S3 - Hit and run damage

[James__S3]

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can give some advice and rough costs etc for this repair and what they'd recommend to do (i.e. repair, replace, insurance etc?)

Long story short, some kind fellow hit me in a retail car park while I was shopping and disappeared without leaving any contact details I was in there all of about 20mins while on my way to my new place. Didn't notice the damage until I got there!!
This happened at the beginning of May, so I've had a few weeks of going through the retail park CCTV company and police to find out that my car wasn't covered by CCTV at the time of the incident So i'm now focusing on fixing the damage.


The damage is localised to the front passenger side wheel arch, front bumper and alloy (just had all 4 refurbed ). The wheel arch has a nasty crumple, the front bumper has some scuffs and the alloy has a minor scuff. I'm mainly focusing on the wheel arch and front bumper damage as i'll take my wheel back to the guys who've just done them a few weeks ago (Dimond Alloys, highly recommend ).

I'll attach some photos as a ref...

If anyone has been in similar situations that can help with rough costs etc, I would be greatly appreciated it. And of course any other advise.

Thanks,

James

p.s. my neighbour knocked my wing mirror in Jan, just getting fixed as he took his sweet time. 2018 is not a good year for my car!

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[Matt268uk]

My brother owns a body shop and I think in your case the bumper scuff is nothing at all, just a “da” off then prime and paint, done. The wing in my opinion would be better to source a second hand or even new from somewhere like TPS and just have it painted. I think you’ll be looking at around £200/250 for all paint and fitting + the cost of the wing.

 

[prt57]

I agree with Matt, a new wing would give you the best job. There are lots of seams and folds in that area to get straight and you will lose some definition.
I had to have a similar repair done on my Mk 4 GTi when my wife ripped the front bumper off and dented the front wing reversing out of the garage!! Whilst good, it is not perfect.

 

[Daveyonthemove]

Has to be a new wing. Even if it was a great repair job you would always know it was damaged and the chances of rust happening in the future will have increased.

 

[James__S3]

Thanks for the advise guys.

Agreed, a new wing is definitely needed. I did have a look on that TPS site and found VAG spares but no body panels. Matt, do you have a link to this site encase I've gone to the wrong one? £250 sounds reasonable for a panel respray so that has eased my nerves about the costs of all this. Where is your brothers body shop? I'm based around Heathrow and would be looking to get sorted asap if funds allow.

Thanks again.

 

[nluk100]

Be careful with non genuine wings as they often don't fit perfectly and you spend just as much as a genuine wing getting it tweaked to fit!

Best bet is a second hand genuine wing and get it sprayed imo.

Also, you have one of the most difficult colors to match, so you may have to get the whole side of the car done!!

 

[samuelh_888]

Have you spoken to your insurance to see if they’ll cover the repair. Some won’t take your NCB, others will.

Ford swing the hoist arm into the door of my SMax which they denied - I’m getting it repaired through insurance as the excess and subsequent NCD loss is still cheaper than paying the repair (£800, the dent is across the body line crease).

Maybe outside of London, but I can’t see that being repaired for £250 or less. As @nluk100 says, the paint will need to be blended down the side of the car.

Go via insurance I’d say.

 

[Matt268uk]

@James__S3 our body shop is in Dorset so maybe too far for you to travel but I seriously doubt the whole side of the car would need painting. Have a ask around at your local body shops and see what they say.

Try this link and give your local branch a call. No need to mention you don’t have a business just ask for a price and tell them it’s a cash sale.

https://tps.trade/centre-finder

Hope this helps.

 

[James__S3]

@nluk100 Agreed. I'm more than happy to pay for a genuine part instead of going for a cheap botch. The driveability of the car hasn't been affected so i'm in no immediate rush...just looks rubbish! I'm really hoping i don't have to blend the whole side of the car but i see your point. It needs to match so i will if i have to.

@samuelh_888 I'm reluctant to go to my insurer just yet as i'm paranoid they'll just put it on my file and bump me up next year. But I haven't ruled them out if the total cost of repairing the damage becomes too high for me to fund.

