has splashed up, you could try toothpaste to get some off. I have had a couple of scuffs on my car, and the light abration of the toothpaste can take the paint off, without scratching up the paint work on your car. Not sure how well this would work with spalshed paint though.

Lurch
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  #609937 16-Apr-2012 12:08
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alasta: When deciding whether to claim don't forget to factor in the potential loss of any no claims bonus that you may have. 

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