Rear ended.....

[Nick_B]

Hi All,
So - after years of trouble free motoring, and having just returned from a road trip to Croatia without a scratch, this had to happen. Sitting at the traffic lights and .... B A N G !!!!

The other car was a smallish 4*4 (Renault Captur) with a high front bumper, this meant the brunt of the impact was absorbed by the boot lid. The bumper itself as sustained relatively light damage and the cross member behind does not appear to be damaged. The boot has been pushed in, along with the lower surround and lock. Pictures below and grateful for views as to the extent of the damage - am hoping this is not major 'structural' damage.

Only positive for me is that this is a company car and hence I don't need to deal with the insurance...

 

[cuke2u]

Oh no, I feel bad for you. Thankfully the damage does look confined to the boot lid and some plastic trim...

 

[tickedon]

Oh no, I feel bad for you. Thankfully the damage does look confined to the boot lid and some plastic trim...

I would be surprised if two new light clusters weren't needed too (I believe at about £1k a side..)...

Hopefully work/insurance sorts you out with a temporary vehicle!

 

[cuke2u]

I think that Nick_B is more concerned about any structural damage and any 'cosmetic' isn't as bad. Can't see any cracks in the lights anyway but it is difficult to tell. Insurance should cough up, but hopefully Nick you've used the services of Audi Ensurance?
https://insurewithaudi.co.uk/ensurance

 

[Pork]

I feel your pain, just make sure it’s repaired by Audi - guarantees the paint and body corrosion warranty remains intact.
This was last year...

 

[gary3306]

Mine goes in on Monday 7th for the same thing. Thankfully confined to rear bumper and crash bar, no other damage as was a relatively small impact. In a way it's a blessing, as I caught the bumper with a metal bar and scratched it slightly 3 weeks before the accident.

 

[Nick_B]

I think that Nick_B is more concerned about any structural damage and any 'cosmetic' isn't as bad. Can't see any cracks in the lights anyway but it is difficult to tell. Insurance should cough up, but hopefully Nick you've used the services of Audi Ensurance?
https://insurewithaudi.co.uk/ensurance

As it is a company car I do not have any dealings with the insurance - just hopeful it can be resolved quickly and that I get a hire car delivered today / tomorrow as I need to travel on Tuesday.

 

[Nick_B]

I feel your pain, just make sure it’s repaired by Audi - guarantees the paint and body corrosion warranty remains intact.
This was last year...
View attachment 191272

Good point - and I will check with the lease company. However - as a company car I expect I will have little say as to where it is repaired.

I will be interested as to the estimate total - I doubt there will be much change from £3.5k. How much did your repair amount to?

 

[SwordfishCoupe]

Bad luck, I got got rear ended a few months back, less damage that yours and was told repair bill was basically £3k for full rear bumper, take dent out of the boot (minor) and pull the rear panel a little as had it was harder to close the boot (yours will need more of a pull). I was told they have very expensive bumpers.

 

[Nick_B]

Bad luck, I got got rear ended a few months back, less damage that yours and was told repair bill was basically £3k for full rear bumper, take dent out of the boot (minor) and pull the rear panel a little as had it was harder to close the boot (yours will need more of a pull). I was told they have very expensive bumpers.

Thanks - at least the company car / Arval process seems to be working well. My car is due to be collected in the next hour and I have just been delivered a Vauxhall Mokka X............

The repair has been assigned to these guys.... - http://www.therugbybodyshoppe.co.uk/

As an aside - I have just had a message from the third parties insurance, accepting full liability and offering to repair my car without claiming on my insurance - not valid for me as a company car driver but was not aware that third party insurance would routinely do this.....

 

[tickedon]

As an aside - I have just had a message from the third parties insurance, accepting full liability and offering to repair my car without claiming on my insurance - not valid for me as a company car driver but was not aware that third party insurance would routinely do this.....

My car was rear ended 6 years ago - other driver’s insurance company did the same for the me. Worked out a lot cheaper for them than the costs the accident repair company my insurer directed me to wanted to charge...!

I was able to insist on using the local Volvo approved body shop and had a courtesy car for the week or so. The only issue is despite promising in writing a courtesy car from the same ‘rental car group’ as mine, they wanted to give me a Fiesta in place of my S60. I eventually settled on a Mercedes A class (still one group down) - but the week with that car at least told me I never ever wanted to buy or own one, which was helpful...

 

[gtunney]

Am I missing something?

