GUTTED! :'( Just Crashed My S3 in the Snow

[MikhailCompo]

Going for a walk not far from home, being really careful on the drive, following another vehicle but on a short steep downhill section I locked up and as we al know it's then game over as the car simply accelerated down the hill. Aimed for the drystone wall in order to avoid hitting the farmers vehicle and parked it on said wall, pics below

I have never been in an accident before, so I need some advice:

Recovery
1) Am I better handing the whole situation to the insurance company? Or should I try to minimise the recovery costs and further damage?

I found out the farmer who owns the wall, went to see him and he was a very nice guy, offered to help pull car off the wall after the snow clears and assist getting car recovered.

Should I then arrange for recovery myself?

Damage
It doesn't look too bad, no airbag deployment, engine still running after the bump (and no warning lights?!) The windscreen washer pipe was pulled out and leaking but no other fluids appeared to be coming out.
Anyone like to hazard a guess as to whether its a write off?? I know that's difficult to say with so few photos/info, but I need to know if it is worth trying to arrange repairs myself, if its a couple of grand I would consider paying upfront outside of insurance although i only have 5 year no claims. Need advice.....

 

[jrumball]

Glad your ok ! I would just go through the proper channels with you insurance, the damage looks serious enough the write off the car off . Be careful of claims handling companies and ask lots of questions about your options. I have had both very positive and disastrous claims, yours should be easy as there isn’t another party involved . A repaired car will never have the same value and will get less money at sale and cost more to insure an S3 is a common car and best not to get too attached to it

Good Luck

 

[Potterswheel]

******!!!!! as long as you are ok that's a start, I have got my car home myself in the past then you are in control of things and as you say you can avoid further damage- and you can chose who repairs it.
will it reverse off the wall???
can you pull the bodywork clear of the wheel??
will it drive slowly home if you are not too far away??

I wouldn't trust my baby with some wrecker driver!!!

 

[pburv]

Jeez! That really is bad luck. As mentioned above hopefully you are ok?
I'm no expert but I reckon that would cost over 2k to fix. Clearly it's too early to tell but there could be damage underneath which you aren't aware of. If you can get it recovered to your house then that's what I would do but judging by the damage I would have to bite the bullet and go through insurance.
Hope you get it sorted.

 

[leonwilliams]

Went to do puddle lights this morning I could not remove door panel for the life in me. My 8p was so easy I looked at several videos me it look easy.guys were like it just pop pops of I was like no chance gave up in end. Shame would have been finished now used all the correct tools what am I missing???

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[45bvtc]

Looks way worse than it is Mikhail and for sure no write off. 3-panels max plus some paint - which will need careful matching. I'd not go insurance as your reasoning for the situation is not good, I mean: 'snow, downhill, it just accelerated' and them 'summer' tyres must have had that dry stone wall shouting hello!

Good luck, hope you get it sorted, a lovely car and for sure the repair - while expensive - is nowhere near a write-off! Get it sorted.

Take care, stay safe...

 

[MikhailCompo]

Where I live not far from the sea on the west coast we have less than a day of snow a year on average, most years none. Not worth having to put different tyres on or buy 4 new wheels to change myself.

I will chalk this one down to experience, learn from it and move on.

 

[Adam14]

Where I live not far from the sea on the west coast we have less than a day of snow a year on average, most years none. Not worth having to put different tyres on or buy 4 new wheels to change myself.

I will chalk this one down to experience, learn from it and move on.

Winter tyres aren't just for snow, depsite the common misconception.

I doubted myself, high up front cost but most recovered through selling and reduced wear on summers. Works out roughly the same.

Damage looks bad but would imagine new bumper and respray and would be mostly sorted


Sent from my HD1913 using Tapatalk

 

[desertstorm]

Go through the insurance that's what it's for. It was an accident, although the farmer is being nice about it he may want compensation for the damage made to the wall in which case you could end up spending a lot more. Airbags not deployed so that is a good sign, despite the engine still running there could be damage to the sump and possibly the gearbox underside. Is it DSG?.
I would look into the cost of a set of winter tyres. You don't need different wheels just swap tyres over in November and swap back in March/ April . Whilst the winter tyres are on the summers aren't being worn out.

