Not that it will help me get the culprit but I just need to vent...

Parking around uni (Brunel, West London) is non-existent, and if you live on campus you aren't allowed a parking permit. So I managed to find a lovely quiet road, out of the way of anyone, within 5 mins walk for my silver Skoda:



I'm not blocking anyone. No visible signs saying private road. The only sign leading up to the road was this (end of parking restrictions sign):



So I left my car in the position you see it yesterday around 11pm. Returned at 5pm today. Someone had left a note:
'PRIVATE ROAD. RESIDENTS PARKING ONLY. VEHICLE DETAILS HAVE BEEN PASSED TO PARKING ENFORCEMENT'

"So," I thought, "I must have made a mistake, it is a private road. Well ok fair enough then, I won't park here again, odd there were no signs though."

Then I see the deep gouge on my offside rear door. What the f**kity f**k f**k!!!!!!!!!!!! Somebody (same one who left the notice?) had keyed through to the primer. Livid wasn't the word. What the hell? What cretinous sponge feels that is somehow justified? ARghghghghhgg



A couple were watching me farther down the road, just as I was imagining polishing out the scratch with the leathery skin jobsworth good for nuthin' who presumably did this. I wandered up and told them what had happened. They seemed curiously unsurprised. 'Well what if an ambulance or fire engine needed to get down?' - ignoring a resident's red fiesta was parked like mine too (you can just about see it), and a space a train sideways could go through.

I told them there were no signs showing the road was private ('Oh yes there is, right near the entrance!' ), and even if I was hell bent on parking there (I wouldn't because I try not to be a nob), the matter was a civil one (they said the police had been told and cars towed away before). The resident's spokesperson who put the notice on my car 'is 80 and surely couldn't key your car'.

'He phoned the university, and it showed it isn't registered to a student so it was assumed abandoned.' Errr ok... Clearly the conversation wasn't going anywhere so I left, looking for the sign that was apparently there showing the road as private:



Oh there it is!! Obvious eh? F**ks sake.



'Wheel clamping in operation'. No it isn't, not anywhere in the UK apart from hospitals etc.

So moral of the story - try not to park innocently as far out of anyone's way as possible, because if you do, expect to have your car keyed as the residents can't be arsed to prune around their bullsh*tting sign.

Right. Off for a cold beer.

James

[Edited on 29/9/15 by james h]

[Edited on 29/9/15 by james h]

Byy a car for 50 quid and park it in the middle of the road writing "CAR ABANDONED, CRIMINAL DAMAGE WELCOME"

They are obviously jumped up residents, I would of lost the plot, and called the police on them for withholding evidence.

[Edited on 29/9/15 by bi22le]

I can sympathise if it is any help. My other half returned from an evening meal to find the C word keyed into the bonnet of the car (black car, white primer, what is the reason for that?). The only thing we can think of is that she parked a little to close to the car next to hers (she managed to get in OK as did her passenger) and the owner was "fond of pies" and could not get in, taking his frustration out on our car rather than going on a diet and joining a gym.

[Edited on 29/9/15 by Ugg10]

[Edited on 29/9/15 by Ugg10]

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Originally posted by Ugg10
I can sympathise if it is any help. My other half returned from an evening meal to find the C word keyed into the bonnet of the car (black car, white primer, what is the reason for that?). The only think we can think of is that she parked a little to ckose to the car next to hers (she manahed to get in OK as did her passenger) and the owner was "fond of pies" and could not get in, taking his frustration out on our car rather than going on a diet and joining a gym.

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Think its time to arrange a student party down that road and seek some revenge!!!

Chop a tree down to block the road. That'll learn them!

Or maybe put your car back there with a camera in it on the sly.

You were 'lucky'... when at University I parked on the road (a proper, big, well marked out road), in a quiet estate. No restrictions, no signage, all totally legal.
Returned to the car (same day) to find abusive scrawl across the panels, 3 slashed tyres (at least they left one).

A part of my University education. Life on the Septic Isle.

I would have told them the car had a security dash camera and the video was being sent to the police so they could investigate a criminal damage case.

It might not be true but if it was them (or they knew who it was) they'd probably have a few sleepless nights

I was only considering buying a dash cam a few days ago. Its always the way..