@Matt268uk Yeah i will do. As i mentioned above, I really hope i don't have to respray the whole side of the car! But i'll get some local advise on this as you suggested. Thanks for the link, i'll give them a call over the weekend. I have a wedding and beer festival to take my mind off the cost

Thanks for the help guys

 

[samuelh_888]

[USER=117059]@samuelh_888 I'm reluctant to go to my insurer just yet as i'm paranoid they'll just put it on my file and bump me up next year. But I haven't ruled them out if the total cost of repairing the damage becomes too high for me to fund.[/USER]

Yep true - that's happened to me before too.

 

[James__S3]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the advice!

I've decided to avoid the insurance route for the reasons mentioned above, I just see them bumping my insurance up for the next 5+ years.

I've taken the advise of VRT Slough, who have done some previous work for me, servicing etc and seem like genuine and knowledgeable guys. They've been mentioned on this forum a few times and rated highly from some top members. VRT recommended a company who does all their body work repairs. They are called Autocraft Repairs Ltd, based in Woking, Surrey. They quoted me £927 inc VAT for the whole job and they provide a car (free of charge) for the 3-4 days they'll have it for. This price is inclusive of, new wheel arch, paint and blend with door and repair to from bumper. I thought this was a responsible price, so booked it in with them. It's booked in for the 9th July and i'll make sure I update this thread with pictures of the completed job

Thanks again

James

 

[samuelh_888]

VRT do my work too - I'm happy to recommend them.

£900 inc VAT, for all that work seems fair.

 

[James__S3]

Hi all,
As promised, i'm back with photos and a short review of the completed works

I've attached some photo's so hopefully they are enough to show the repair. As mentioned before, the repair has been done by Autocraft Repairs in Woking on the recommendation of VRT, Slough. The scope of works; a replacement wing (passenger side), scuff repairs to left side of front bumper, paint wing & scuff repair and fade in with the door. Time scale; I handed the car in on the 09/07/18 and collected 19/07/18. A courtesy car was provided, free of charge, which did the job of getting me to and from work, so this was a massive plus.

I inspected the repair for quite some time on collection, when I got home and this morning (like a sad ****), and I can't find any faults what so ever. It looks perfect, even the colour matches perfectly. To my eye, it's flawless, as if nothing ever happened, which is the best outcome I could ask for. Hopefully the pictures will show what i mean.

Dealing with Darren at Autocraft Repairs was an absolute pleasure. He's a genuine bloke and clearly takes pride in his work. I've added their contact details below for anyone who's interested.

Autocraft Repairs
T 01483 488 333
F 01483 489 090
W www.autocraftrepairs.com
Unit 6 | The Timber Yard | Lucas Green Road | West End | Surrey | GU24 9YB


On a final note, having a courtesy car for 10 days and then getting back into the S3 was mind blowing! It's an incredible reminder of just how amazing these cars are and how easy it is to get use to how they drive! I was grinning from ear to ear on my drive home and I still am every time i get in it!


Hopefully this helps with anyone who needs any repair work doing

James

 

[NevMan]

Looks good @james_S3, glad you got it sorted.
Late in the day, but I second the don't even ask insurance, as they log that. A couple years ago, I called home insurance to enquire about fallen tiles (house at time was 3 storey townhouse). They then "logged" the call, even though I didn't claim. Anything under a few £k I would never bother

 

[Daveyonthemove]

Great result, glad to see it was fixed to a high standard and you are happy.
Such a shame that cost you so much money through no fault of your own, but there is no point dwelling on it.

 

[James__S3]

Looks good @james_S3, glad you got it sorted.
Late in the day, but I second the don't even ask insurance, as they log that. A couple years ago, I called home insurance to enquire about fallen tiles (house at time was 3 storey townhouse). They then "logged" the call, even though I didn't claim. Anything under a few £k I would never bother

Exactly mate, it annoys the hell out of me how it all works. You pay for the insurance, then pay again when you have to use it. Over the years i'd definitely end up paying more and it wouldn't be at a repair shop of my choosing. Such a broken system

 

[James__S3]

Great result, glad to see it was fixed to a high standard and you are happy.
Such a shame that cost you so much money through no fault of your own, but there is no point dwelling on it.

Didn't even notice the damage to begin with as it's on the passenger side, my heart sank when the girlfriend pointed out the damage as I drove up the drive. It was only a pit stop to pick up an air bed for the new place encase we had anyone over...such a stupid reason...so much money

But I'm glad its all been sorted now