 

[S32B]

Jeez! That really is bad luck. As mentioned above hopefully you are ok?
I'm no expert but I reckon that would cost over 2k to fix. Clearly it's too early to tell but there could be damage underneath which you aren't aware of. If you can get it recovered to your house then that's what I would do but judging by the damage I would have to bite the bullet and go through insurance.
Hope you get it sorted.

^^^THIS^^^

Costs soon mount up, if the headlight is done that's about £600+ on its own!

 

[desertstorm]

Headlight, slam panel, radiator, air con rad, intercooler, wing, undertray, bumper, suspension various sensors if it has adaptive cruise control etc etc there could be a whole load of stuff that's broken or damaged .

 

[Potterswheel]

A friend of mine has Michelin cross climates on his S3 Sportback and keeps them on all year round because of where he lives but he has recommended them to me.....

 

[MikhailCompo]

Just reading about approved repairers using Audi parts vs third party parts.

Apparently they will use genuine Audi parts if the vehicle is under 3 years old or - some say - under warranty, as using non-Audi parts will invalidate the warranty.

My car has a 12 month extended warranty on top of the 3 years new car warranty (which expires in March 2021), so does the above take into consideration of extended warranties?

 

[Potterswheel]

Paint shop wants £200.00 to respray my rear bumper.
you need to wait, take some deep breaths and make you decision in the cold light of day tomorrow when there will be less emotion in the air, it won't be too late - just get yourself into the warm and make the car safe.

 

[AlS3BE]

Just reading about approved repairers using Audi parts vs third party parts.

Apparently they will use genuine Audi parts if the vehicle is under 3 years old or - some say - under warranty, as using non-Audi parts will invalidate the warranty.

My car has a 12 month extended warranty on top of the 3 years new car warranty (which expires in March 2021), so does the above take into consideration of extended warranties?

doh!! Sh1t happens as long you ok. That’s why we have insurance. Unfortunately awd/4wd only helps you to move not stop.

I had a wee bump in mine not long after I got it new. Car slid on some oil/diesel and bump the kerb. Costs will mount up very quickly as what looked like a couple of damaged alloys soon mounted up to a £4K+ claim. Modern cars are designed to fall apart to protect occupants and outside pedestrians.
Anyway I digress. What I wanted to say was I was in a similar situation with a car under warranty and the insurance was wanting me to go to a one of their approved repairers which I wasn’t keen on as I didn’t want any third party parts or non Audi bits in the repair. My other option was take it to any garage I wanted but they won’t guarantee the repairs. Insurance approved repairers came with a 5 year warranty on the work. I ended going to an Audi garage as I know they will only use parts from Audi and it didn’t affect my warranty. They also matched the 5 year guarantee in the repairs.
So if I was you go with a dealership. It might be more expensive for the insurer but won’t make any difference to you.

 

[Gazwould]

Sorry to see .

 

[JohnM100]

@MikhailCompo - sorry to see but hope everyone is ok.

As others have said, the damage is going to be too much to do outside insurance - it will be a big bill. You’d have to declare a bump anyway, even if you weren’t claiming so there is no upside to arranging it yourself given the high cost of the repair. Is your no-claims discount protected? The assessment by @desertstorm is a good one given the pics and limited info available.

The wall would need to be rebuilt too.

Original vs pattern parts: Do you have Audi Ensurance? I can’t remember if they really only come into play if someone else is at fault but worth checking - they are basically a claims handling function guaranteeing Audi original parts and approved bodyshop.

When it comes to choosing a bodyshop, phone the ones that are approved by your insurer and see if any are also VW/Audi approved. Most only offer max 3 years warranty on repairs. Ask the bodyshop whether they are authorised to use genuine or pattern parts - remember it is your insurer authorising the cost and not you. Let them know when you drop off the car you will want an itemised breakdown of the repair upon collection - that will show it was done properly (and what was repaired vs replaced) and you can pass on when you come to sell it. If the repair is not perfect, reject it at your collection visit and leave without the car - this will force an awkward conversation between the bodyshop and your insurance company, and most importantly, don’t sign the repair acceptance without inspecting the car. I don’t mean to scare you but I rejected repair of GF’s 6 month old car 3 times - many bodyshops rely on throughput rather than quality of repair).

