in2dwww

Went for a walk this snowy morning in Greenville, SC. Came across this on Main St... A6 t-boned by an SUV. The Audi was left there for hours, I guess as a monument to remind people to drive safely. I sure hope the driver and passengers are okay.

Mike_L

Look at the way the door skins peeled. Looks like aluminum foil. I sure hope it took some serious force to do that and that these cars aren't made poor enough that the panels can just be peeled back.

in2dwww

I don't have the story on this... I just walked by, and about 2 hours later the car was still there. So I took a few shots. The other side of the car looked fine. Everything held together and it was shocking to see the driver's side.

There was a Tahoe or Suburban at the scene. This Audi is facing the wrong way on a 4-lane one-way street, so I can only deduct that someone ran a red light...

Either way, it sucks.

RobC

I wouldn't expect the outside metal to be structural, evidenced by the way body panels can flex just when applying pressure during washing. Usually doors have braces behind the sheet metal to absorb the impact.

Worldwidebeagle

You are correct. Door skins have not been structural for years. That's why the call it skin. US and German laws have required structural door braces for many years. And the US before Europe. While the photo is sad, the car find exactly what it was supposed to do, absorb impact , controlled deformation and protect the occupants from intrusion. I see no intrusion in the passenger compartment. After a massive crash, the car is not supposed to look good. It supposed to protect occupants. Audis are famous for that. I rolled an A6 down an embankment in a snowstorm and all four occupants walked away . The state police were in awe and could not believe there was not one bit of blood.

To paraphrase billy crystal, do want to look good or feel good?

jdong

As others have said, most modern cars will look nasty after seemingly "minor" collisions. The demand for lightweight designs means more and more of the car is just "skin" with support braces underneath.

Your insurance company is probably the one crying the most about this. Repairing these cars when something like this happens is costly.

gatorguy7

If that took a Tahoe or Suburban to the side, then I say job well done.

Jeff-AudiUSAParts

WOW. I am also surprised how well it took the impact. Other makes would be much worse off. Still, what a shame!

irenesbob

Are you sure this was a T-bone accident(I,e, 90 degrees to the side)? From the photos it does not look that way to me, more like a sideswiping (I am not sure what the technical term would be). I am not arguing, just verifying - thanks.

tenspeed

Looks like that to me too. This one looks like it is between T-boned and side swiped. Not a direct hit or a glancing blow.

It looks like the first point of impact was in the drivers door under the area of the bent window trim. The B pillar is the strongest part of the frame and it did it's job of keeping the SUV out of the people area.