Sister just hit my new Audi A4!!!!

P

porterror

New member
My brand new just bought 2 months ago Audi A4...just got nailed by my sister in her driveway. She was backing out and nailed the rear-quarter panel and part of my passenger door (driver side). She must have been in a rush to get somewhere cause it looks rather dented and scratched. Thankfully it's not that dented to rub against my tire/wheel.



She hit me with her company car, so her company's insurance is paying for it. But, I took it to Audi's body shop and they gave me an estimate for around $1500 for repair and $2100 to replace the entire panel and weld a new one on. I asked about both options and they said you should never mess with the factory welding on a car, but still gave me both options.



The insurance company came out and they said it will only cost $1100 to repair and said DO NOT go with the new quater-panel and welding. He mentioned something about corrosion protection and messing with the stock welding...



Any thoughts on all of this? Which way is the best way to go? Will my baby every be the same? and should i kill my sister?
 
Tell the Insurance Company to go fornicate with themselves. It's not up to them how much it costs, it's up to the repairer. Do NOT take it to a shop they recommend. Pick the one YOU want & trust, take it there, & have the Ins Co pay the bill.

Get 2 or 3 estimates.. ALL from shops that specialize in Audi's. They will be able to replace the facory corrosion protection etc

If you weren't supposed to "mess with" factory welding thenm the repair manuals wouldn't have recommendations for sectioning & replacing damaged parts.



You're not dealing with Progressive, AllSnake or Mercury by any chance? From what you have posted you are about to get screwed over by her Ins Co...



I can't say which method would be best without viewing the vehicle.... What color is it?



& remember: The ONLY concern of the Ins Co is spending as little $$$$ as possible. Get an independent appraiser/adjuster if neccessary.
 
I'm not an expert on welding body panels but I am an expert on sisters.

You want to put yours in a large cardboard box and mail the box to Nome, Alaska. Do not include a return address just in case.

-John C.
 
do not forget..your car is 2 months old..you are entitled to OEM parts and not aftermarket or salvage parts...I believe any vehicle with under 15,000 miles get factory parts...at least in this state....I had a accident with my truck..took it to the dealer body shop..It had a great reputation...and he told me..you get factory parts and no subsitutes because of milage...under 15,000...



So make sure you get factory parts...



AL
 
I'll take some pictures tomorrow to show you. The paint is called "dolphin grey metalic". When i took the car to the dealership i bought it from they highly recommended their body shop. Which the guy mentioned that the rear-quater panel is welded in many spots to the frame and has a piece that goes all the way from the back of the car over all the windows and attaches to the front. He said it'd be a pain and much more costly and would ruin the factory welding....it would be $450 for the Audi OEM Part + $1600 in labor and matching.



The body shop guy was laughing at the adjuster because he used to be one..and said they always have to low ball on the first estimate, but the body shop is the final word on what ever they want to do.
 
I'm gonna go against the grain here. Even though your first instinct is to either disown or sell your sister to the gypsies, she is, after all FAMILY and she'll likely still be your sister long after this car is gone.

I know it hurts, but it's just shiney metal and it can be fixed one way or another. Don't let the insurance company push you around. You have to get estimates, but you have the choice as to where the work gets done.
 
If you're confident in the shop, trust their opinion.



As for your sister, yeah she screwed up but fortunately it's fixable. Try to let it go and forgive her in this case, then work with her company's insurance and treat the whole thing as a business matter. Then you can always rib your sister abouthow she's officially a "woman driver". ;)
 
I wouldn't replace the panel the body shop is right. They can pull the dent and use very little filler, if they are good you will never notice it.
 
If the insurance company gives you any crap, you might want to pay your deductable and have your insurance fix the car, and they can fight it out with the other Ins Co. "If" your sisters insurance company tries to screw you over and tries to replace the parts with junkyard parts or tries to skimp on the repairs.



This would be a last resort though.



One other thing. You might want to check on something called diminished value. Since it's looking like it could be several thousand dollars of damage. Anytime, you go to trade your car in or sale it, it will have a history of being wrecked/damage.. Meaning it might not be worth as much if it has been repaired, painted or whatever else is done to it.



A carfax report could cost you some major dollars when you sell it or trade it in.
 
My family owns a cardealership so i can put some nput in here... DO NOT REPLACE THE PANEL if you bought the car not leased the value we be hurt signifacantly due to structual damage becasue of no factory welds and you must fully disclose this when you sell the vehicle and you might have to tell the leasing company as well hope this helps
 
CERTAUTO said:
My family owns a cardealership so i can put some nput in here... DO NOT REPLACE THE PANEL if you bought the car not leased the value we be hurt signifacantly due to structual damage becasue of no factory welds and you must fully disclose this when you sell the vehicle and you might have to tell the leasing company as well hope this helps
Click to expand...