I feel your pain. At least you dont know who actually did it. My sisters nejghbour scratched my car but without actualky witnessing it, police wouldnt do anything.

I feel your pain, where my parents live (And where they lived before) is full of old people who seem under the impression that the road is private parking or something, though they don't key cars or anything, usually just stupid notes. My Father works nights and in their last house some one left a note on his car outside his own house complaining that he was "Obviously a commuter" and that her daughter needed that space to bring the grand children round.

As others have said the police won't do anything, even if you had evidence they'll fob you off and say it's a civil matter (Or if my last dealing with police is anything to go by they'll tell you its another police forces job).

I heard on the radio the other day that they wanted parents and local residents to be able to monitor and enforce parking near schools which is a frightening prospect because it's going to be the same sort of note leaving busy bodies with nothing better to do doing it.

the only way to stop this sort of thing is South African style anti-car jack devices like electrified wiper blades and door handles or maybe that anti-graphitti paint that is always wet

This infuriates me probably more that the owner of the car. these lowlifes are bastards and need caught in the act, I would have loved to have witnessed such a despicable act, as the perpetrator would be wearing their wedding tackle as a necklace.

Feel sorry for you mate.

Alfie

Dash cam and park the car there again.
See if they come back.

Go to the auctions and find a big van, park it down there again and hide up inside with a camera and cricket bat....

I parked on a side road, tarmac road about 10 metres long like an alley between two streets, open both ends like a normal road, no signs so I thought and came back to find a very sticky bit of paper right in front of my eye level on the windscreen.

This bloke comes out of the office at the side and tells me I'm parked on private land and points to this tiny sign above the office door that said private land while I was trying to srcrape the thing off. Anyways less than a minute later he was back in the office locking the door after I accused him of criminal damage and putting the notice there would cause an accident. He cleared off when I asked him which car was his and some other stuff....

Really feel for you mate, this stuff really REALLY winds me up!!!! Genuine mistake because of a sign that was covered!?!? Some people just want to watch the world burn, hope you can get this sorted in some kind of way.

this is why you should charge your cars body work to 5000000 volts so the person who key'd your car will still be there waiting for you lying on the ground smoldering

Happened outside our front door last year, the other halfs brand new vw polo was done on all panels! about a dozen cars were done down our road, for no damn reason.

Such an expensive repair.

one of the benefits of having a vinyl wrap?

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
one of the benefits of having a vinyl wrap?

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
one of the benefits of having a vinyl wrap?

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Originally posted by MikeRJ

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
one of the benefits of having a vinyl wrap?

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It would be a bloody heavy duty vinyl wrap that protected a car from being keyed.

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Originally posted by bi22le

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Originally posted by MikeRJ

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
one of the benefits of having a vinyl wrap?

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It would be a bloody heavy duty vinyl wrap that protected a car from being keyed.

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Duct tape?!?!

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People who knowingly damage other folks cars are SCUM pure and simple


Used to work with a lad who was shall we say 'Handy' and he and his brother caught a lad red handed in the course of breaking into his car, This was the lads first mistake, he couldn't run fast enough, that was his second mistake
Two broken hands later and I think the lad was a re-formed car thief...


With regards your issue I feel sorry for you, You probably already know that metalic silver is a bitch to match

[Edited on 30/9/15 by perksy]

I hope you have reported this to the police, they should follow it up.
I assume that car insurance would cover it too with a crime reference number?

On a similar note, one of my old banger cars I used to run had key damage to every panel. That was why I bought it. The previous owner was dating a girl he shouldn't have been, someone keyed the car. It was now worthless. Well I bought it for £50 with the intention of gibing it a cheap respray. I never did. I swapped the bonnet over for a better one and that was it. I never worried about parking it anywhere. The car went really well but looked like a pile of crap, and the scratches added to its charm. Honest.

This is really appalling but (sadly) not surprising - people think they can just damage whatever they liike and get away with it.

Things have sure changed - when I was at Brunel we used to be able to drive on & off the campus at will. Mind you we had to make room for the bloke with the red flag

Absolutely disgusting. Someone must have been driven to distraction perhaps. Maybe you caught the brunt of other frustrations. Perhaps the fault lies with the Uni for not providing adequate parking.