If your insurance covers you for a ‘like for like’ courtesy car, go for the smallest you can use practically (or decline if you don’t need it during lockdown): you can then use that to support your case of being reasonable and minimising the cost of your claim, and so perhaps get a little flexibility from their side. Bodyshops often have courtesy cars and use that as a value added service - their cars are always small cars in group A.

Insurance companies will suggest a route to take; bodyshop, courtesy car etc but this is their preferred route and may not necessarily be yours. Also, tell them not to pass your details to 3rd parties (apart from their claims handling group), otherwise you may get those ‘we understand you have been in an accident’ calls for at least a year - possibly less so as you aren’t claiming against a 3rd party, it it’s hassle you don’t need.

Good luck, and don’t beat yourself up over it.

Also tagging @CanadaA3wales as he works in insurance.

 

[MikhailCompo]

Thanks John, some really good knowledge and advice here.

Audi Approved Body Shop
According to this Audi website, the nearest approved body shop to me is HB Panelcraft Ltd in Preston. They appear to get good reviews, never heard of them though and there are a 60 minute round trip. A more local one is Northgate Autobody who get good reviews, not approved Audi though.

Insurance
Firstly, I only have 4 years no claims, protected no claims not an option (well, for Admiral at least).
I have never heard of Ensurance so pretty sure i dont have it. I bought the car 2h.

Regarding courtesy car, I could use my missus car as she is only in the office 1 or 2 days a week at the mo and I am full time home working. Would that benefit me? If it doesn't benefit me, as I have paid for the courtesy care it with my insurance, then I'd be daft to say no wouldn't I? It's miles on their car rather than missus.

 

[AlS3BE]

Thanks John, some really good knowledge and advice here.

Audi Approved Body Shop
According to this Audi website, the nearest approved body shop to me is HB Panelcraft Ltd in Preston. They appear to get good reviews, never heard of them though and there are a 60 minute round trip. A more local one is Northgate Autobody who get good reviews, not approved Audi though.

Insurance
Firstly, I only have 4 years no claims, protected no claims not an option (well, for Admiral at least).
I have never heard of Ensurance so pretty sure i dont have it. I bought the car 2h.

Regarding courtesy car, I could use my missus car as she is only in the office 1 or 2 days a week at the mo and I am full time home working. Would that benefit me? If it doesn't benefit me, as I have paid for the courtesy care it with my insurance, then I'd be daft to say no wouldn't I? It's miles on their car rather than missus.

Might be worth calling your local dealer. They will most likely have a body shop locally as there’s always warranty repairs for paint defects etc and they aren’t gonna ship a new car miles away for a repair.

I would say if you paid extra, like £20-30 a year, for a courtesy car cover on top of your insurance then might as well take the car. Make little difference to the claim.

 

[desertstorm]

You won't lose all your NCB. Typically you lose 2 years NCB for any accident you have in a 1 yr period. So going from 4 down to 2 years.

 

[Fatbloke]

Doesn't look too bad. Certainly repairable. Nobody injured which is the main thing. I did something similar a few years back with my Astravan. Summer tyres on a straight snow covered road at 15mph. Back end spun round and I went into a farmers wall. Got winter tyres after it was all repaired and it went just about anywhere in the snow. Got spare 16" wheels and Conti Wintercontact all round on the A3 and Skoda. Put them on every year when temps start being below 7 deg and ut the 18" summer's back on in spring. As mentioned above, the winters are not just for snow but cold weather, damp, wet, ice etc. Well worth the initial outlay and you are just spreading the miles over 2 sets of tyres so cost is the same overall.

Would go through the insurance as if there's any issues with repairs, its fully covered to go back in or be taken elsewhere.

