Ding

[L60N]

Parked up this morning in my usual space. Went out 10mins later to find my car had rolled forward into a bollard. Nice.

Red paint scrapes across the corner and a dent in the bottom fender. The light cluster appears to have been pushed in slightly too

I was sure i didnt leave the handbrake off, anyway, went out with 3 lads to look at the damage, I noticed that my handbrake WAS applied, only it seems to have not bitten. Having said that, we tried to push it back to see if it was and the car WOULDNT move!

Nice start to a friday.

Anyway, the good news is that the dent to the lower splitter seems to have pushed itsself back out after releiving the pressure and is now barely noticable.

Im sure i can get the scratches polished out by a pro *Does anybody recommend anyone local to me?*

My main worry is the light which looks slightly out of allinment. Do Xenons set themselves or does it need booking in for a check? (the light cluster has moved a maximum of 5mm.

Cheers for any help on this.

Leon

 

[Kontraband]

Damn dude!

 

[PNH80]

Seems very odd, how far did the car 'roll' into this bollard? Must have been a distance to cause any damage. If a car rolls a short distance under it's own weight into a bollard i wouldn't expect any damage at all hardly. Sure no one shunted the car from behind?

 

[TFSI]

Pulled up in my slightly sloping drive with my previous A3 and luckily opened the garage door, went in the house to get changed and came back out to find my car half in the garage. The passenger wing mirror missed the door frame by millimetres. Lucky very lucky and my handbrake had held it for a while but the centre armrest makes it more difficult to apply properly

 

[Amchlolor]

My BMW manual says putting the car into a gear (reverse or first) is a 'must do' before switching the engine off.
God knows why, but it surely saves incidents like this.
I'm getting into the habit, but it's not instinct yet.

 

[L60N]

Damn dude!

My my initial reaction was a tad more colourful

Seems very odd, how far did the car 'roll' into this bollard? Must have been a distance to cause any damage. If a car rolls a short distance under it's own weight into a bollard i wouldn't expect any damage at all hardly. Sure no one shunted the car from behind?

It rolled around 1 - 1.5m. incline is only just above what i would term "slight". The trouble is it caught it on the corner of the car so a certain amount of side contact/glancing occured. Had it been a head on, it probably wouldnt have damaged it at all. I agree, the first thing I checked after realising the brake was infact on, was to check the rear for a shunt! All clear.

Pulled up in my slightly sloping drive with my previous A3 and luckily opened the garage door, went in the house to get changed and came back out to find my car half in the garage. The passenger wing mirror missed the door frame by millimetres. Lucky very lucky and my handbrake had held it for a while but the centre armrest makes it more difficult to apply properly

That is the conclusion i have come to. When the car was new, the brake was one click and on, now its slacked I can easily pull it past nad into the armrest. If my arm was on the rest it probably prevented me from pulling it right up (you do these things in autopilot).

BUt as i said, 3 of us couldnt push it backwards (I was keen to prove to the lads i hadnt left the handbrake off.

Its still a bit of a mistery. Its booked into Audi for a price for Making her like new + aligning Light.

Below is a sketch of the damage. The lower bit of the splitter was really pushed inwards right on the crease but amazingly has since popped back out to the point where I cant tell it was ever damaged. I cant quite beleive it Like a speker tweater that a kid has pushed in, Looks ******, but one day pops out to look like new.

 

[phantom]

**** the price mate, i'd be kicking off at Audi coz the hanbrake failed!

I'd want the damage sorted for free and my handbrake looked at!

Well within your rights to ask , at the very least some payment towards repair!

p

 

[L60N]

I hear ya mate, but it will boil down to the fact that i probably didnt apply the brake to the maximum. They can easily prove that the handbrake works if pulled right up. As stated, its prolbably the armrest problem that has played a major part of this.

Can i call out to all people who have removed an A3 headlight. Can you aid me to know whats involved with removing the headlight (xenon) as i want to pull the quarter panel myself before it goes in for headlight alignment to try and reduce cost. (its only slightly affected from the headlight being forced into it so should be able to manage it myself with a little brute force and care.

