Help! Paid someone to scratch the paint on my car...

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ScratchJob

New member
This is a long and difficult story to explain so please bear with me. My ex girlfriend's boyfriend (Rob) and I don't get along. He started seeing her shortly after she broke up with me. He does auto body work and custom painting. When I was moving out of my ex's place, he jokingly made a peace offering of doing a custom job on my car only he would scratch it into the paint rather than paint the car. Explanation:

He was being an ass hole, telling me to pay him to key my car. I don't know anything about cars or custom jobs and thought this was a legitimate thing. So I asked him how much and that I would think that was cool. He asked me if I was sure and said it would cost a bit but that he was giving me a discount as long as I signed a contract. I agreed to pay $1,500 for him to scratch designs into the paint on my car and even signed a contract stating that I owed him $1,500, $500 up front, and put my car up for him to take if I failed to pay.

After he did the "work" I thinked him and took the car. After that a friend asked me what happened to my car and explained to me that I'd been had, that scratching the paint is not a good thing where we live in Minnesota. I confronted Rob and he said it was tough, I signed a contract explicitly asking for him to scratch my car and if I didn't pay, he'd take the car. Am I screwed?
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
wow, very weird.
Did you see him actually do the artwork? What did he use to do the 'artwork'.
 
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ScratchJob

New member
No, I didn't see. There's a lot of pattern to it, as in it's artful. I don't know what he used, an awl or screw driver I guess.
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
So sounds like you kind of like it. Don't think I've every seen a car that's been gouged and it could be artful.
Do you have any pics of it?

Was this a legal binding contract? Never heard of having to do this for any type of paint job. Normally it's just an estimate or work order.

Surprised he did this...guess he's not too concerned about the reputation of his business.
 
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ScratchJob

New member
His offer to scratch up my car was a joke but when I said yes, he decided to run with it and add insult to injury by charging me for it.
 
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Wydir

New member
If it went to court you would probably win and you would owe him nothing and could charge him to have your car repainted. also on the flip side of things tell him to finish the job and protect the artwork that was paid for you did not pay for a half assed job and you can refuse to pay because the work was never completed same as any body shop if you don't like the work you don't pay. until its is done to your satisfaction.
 
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tomsteve

New member
this isnt real is it? how i see it, yup, ya screwed yerself pretty good. paid someone to key yer own car???? really???? next time, ask to see previous work beforehand.
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
Yea, I just don't know what to say. I don't think I've every heard of someone paying $1500 to have artwork gouged into their car.
You might want to hire an attorney. I'm sure the guy that their would be somesort of loophole somewhere like if the guy said he would 'key' in the artwork and used a screwdriver instead.

Have you ever thought of just telling him his artwork ****s.
If you paid $1500 for airbrushing and you didn't like it, I'm sure you'd say the same thing. Why not say it over the gouges

You mentioned you didn't have a phone to take pictures. Do you have a camera?

next time, ask to see previous work beforehand.
Click to expand...

Or you could have asked him to show you examples on his own car first.
 
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ScratchJob

New member
The contract is pretty elaborate and explicit. To be honest, I just assumed I wouldn't understand most of it because I'd never had work done to my car. I initialled a spot giving him "full artistic licence" and another spot saying that this is a specific and unique request and that I'm responsible for any long term effects including rust... This is all on an addendum to a regular contract. Anyway, I'll get a lawyer and see what they say.
 
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ScratchJob

New member
I also know that this was really really stupid of me. Just at the time, I thought of it like this: graffiti is normally a bad thing but some businesses like it and pay people to do murals on their walls. I thought, getting your car keyed is a bad thing (although I didn't know until now why, I just figured it was considered an eyesore, not actually bad for the car) and that what he was doing was an artistic version of that. Technically, that's what he did for me.
 
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infernographix

New member
post a picture....... if it has clear coat over it it wont rust that fast. maybe someday, if its bare metal its probally already rusting so you should be able to tell if it has clear over the work or damange whatever you want to call it.
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
You keep mentioning 'keyed'. Did he say he was going to use a 'key' to do the artwork? Or doe it say that in the contract.
Normally a key will not do too much damage. It's screwdrivers, nails, and other sharper objects.

There has to be a loophole somewhere
 
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Wydir

New member
well if I were you I would take it somewhere and see if they can scuff and re clear it. is it the whole car or just the hood?
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
Wydir said:
well if I were you I would take it somewhere and see if they can scuff and re clear it. is it the whole car or just the hood?
Click to expand...

That's a thought. I was just assuming the guy really gouged it up. But if he did just 'key' it, the scratches might be able to buff out.
 
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