Why wouldn’t a third party policy cover the non fault driver? I always thought that was what third party was. Covers the other driver and not you if you have a third party policy.

 

[wideboybloke]

A couple of years ago my Avant had a scrape to the rear bumper while unattended in a car park, the culprit left his details and his insurer paid up without question, including a 3 series Touring while the repair was carried out. Repair was done by my local Audi body shop so everything couldn’t have been better. And then when I informed my insurer my premium went up!

 

[Nick_B]

Am I missing something?

Why wouldn’t a third party policy cover the non fault driver? I always thought that was what third party was. Covers the other driver and not you if you have a third party policy.

Not that I have had much experience of this - but my understanding was that my insurance would claim from the third parties insurance (as I am not at fault) rather than the third parties insurer contacting me directly. The advice has always been that you deal directly with your own insurer.

 

[Pork]

That’s correct, unfortunately these days it’s likely your insurer will charge an excessive amount to the third parties insurer for things like providing you with a courtesy car. In cases of undisputed liability the at-fault driver’s insurance company can limit these costs if they are in control of the repair.
I found that in my case the third parties insurance company was infinitely more helpful than my own. My insurers wanted to charge a fee for nominating the repairer and wanted me to pay my excess up front even though the third party had admitted liability - they even withheld from me that the third parties insurer had admitted liability (a fact I discovered after I was contacted directly by them).
It can be a dirty game I’m afraid.
Oh, and be ready for the unsolicited calls from the no win no fee brigade wanting you to claim for personal injury!

 

[Nick_B]

Spoke with the body shop. Car will need a new bootlid, possibly a replacement bumper and various other bits and pieces underneath which will have broken (extend of which is not known until the bumper is removed). They did confirm that there is no structural damage which is good news.

I asked the question as to whether genuine parts are used and they assured me that all the parts come directly from Audi - that the lease company requires the cars are returned to pre-accident condition.

 

[Nick_B]

Good morning all,

After 3 weeks and almost 1800 miles in a Vauxhall Mokka X I have the A4 back. The repair came to a whisker under £4K, including a replacement boot lid, repairing and re-spraying the bumper, straightening out the boot surround, plus a large shopping list of various parts. Am pleased with the quality of the repair, especially the paint match which is absolutely spot on (see below)

There is one slight niggle which I am debating as to whether or not to mention as you have to look closely to see it. The boot lid is very slightly misaligned as in the drivers side sits fractionally further forward. This can be seen in the photos below....

Maybe this is a simple adjustment or an unrealistic expectation that panels will be aligned as 'spot on' as they would be when leaving the factory. Interested in views - especially those who have had a boot lid replaced....

 

[tickedon]

It also looks like the two halves of the light clusters aren’t perfectly aligned? One half seems fractionally higher than the other (no doubt linked to the misaligned boot lid). I’d be asking them to fix that, if it were me.

 

[Nick_B]

It also looks like the two halves of the light clusters aren’t perfectly aligned? One half seems fractionally higher than the other (no doubt linked to the misaligned boot lid). I’d be asking them to fix that, if it were me.

Thanks - I had not noticed the light cluster misalignment but now you mention it, it is glaringly obvious. Have contacted the bodyshop - it will need to go back to be sorted.

 

[Whorpheus]

That was the first thing my eyes were drawn to when i saw it. And maybe the boot lid could do with a tweak like you say. Trouble is, once you know its not quite right, it can start to niggle and keep thinking about it.

Apart from that, looks like a good job done, especially the colour match. Glad you got it back.

 

[france71]

I would be surprised if two new light clusters weren't needed too (I believe at about £1k a side..)...

Hopefully work/insurance sorts you out with a temporary vehicle!

£1000 per side for the rear light clusters ? If LED lights mean we have to pay these costs then something is going wrong...

 

[CHEZ]

It also looks like the two halves of the light clusters aren’t perfectly aligned? One half seems fractionally higher than the other (no doubt linked to the misaligned boot lid). I’d be asking them to fix that, if it were me.

I noticed that straight away

 

[Nick_B]

Thanks All - half an hour at the body shop and all is now aligned - my OCD can rest for the weekend!

 

[S19 MYD]

Thanks All - half an hour at the body shop and all is now aligned - my OCD can rest for the weekend!

If it was that simple makes you wonder whyTF they didn’t see it themselves and resolve it in the first place...?!

Glad you got it sorted, you’ll feel like a king with the marked difference in interiors!