Vandalism - Commiseration

[TX82FIAT]

I know this community will understand the despair when someone else damages your Spider. This past week I made a quick run to Walmart to pick up a couple things. Decided it was a good opportunity to get the Spider out on the road and parked in the back of the Walmart parking lot away from the other cars. Walking out to the car I noticed the car had been keyed deeply down to the metal from the passenger side headlight bucket all the way down the side and across the trunk. Not just a straight line but a wavy pattern! I did not see anyone around and the security cameras in the store did not show that far back in the lot.

Some a-hole decided that another persons shiny well maintained property should be destroyed on a whim. Why? Why would a person intentionally destroy something another person has worked so hard to own and preserve. One of the reasons to own this car is sharing with others that appreciate cars. Is this just another sign of the times? Is it easier to hate and destroy than to appreciate others accomplishments and joy.

I have been able to buff 80% of this out but will need to spot paint and blend parts of the front 1/4 panel and the trunk. Just unreal!

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Is this just another sign of the times? Is it easier to hate and destroy than to appreciate others accomplishments and joy.

Commiseration coming your way.

Wow, that's really unfortunate, TX82FIAT. There's a lot of "disturbed" people out there (for lack of a better word), and Walmart seems to attract its share. I was just at one yesterday to buy some antifreeze, and a younger women followed me around for some unknown reason, and she finally confronted me and said, "I'm going to punch you in the face unless you stop!" I've never seen her before, and I have no idea what she was talking about as I was just picking up antifreeze and heading to the checkout, and for some reason that deeply offended her. I'm guessing mental illness, and normally I just shrug this stuff off, but when someone wantonly damages your spider (or any property) like happened to you, it is troubling.

I'm just sorry to hear your story, and I hope you can at least minimize the damage.

-Bryan

[Zoofly]

That truly sucks. Hard not to take it personally, too. Glad you were able to fix most of the damage yourself.

[TheBender]

Man I am sorry to hear that. I don’t even know what to say. Infuriates me. Frustrates me. Bewilders me. All at the same time. Frustrating times for sure. I don’t know if I’d either work the paint like you’re doing, or file a police report and make an insurance claim and get a repaint.

Hopefully karma was watching and balance is restored.

[stuartrubin]

Ugh, that sucks. It may be too late, but you should still report it to the police. If there are more reports then maybe they can catch the perp.
Also, my mother-in-law's purse was scatched our of her shopping cart in the parking lot of a Costco while she loaded her bags. The store was able to use their security cameras to see the car the thieves were driving and they eventually caught them! So, maybe their security can help you.
I DO commiserate...

[TX82FIAT]

Update, I'm 99% done with the paint work. A lot of trial and error to find the right color of white, paint, wet sand, blend, compound, Polish. I can still see a couple spots where its not perfect because I know where to look. But overall, car is looking good again. I now know why the paint guys make so much. I would put blending white paint at the top of my hard things to do list. Looking forward to FFO in a few weeks. Had a conversation with a local police office that lives in the neighborhood, he told me the San Antonio police will not even do anything about it. Not a high enough priority crime in the big city.

[TheBender]

Glad you’ve worked your way through it. I’ve got some paint touch up to do as well but might run out of time before FFO as my list of things to do gets longer the more I tinker around. See you at FFO.

[TX82FIAT]

The Bender, yes, I have a long list of to do items as well. It's only a fun four hour hill country backroad drive to the Woodlands but want to make sure all is tip tip top before then. I'll see you there. Ray

[FiatRunner]

So sorry to hear. It always hurts when I hear about something like this.

I had a similar experience. Not exactly vandalism, but I had a mechanic do my suspension rebuild since I am a student and I simply don't have time. After a month of waiting, I get the car back with close to $3000 of damage, and a shoddy, unfinished job.

The mechanic (who my family and I have trusted for years) repeatedly lied to me, damaged my car in numerous ways, and then decided not to tell me about it. It took him an entire month to replace only the front suspension. He didn't even touch the rear.

The hood on my car was obviously pulled on from the front, as if it opened the "normal" way with the hinges in the rear. It was yanked so forcefully that the metal is torn, hinge is broken, paint is cracked. The whole panel is tweaked, creased, bent, and it hits the fender and won't open all the way. The prop is mangled as well.

As a younger person, still in college, with a limited budget, this breaks my heart. I worked for three summers to buy this car. It's by far my most prized possession, and I don't have the means to fix that! It's all just absurd. It's been a few days now and I still can't fully believe it. Because of other circumstances, I can't easily take legal action. It's infuriating at the least.

So, if you're still reading, I appreciate you reading my post. I'm not really sure what my message is, or what I'm trying to say, but I wanted to sympathize with everyone here. Sometimes things are out of our control. If anything, it's a good reminder to think about the full extent of our actions. A shrugged-off blemish issue to someone might be life-changing to another. Not that any of you would intentionally do harm, but it's a good lesson. I wish good luck to you all.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

So, if you're still reading, I appreciate you reading my post.

Man, that is SO not right, FiatRunner. I can't believe a mechanic would do this much damage to your car and then not even own up to it at all. I mean, it's not that uncommon for Italian car hoods to be hinged in the front. This ain't no '69 Chevelle.

Thanks for sharing your story. Hope you can get the car fixed. They're fun little cars even with their blemishes.

-Bryan