 

[45bvtc]

My heart goes out to you Mikhail but here I am at 12.45 ish today, Sunday 24 January 2021 and it is still coming down in big flakes, yeah!!!

:

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And not much ever gets up St Peter's Road in these conditions - and for sure this is the same Audi SQ5 under the white stuff:

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But tomorrow I've to get 'rs3copilot' to Stafford County hospital for chemotherapy - and with a full set of winters on the SQ5 I am looking forward to it!!!

That's the difference: winter rubber on and SQ5 (or RS3/TT) in winter conditions is a BLAST!!! (even for a 75-year old)

I've ALWAYS 'invested' in a set of 'winter rims and tyres' - makes so much sense where I/we live; any snow around and we seem to get it! And when I move on, cars that is, I sell on my winters - so look on it as an (anti-insurance/bye bye NCB) investment.

That said, I've a set of AUDI TT 18-inch rims/winter rubber and A5/S5/Q5/SQ5 20-inch rims/winter rubber carefully stored in my garage awaiting purchasers: the SQ5 is already on a full set of winters:

I know it's expensive, I get it, been there and all, but.... I always get to where I want to get and - more importantly - get back home again thanks to winter rubber...

Happy snow days in the RS3



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[pburv]

My heart goes out to you Mikhail but here I am at 12.45 ish today, Sunday 24 January 2021 and it is still coming down in big flakes, yeah!!!

:

View attachment 214803 ​

And not much ever gets up St Peter's Road in these conditions - and for sure this is the same Audi SQ5 under the white stuff:

View attachment 214804 ​

But tomorrow I've to get 'rs3copilot' to Stafford County hospital for chemotherapy - and with a full set of winters on the SQ5 I am looking forward to it!!!

That's the difference: winter rubber on and SQ5 (or RS3/TT) in winter conditions is a BLAST!!! (even for a 75-year old)

I've ALWAYS 'invested' in a set of 'winter rims and tyres' - makes so much sense where I/we live; any snow around and we seem to get it! And when I move on, cars that is, I sell on my winters - so look on it as an (anti-insurance/bye bye NCB) investment.

That said, I've a set of AUDI TT 18-inch rims/winter rubber and A5/S5/Q5/SQ5 20-inch rims/winter rubber carefully stored in my garage awaiting purchasers: the SQ5 is already on a full set of winters:

View attachment 214806

I know it's expensive, I get it, been there and all, but.... I always get to where I want to get and - more importantly - get back home again thanks to winter rubber...

Happy snow days in the RS3

View attachment 214807

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Awesome pics and some good sound advice
Good luck for tomorrow buddy

 

[martinrs]

Glad to see you got your car fixed and back to shape

 

[Ormesome]

Good luck and glad your ok. No advice but just to say you should get winter tyres. Over here in Switzerland you would be looking at a massive fine, probs 5 to 10k, plus point on your licence and damages to the person who owns the wall. You weren’t driving to the conditions so insurance would probs not be happy too although probs still insured.

 

[PaulWhitt82]

sorry to hear and see but at least you are ok

Looks like chassis damage and alignment of shafts - I woudl expect a write off through approved bodyshop

It shows that 4wd cannot always save you - everyone goes on about 4wd and snow and winter

Tyres are the main element

 

[CanadaA3wales]

I work for Admiral Claims if you need any help regarding parts and warranty and what is legal ect..
Just shoot me a DM
Also Like BMW, I do not think Audi allow Non OEM people to make body panels
Admiral provide a 5 year warranty on all work and the complaints process is really good
Audi cannot remove your vehicle warranty by law on parts that are theirs and not affected by the accident.
Say if Admiral do use Non OEM parts, Audi cannot remove the warranty on the entire car, thats against the law.
The only parts they will not cover is the parts that are changed as a result of the accident, but that does not matter as Admiral provide a 5 year warranty on all parts, paint and labour.

