fcd

Hello,

Recently my car was a victim of a hit and run. Unfortunately it was unwitnessed. I am definitely going to have it repaired as the paint seems to be peeling but I'm currently debating between paying for it out of pocket or going through insurance. I have decided on which body shop to use (they are an Audi certified collision shop). The damage was a big dent on the right fender and some paint scratches on the right bumper. Have some questions, and definitely feel free to give any advice.

a.) paying for it myself. It will cost roughly $1400 basing on body shop estimate. Will only fix right fender - replace and paint. They may do something with the bumper (probably detail it) but won't repaint the whole piece. Is phantom black a hard paint to replicate? My concern is if just fixing the fender would mean the repair would be glaringly obvious, and also considering my car is 7 years old so the overall paint condition isn't the greatest. Hoping also someone who had a similar repair done can chime in with their experience.

b.) going through insurance. Will cost roughly $2200 basing on estimate given. Will replace right fender, repaint the whole bumper and right front door. My main concern, is if they take off the front bumper to repaint it, will it necessitate recalibrating all the sensors? So it may drive up the estimate to probably more than $3000+. My car has the adaptive cruise, parking sensors and night vision. Guy who did the estimate said it won't be an issue to take it off. Just want to make sure if this was possible without having to recalibrate the sensors.

The reason why I'm even considering paying out of pocket is mainly due to the possible increase in insurance of just filing a claim (even though it's not my fault) and my large accident forgiveness resets to 3 more years (I will be eligible for large accident forgiveness in one more year, have Progressive). Also had a claim 3 years ago involving a rental car which was not my fault so nothing was paid out but it is another concern. Other concern is car is getting older, and although I plan to keep it as long as I can, not sure realistically if it is possible, so it is factoring in my indecision. Deductible is $500, if some of you may be wondering. And have to factor in car rental fees too.

Thanks in advance for all your input and advice! Pictures are at the bottom. First picture is when I first noticed the damage a month ago. 2nd picture is most recent one (yesterday). Car hasn't been washed in month sorry for the dirty looking car lol

Silver42

Couple of things here - having just gone through this recently - with even less damage shown....

my repair bill - once everything was taken apart - was just shy of 13,000.

One of my LED headlights was broken on some mounting points - needed replacement
re-alignment was required
door was re-painted and bumper was removed and re-finished - re-painted
damage to the wheel required replacement (same as yours...)
other things were found underneath that needed repair.

After all was said and done - my premiums (90 percent my fault) went up 175 every 6 months

my advice it to take it to the BEST place that is qualified to work on Aluminum and knows about our vehicles and have them do a complete deep-dive to see EVERYTHING that needs fixing. Most likely after all is said and done - you will find that the estimate will climb up. Also remember that you accident is not your fault and should be fixed under comprehensive and NOT collision. I may be wrong here, but get a police report going and prepare for the inevitable...

Scott

wheelsup69

$13,000 for repair less than what is shown!!! I think someone got their bonus. That's not a difficult fix and I wouldn't assume there is more damage than shown. The alignment of the headlight, hood and bumper look perfect. I'm willing to bet the curb rash on the wheel was there already. You would know better than anyone. I repair cars far worse than that and am currently rebuilding a 2013 S6 just because I wanted to.

A good repair shop will repair the damaged area and blend the paint on the fender. More than likely not put the color on the whole fender, just blend it past the repair then clear coat the whole thing. Shouldn't be an issue with paint match. Buff out the bumper. You probably have other nicks, scratches anyway I would guess. Unless yours is a show car I wouldn't worry about it. That's my $.02 anyway.

Silver42

Yes it was expensive - but look at the parts - the replacement LED headlight was 3500 - the wheel was 1000 - re-alignment of all the tech systems was close to 1000 - it all adds up.

my point was make sure you know what needs repair and really if a shop does not break down the car to see what's "underneath", it is hard to guess what really needs fixing!

Vodka G

lucky it didnt damage the LED light because those are about $4600 EACH with all the control modules in the back (ask me how i know LOL)!