FACT: A quarter panel is not defined as a "structural part" by I-CAR. You don't have to disclose anything to anyone when you sell a vehicle or when you you turn your car into the lease company. A dealer has to disclose damage on a non-titled brand new vehicle only if it sustains a certain amount of damage(I think $2000). Otherwise, it's buyer beware. I also agree to not replace the 1/4.
 
I have seen that happen in other cars before. The body shop will take a suction cup and pull the dent out and use filler. Like someone said earlier, if the body shop is good you will not see where the dent was.
 
FACT: on the wholesale level at an automobile auction a replaced quarter or any panel that needs to be welded is structual also in the state of NJ there is full disclosure if you know something about a car and do not tell the cuxtomer they sue you for trebile damages 3x what they paid!!!!! im pretty sure this applies to private party as well
 
Hello Everyone

I was working on my web site tonight and looking for people that had linked up to my web site and noticed this one : ) So I'll say thanks to the poster before i forget .

But any way I tried to find the pictures you posted but could not seem to find them. But if you send them to me I will take a look at them and tell you what I think about a push to paint repair. Also I have several tech's listed threw out the USA that are really good. But keep in mind the repairs I do in sections 3 and 4 of my web site are very rare.

Please let me know when sending pictures that thay are from this forum and also send them threw the link on my web site.

Good luck Eddie



The Dent Devils San Diego's choice for Paintless Dent Repairs

ps If your sister is really hot we might be able to work out a trade lol
 
Having owned a body shop I can tell you this:



1. Yes, the insurance companies do dictate what they will pay to fix a car. Each region of the country has a set dollar amount per hour that they will pay and the insurance Co's use a guide to write an estimate. The guide dictates how many hours they will pay the shop to fix the damage. It is up to the owner of the car if he wants to add more money to get a repair done by a certain body shop.



2. That quarter panel does not need to be replaced. If you own that car (not a lease), and you replace the quarter panel, that is now considered a FRAME DAMAGED car. You will be screwed on the resale. If you replace that panel, you have thrown money in the garbage. What FRAME DAMAGED means is most banks will not finance that car when it is sold as used, therefore dealers will get to pay MUCH less to buy that at auction to resell it to a used car buyer.



3. You will have 2 body panels painted and 1 blend on the C pillar. Watch that blend when you are polishing. You will open it up and ruin the paint. Dolphin Grey is a "premium" color. I believe Audi charges $750 additional for this color. You had better find a top quality shop to match that color. It may even be a 3 stage, good luck!



4. 95% of vehicles on the road todayare UNI-BODY or UNIT-BODY. Audi is one of these vehicles. This means there is no frame. The quarter panels as well as the roof and floor are all one unit. A shop will need to cut that section out of the UNI-BODY and replace it. There are no welds where the shop will be cutting to replace that panel, therefore the repair will comprimise the structural integrity of the vehicle.





Just make sure you find a shop that does top quality prep and paint work . That is a tough color to match. Premium cars like that Audi are "de-valued" on resale for repaints by as much as $300 per panel. You will have 2 possibly 3 panels painted with that repair.



Good luck, education is the key!
 
jsatek said:
Having owned a body shop I can tell you this:





2. That quarter panel does not need to be replaced. If you own that car (not a lease), and you replace the quarter panel, that is now considered a FRAME DAMAGED car. You will be screwed on the resale. If you replace that panel, you have thrown money in the garbage. What FRAME DAMAGED means is most banks will not finance that car when it is sold as used, therefore dealers will get to pay MUCH less to buy that at auction to resell it to a used car buyer.



3. You will have 2 body panels painted and 1 blend on the C pillar. Watch that blend when you are polishing. You will open it up and ruin the paint. Dolphin Grey is a "premium" color. I believe Audi charges $750 additional for this color. You had better find a top quality shop to match that color. It may even be a 3 stage, good luck!



4. 95% of vehicles on the road todayare UNI-BODY or UNIT-BODY. Audi is one of these vehicles. This means there is no frame. The quarter panels as well as the roof and floor are all one unit. A shop will need to cut that section out of the UNI-BODY and replace it. There are no welds where the shop will be cutting to replace that panel, therefore the repair will comprimise the structural integrity of the vehicle.





Just make sure you find a shop that does top quality prep and paint work . That is a tough color to match. Premium cars like that Audi are "de-valued" on resale for repaints by as much as $300 per panel. You will have 2 possibly 3 panels painted with that repair.