Thanks in advance

Leon

 

[mattandrew]

I hear ya mate, but it will boil down to the fact that i probably didnt apply the brake to the maximum. They can easily prove that the handbrake works if pulled right up. As stated, its prolbably the armrest problem that has played a major part of this.

Can i call out to all people who have removed an A3 headlight. Can you aid me to know whats involved with removing the headlight (xenon) as i want to pull the quarter panel myself before it goes in for headlight alignment to try and reduce cost. (its only slightly affected from the headlight being forced into it so should be able to manage it myself with a little brute force and care.

Thanks in advance

Leon

If i remember right you have to remove the bumper to remove the headlight.

Regarding removing the dent, to be honest if I was you I would leave the panel and get a pro to do it, it may look like a simple dent but you could make it a lot worse (trust me I have tried it in the past)

I have previously used a dent specialist in Chesterfield, he would probably use one of his tools, remove the wheel arch lining slightly and access it from there or may be go from above. He would prob only charge £20-30

PM if you want his details

 

[Twizzler]

The force exerted by the pads on the disk is greatly affected by the temperature of the components. As everything cools the components shrink and the pressure is thus reduced. A good reason for doing what most good driving schools will tell you - leave it in gear. First if pointing downhill, reverse if uphill. Failing that buy an Stronic. When left in 'P', as needed to remove the key, the wheels are locked.

 

[Kontraband]

So you parked in neutral too?? I've never parked in neutral... kind of always had to push the clutch to start the cars recently anyway, so its second nature... I rely on that more than the handbrake probably for the above reasons...

good luck in sorting it all tho.

 

[L60N]

Yep lesson learned. I think it was down to the pads shrinking.

Ah well, looking at new cars now!!

 

[Kontraband]

new cars???

 

[L60N]

Haha, just kidding. I love my S3 sooo much!!

Its heartbreaking that something so new has now been pranged.

My main concern is the light thats slightly out. Is it true that to remove a light you have to drop the bumper? Thats just ludicrous!!

Regards as always

Leon

 

[Splathead]

Sorry to hear about your traumas but now I'm very glad that I've ordered my S3 without the Armrest - a deliberate decision after using an A3 from work for a month or two. I just felt that it got in the way.

With regard to leaving the car in neutral - I'm with Kontraband and always park it in gear. My father is a mechanic and he has seen too many accidents of this type over the years and so it is something that I have always done. I also remember a few years back Citroen BXs or Xantia's (I can't remember which) had the handbrake operating on the front discs and were often to be seen rolling down hills and into other cars as the pads and discs contracted away from each other.

Again, L60N, very sorry to hear about the ding, I would be devastated. Hope that you get it sorted soon.

 

[newbiecrg]

always in gear and if the brakes have been used a bit just before parking make sure you really pull the lever up as when temperature goes down both disk and pads shrink a bit...

Well you know that... learned the hard way

Pedro

 

[a3norwich]

Always leave your car in gear when parked, and point wheels into the kerb (specially if on a hill)!

 

[Kontraband]

hahah I thought you couldnt be getting shut of the car just for that surely!!

 

[L60N]

Well chaps, its been a long day but worth the hard work to save a few bob

• Got up early​
• Washed/chamoised car​
• Clayed​
• T-cut scratches and red paint.​
• polished areas after t-cutting​
• Waxed car with Collinite 476.​
• Buffed with a Megs terry towel​
• Removed wheel liners​
• Dropped bumper​
• Knocked out dent to panel/reset light​
• Bolted back up​

Only took all day but worth it I think
Still booked in for headlight alignment check and re tension handbrake on monday, but they aint getting there hands on my hard earned now ​

 

[Kontraband]

its GOOOOD!

 

[newbiecrg]

white is very nice... I wished I hat time, patiente and knowledge to valet my car like that.... I do the two bucket thing but that is about it...

Pedro

 

[ADEY]

Well done Leon - car looks superb after your day of hard graft!!!
Looks like you got away with it mate