Vodka G

I had a front ender. Hood, side fender and light damage at 5mph into a pickup truck (icy road down hill ....enuff said)

total cost for repair $11.8k (that's after the initial est of $13.8k) and taking some cosmetic credit for the grill and the bumper

They said I was $1k away from totaling the car.......

fcd

Thanks for the replies:

@Silver42 That's what I was concerned about too of if there are more damages underneath. But the body shop who did the estimate said that it looks like I got off lucky with no damage to the headlight and front bumper except for the paint. Rim damage was already there prior to the accident. I am taking it to an authorized Audi collision body shop so I guess they know what they're doing and they seem to have good reviews. Called insurance and although I haven't officially filed a claim yet, they said that I don't need a police report as it was unwitnessed anyway, and that it goes under collision instead of comprehensive.Hopefully that insurance agent I talked to was well informed...

@wheelsup69 I hope you are correct but yes the body shop reports everything else seems ok except for what we see. Curb rash on rim was there already. Unless I misunderstood you regarding not putting the whole color on the fender, the fender has to be replaced and repainted unfortunately as they said it was aluminum and trying to just fix the dent, it may break according to the body shop. If I go through option 1, yes they would probably just buff out the bumper. Yes it has nicks and scratches (I mean don't usually have the car detailed and waxed regularly). Just wondering how difficult phantom black would be to color match, if I just go with the bare minimum and replace the fender only. Concern is it might be too glailngly obvious especially under sunlight.

@Vodka G & @Silver42 Damn those repair bills are insane. I think the value of my car right now is close to the amount. Then again yes it is an older car. If this happened within 3-4 years of car ownership it would have been a no brainer for me and I would have taken it to insurance no questions asked. But even if it's a 7 year old car, it doesn't seem like a good idea to drop/lower the coverage on these cars, as the replacement parts are still expensive.

Fahrer

I would go through the insurance company and have everything repaired properly. You never know what else might be involved beyond the initial estimate. Without the insurance company involvement you would be responsible for any surprises or additional repairs or adjustments. The bumper should be removed and repaired/painted. After re-installation, I am sure lane sensors, camera will need to be re-aligned. By the way, $ 1400 seems low. I'd be bet just mixing/spraying the paint would be several hundred dollars.

Silver42

I would check the passenger side led-light (like that? SOLID!) and make sure (as much as you can see) that the mounting plastic bolt holes are not impacted / broken. Mine was after they took the stuff / covers off and based on the damage the light would not stay aligned. Over time it would drift and move - hence the replacement and yes it is a HUGE cost. If you go through insurance - might as well get the wheel replaced - it could be bent or whatever. get it fixed right.

wheelsup69

I guess I look at things a little different and maybe a little too practical. Yours is a 2012 A6 Prestige. Assuming average miles Kelly Blue Book values the car at around $16,000. (Hopefully that isn't a surprise but you should book it out). Unfortunately Audi's drop in value faster than just about any car I've ever seen. (I've owned 5 of them so I know). If you follow some advice your car will be totaled by the insurance company. The car is way too nice to get that sort of brand based on what I see in the pictures. So here is some advice for what it's worth. Yes you can pay $3,500 for a new headlight. Or you can source one from a salvage yard, in perfect condition for $900 assuming your ballasts are still good (I just checked). Takes 10 minutes to switch them over. That being said, I'd be really surprised if yours needs to be replaced. If there's a broken tab, it can be fixed for next to nothing. Same goes for the fender. You can get a used one for less than $300 on EBAY in perfect condition, OEM not aftermarket. Heck I just checked car-part.com and found several that are Phantom Black already, factory paint that you can pick up for $300 - $400. Probably less than getting yours painted. The paint should be a perfect match.

Now if your car was a 2016 and still worth $35,000 or more, I completely agree with what others are saying and I would do the same. You have to realize it's simply a numbers game for the insurance companies. They understand they can sell your car, as is for probably $12,000 at auction. If the repairs are more than $4,000, they will likely total it. If it reaches 50% of the value they wouldn't even hesitate.....

Your call. If it was me, I'd get a fender as I described above, install it myself on a Saturday, buff out the bumper and move on.