Good luck, education is the key!
Click to expand...



I can't comment on the laws and regulations in New York & New Jersey, but in states that I'm familiar with like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois,Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia and Florida there is no disclosure, so this type of damaged vehicle or one that has a clear title would not raise any red flags upon resale. If the circumstances that people described are accurate in certain states, resale can be affected. It sounds strange and unfair personally.

I write estimates on ADP Pen Pro and they do not recognize a quarter on this vehicle as a structural part per I-Car guidelines. The quarter is sold separately as well as the floor and front body-side, so sectioning(as far as I knwo) will not be required if the 1/4 was being replaced. According to my schematics, it isn't all one uni-side either. Each panel has a separate part # as well. I haven't had a shop request or explain this replacement procedure quite this way when replacing a quarter yet. I thought each panel on a uni-body vehicle is welded together when they get built. Also, 2 panels(1/4 and LR door) will be refinished and 2 panels(upper/outer pillar and trunk) will get blended. Future polishing shouldn't be watched on the pillar if it gets full clear. I would hope that a shop won't attempt to "burn the clear" on this vehicle and do it right(even if the 1/4 doesn't get replaced).
 
David -

When the cars are returned on lease to the banks, the banks inspect them for any body repairs. Every dealer at the auction where this vehicle is being resold is looking for that edge to buy a car cheap. They all know how to spot the repaired quarter and they will scream like hell if a car isn’t announced as "frame damaged" while running through the auction. These cars are typically sold, depending on the damage for $2,000-5,000 below Galves. (I am not sure if you guys use Galves maybe Black Book?) They also just won’t bid high enough if the bank won’t acknowledge the damage. The car usually goes to arbitration and the price is adjusted.



Also, when you try to trade that car in to a dealer, they know the beating they take at the auction with repaired cars and they will offer you a commensurate price.





And yes, for repairs - a quarter and many other bits of sheet metal can be purchased from the dealer. They have to sell them in sections in anticipation of possible damage and transportation and storage costs. If you Google picture of a unibody, you will see the "egg" that is the car prior to assembly. I think any shop would prefer you write a replace on a quarter. They can make more profit on the 30 hours written for that than the 5 hours written for the repair/refinish. It’s not their car, it’s their business, and the resale loss is the problem of the vehicle owner.



My opinion is that you should watch the "C" pillar when polishing. There is a blend of clear on it, I am sure the shop wont paint the entire roof and opposite quarter. Most shops blend the clear on a "C" pillar by dusting a little reducer on the area. This makes the edge "melt" onto the rest of the factory paint. It can be opened up with a buffer; I have done it many times, unfortunately. I actually have seen pictures on this site of guys opening up a blend, Ill look for them as an example.



I was unfortunately in the car business for too long. My family owned a Cadillac, GMC, Oldsmobile dealership for 24 years. I worked there for almost 10. I may be jaded on this due to the position I was in. Every person has a different experience.



What ins co do you write for? I have great stories about writers, as I am sure you do. I remember one where the GEICO writers’ laptop ended up smashed on the hood of his car. (I didn’t do it though)
 
David Fermani said:
FACT: A quarter panel is not defined as a "structural part" by I-CAR. You don't have to disclose anything to anyone when you sell a vehicle or when you you turn your car into the lease company. A dealer has to disclose damage on a non-titled brand new vehicle only if it sustains a certain amount of damage(I think $2000). Otherwise, it's buyer beware. I also agree to not replace the 1/4.
Click to expand...





You are correct David, a quarter is not actually structural, it is cosmetic. But depending on the location of the cuts, a repair will compromise the integrity of the car. If there is a TOTAL quarter replacement, there should be no structural compromise. Why I say this is that some insurance companies will only pay for a part out of the junk yard or some after market part. Some guys will cut the dogleg on the quarter in half and weld it there. In a side impact, how do you think that is going to respond? This isn’t always a straight replacement. The grinding and welding on the mounting these areas either will reinforce or weaken the strength for factory original. I know the plan is to weld only where the factory welds are, but that is not always possible depending on damage. This is where the insurance companies, bodyshops, and car owners all disagree. Insurance companied want to pay X, the bodyshop needs Y to do the job right, and the vehicle owners want to pay zero and are expecting Z. It’s always a joy.



I have never seen a dimished value claim go smoothly. I once repaired a Volvo Wagon, which was a lease, to the tune of $27,000. The car was $39,000 new! I'd say that car was a total turd and should have been proclaimed a total loss.
 
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