 

[45bvtc]

sorry to hear and see but at least you are ok

Looks like chassis damage and alignment of shafts - I woudl expect a write off through approved bodyshop

It shows that 4wd cannot always save you - everyone goes on about 4wd and snow and winter

Tyres are the main element

Quattro sure does enhance traction on whatever surface you're on but for sure it does little or now't over 2-wheel drive on the slippy stuff when it comes to steering and/or braking. Tyres are your only contact. Ok, or shoes, boots, etc. If you've a great car, Audi, on summer tyres then leave it home when you've 6-inches of snow. Just done another hospital run on SNOW with the SQ5 shod with 9J 21-inch rims and 265/40 Continental TS860S tyres - what a laugh, amazing traction/steering/braking/confidence ALL the way...

 

[Potterswheel]

@45bvtc are you far from Stafford???

 

[45bvtc]

@45bvtc are you far from Stafford???

About 10-miles south. Was in Stafford earlier today after driving over a snow covered roads of Cannock Chase - just brilliant...

 

[MikhailCompo]

I work for Admiral Claims if you need any help regarding parts and warranty and what is legal ect..
Just shoot me a DM
Also Like BMW, I do not think Audi allow Non OEM people to make body panels
Admiral provide a 5 year warranty on all work and the complaints process is really good
Audi cannot remove your vehicle warranty by law on parts that are theirs and not affected by the accident.
Say if Admiral do use Non OEM parts, Audi cannot remove the warranty on the entire car, thats against the law.
The only parts they will not cover is the parts that are changed as a result of the accident, but that does not matter as Admiral provide a 5 year warranty on all parts, paint and labour.

Thanks for this info, in the end i arranged for car to be dropped off at a more local garage and which is Audi approved.

After getting the car on the flatbed and having a look, the crashbar took more of an impact than i thought and the recovery driver asked "think it's a write off" which i think says a lot.

PS:

I work for Admiral Claims... and the complaints process is really good

This is utter horsesh1t, I have had to take Admiral to the Financial Ombudsman as they still have not refunded me for a £550 policy that I cancelled before it started. Admiral even wrote to me to say they admit fault and will refund the money, but it has never materialised, after 7 months..... The next step will be to sue Admiral though small claims.

 

[Daz Auto]

The main thing is you are ok. Cars are easy to fix. People are not easy to fix. It's not a bad accident if you can walk away from it.

I feel your pain. I have been there looking at my 6 month old car on it's side in a ditch.

Definitely looks like an insurance job to me.

Our road has been really bad this winter. We don't get a lot of snow, but the road is often icy. It is currently covered in compacted snow and it's raining. I cannot imagine more dangerous road conditions. The first thing we did with my wife's new car was drive it to the tyre garage to get all the tyres changed to 4 season tyres. It does give me some peace of mind that those tyres are on her car when she went to work this morning.

I only learned this last year that all season tyres and 4 season tyres are not the same thing.

 

[45bvtc]

The main thing is you are ok. Cars are easy to fix. People are not easy to fix. It's not a bad accident if you can walk away from it.

I feel your pain

I only learned this last year that all season tyres and 4 season tyres are not the same thing.

Oh yes: 3-days after snow fall and my/our road is still 'white-stuff' covered and now more ice than snow:

However, our SQ5 on 265/40 21 Continental TS860S winters will/does/can 'catapult' UP and/or DOWN the road as if on dry tarmac...

Brakes and steers the same, too: like I say, for us winter rubber is and has been and investment for many years...

As in Switzerland with which I 100% agree, post #25: -"Over here in Switzerland you would be looking at a massive fine, probs 5 to 10k, plus point on your licence and damages to the person who owns the wall. You weren’t driving to the conditions so insurance would probs not be happy too although probs still insured."

PS: dig-out both sides was so me and mine could get into the car safely for our hospital run; no need to clear anything else for an AUDI SQ5 with winter tyres, lol

 

[CanadaA3wales]

Thanks for this info, in the end i arranged for car to be dropped off at a more local garage and which is Audi approved.

After getting the car on the flatbed and having a look, the crashbar took more of an impact than i thought and the recovery driver asked "think it's a write off" which i think says a lot.

