Keyed Car Vs. Scratched - How To Tell The Difference

No matter what caused it, a scratch on your car will get you worried about your car’s appearance and possible underlying damage. Scratches, even superficial ones, can affect your car’s value and cost money to repair. If it’s severe, a scratch can potentially corrode your car paint or expose the metal beneath it to outside elements degrading its strength. If you see a scratch on your car, you’ll also probably wonder who scratched it, and how. Was it from rubbing against another vehicle, or did someone key your car? Let’s find out. 

Accidental Scratched vs Getting Keyed: Differentiate & Identify The Type Of Scratch

Both these types of scratches produce similar kinds of patterns. This can make it a challenge to differentiate between the two and find out what actually happened to your vehicle while you were away from it. 

You can’t tell these types of scratches apart by the naked eye.

In order to understand the kind of damage done, we need to first know how many layers of paint are there in any factory-finished new or late-model car. 

Typically a primer is sprayed over the bare metal, followed by one or more applications of enamel base coat for color, and finally, one or more of a clear coat meant to protect and give it a shine. So the kind of damage would be dependent on which layer has been damaged by the scratch.

What To Do Next Once You Find What Kind Of Damage You Have

Clear coat scratches are the most common ones, and they can be caused due to improper car washing or even during parking lot mishaps. If the car has a clear coat scratch, it wouldn’t be a big problem, as no color comes out. It is a simple mark or minor scratch affecting the car’s shine. You can repair it by simply rubbing or polishing it out without having to repaint it. If you can see color coat scratches, it is most likely caused by a heavy object specifically used to damage your car 

This is the most common indicator that someone has keyed your car. It can also be caused by smaller yet heavy flying objects like gravel or branches, however.

In this case, the damage might be a bit more serious as it penetrates the car paint a bit more. It will definitely remove color, but it won’t expose the metal beneath. Repairing these kinds of scratches usually requires rubbing using fine grit sandpaper and an abrasive compound before reapplying a clear coat using an aerosol spray. There are also readymade car scratch repair kits that contain all the necessary products for the repair.

Primer coat scratches are a more severe type of scratch and require detailed repair. These are caused by severe catalysts such as accidents, rash driving, or even flying rocks while driving, though keying can also cause this. 

The damage will extend up to the primer layer, and it can sometimes even go beneath to the car’s bare metal, causing the repair cost to shoot up. If left unrepaired for a long time, they can lead to metal rusting, making the car unsafe to drive.

Summary

It’s difficult to tell apart keying damage from a regular scratch on your car. Keying often results in deep color coat and primer coat scratches. However, they’re not the only reason. If you see this type of damage on your car and suspect someone might have caused the key to your vehicle, you should report it immediately to the authorities: keying is punishable by law as an act of vandalism. 

Also, make sure you involve your car insurance agency and confirm that they cover this kind of damage. When you purchase a car insurance policy, it’s always a good idea to ensure they cover such damage from keying so that you’re not paying out of pocket for repairs.

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