PS:

This is utter horsesh1t, I have had to take Admiral to the Financial Ombudsman as they still have not refunded me for a £550 policy that I cancelled before it started. Admiral even wrote to me to say they admit fault and will refund the money, but it has never materialised, after 7 months..... The next step will be to sue Admiral though small claims.

Sorry to hear that, I dont deal with policy complaints, only claims complaints.
Well if you need any damage advice, dont be affraid to reach out.

 

[Daz Auto]

However, our SQ5 on 265/40 21 Continental TS860S winters will/does/can 'catapult' UP and/or DOWN the road as if on dry tarmac...

Brakes and steers the same, too:

No it really doesn't! There is a massive difference in the way my car handles on snow and ice. My car has Vredestein Wintrac Pro winter tyres. They are excellent in these conditions. However, I learned the hard way - just because I have winter tyres fitted to my car - does not mean that I can drive completely normally. From my experience, braking distances are longer and cornering speeds have to be reduced.

Be really careful. The SQ5 is a 2 tonne vehicle. You are simply not going to be able to stop as quickly as a S3 with winter tyres on snow and ice. That extra 1/2 tonne weight will make a big difference.

 

[Shaun Osborne]

Thanks John, some really good knowledge and advice here.

Audi Approved Body Shop
According to this Audi website, the nearest approved body shop to me is HB Panelcraft Ltd in Preston. They appear to get good reviews, never heard of them though and there are a 60 minute round trip. A more local one is Northgate Autobody who get good reviews, not approved Audi though.

Insurance
Firstly, I only have 4 years no claims, protected no claims not an option (well, for Admiral at least).
I have never heard of Ensurance so pretty sure i dont have it. I bought the car 2h.

Regarding courtesy car, I could use my missus car as she is only in the office 1 or 2 days a week at the mo and I am full time home working. Would that benefit me? If it doesn't benefit me, as I have paid for the courtesy care it with my insurance, then I'd be daft to say no wouldn't I? It's miles on their car rather than missus.

How much does your insurance cost you? Does the cost you pay now plus the increased premium justify going through your insurance? If it was me I'd keep it off the road and repair it myself in time... Not like the covid19 restrictions are getting lifted anytime soon, and you work from home. Then the wall is drystone, and the farmer would be able to fix that at no cost, and sounds like he's a decent guy and will understand it was an unavoidable accident.

 

[45bvtc]

No it really doesn't! There is a massive difference in the way my car handles on snow and ice. My car has Vredestein Wintrac Pro winter tyres. They are excellent in these conditions. However, I learned the hard way - just because I have winter tyres fitted to my car - does not mean that I can drive completely normally. From my experience, braking distances are longer and cornering speeds have to be reduced.

Be really careful. The SQ5 is a 2 tonne vehicle. You are simply not going to be able to stop as quickly as a S3 with winter tyres on snow and ice. That extra 1/2 tonne weight will make a big difference.

Difference with the SQ5 is quattro permanent four-wheel drive and not Haldex. Like you I have Vredestein Wintrac Pro on my RS3 (and TT) (brilliant winter tyres but not available for the SQ5, tsk) so am able to evaluate both. But true, need to be aware of the SQ5's extra weight.

SQ5's quattro permanent four-wheel drive traction is way better mind...

 

[Daz Auto]

SQ5's quattro permanent four-wheel drive traction is way better mind...

Being able to use four-wheel drive to accelerate faster on snow and ice is NOT SAFER. If it was there would be a lot of independent articles or videos showing how four-wheel drive improves safety. Nobody has been able to find me anything that was not Audi marketing.

However, there are plenty of articles and videos showing the safety advantages of 4 season and winter tyres.

 

[CanadaA3wales]

From a person who was raised in Canada with -40 temps, black ice everywhere and snow drifts higher than a house, I can tell you there are just as many 4x4 trucks in the ditch as there are FWD and RWD cars.

The only thing that will help on snow and ice is good winter tyres / snow chains and drivers ability to navigate the bad roads.

 

[JohnM100]

@MikhailCompo - what was the bodyshop/insurer assessment?