A8 Bumper Damage
 

Has anyone had a problem with A8 bumpers?
I parked front-in, tapped the concrete barrier and pulled back. My bumper went flying off the car causing $1500 damage, mostly parts plus that car had to be flat-bed towed. It was gone in the shop for almost 2 weeks. Labor was $300. The dealer said that this is a problem with the Audi design - the bumper was lowered for aeordynamics. Audi says that unless others can substantiate this problem, they will not address it as a design issue. I thought that at the least, Audi shouldn't make a second profit on parts.

What model and year ? I've seen many "tapped" by careless salesmen ans lot porters. Never this
 

problem though. Usually a divot or gash in the skin.

Re: What model and year ? I've seen many "tapped" by careless salesmen ans lot porters. Never this
 

Sorry for the oversight. 1999 A8 Quattro.

I've got a little crack ...from
 

hitting the curb that was a little high on a u turn. It's kind of ugly but it's not serious enough to warrant a new bumper.

Re: A8 Bumper Damage
 

Ditto!! I've pulled up on a curb and while backing up the lower bumper cover snagged itself on the curb, and the bumper cover peeled off. $1100 in damages. According to the body shop this is a very common problem with the A8 and the A6. I had sent an e-mail to Audi regarding this problem, but never got a response from them. There is also a TSB that talks about this problem.

Re: A8 Bumper Damage
 

Same experience with my '97. I haven't had it repaired though! I am able to snap it back into place and it stays. It also breaks away easier when caught up! I also have a small crack in the lower bumper due to contact with concrete barriers.

Re: A8 Bumper Damage
 

This just happened to my 97 S8 - parked too close to a low wall in a car park and snagged the lip of the spoiler underneath. Backed off and the bumper cover got pulled away, the plastic undertray dropped down and one headlamp washer snapped halfway down the vertical pipe.
The car's in the repair shop tomorrow - expect this to be expensive to fix in the UK.
I don't blame Audi, I blame myself for parking too close!

Re: A8 Bumper Damage
 

My wife pulled the front bumper off of our 1997 A8 twice. Picked up all the pieces and brought it to our local body shop who snapped things together for about $200. One of the pop up headlight washers was broken one time.

I think it's a design flaw that I hope Audi learns from in the future. The front bumper is curved so it rides up over a curb, but then it has a sharp lip that catches the curb in reverse. A more tapered, smooth joint under the car would ride back up over the curb in reverse.

Now she does not try and pull up until the front wheels touch the curb.

Re: A8 Bumper Damage
 

I got caught out in the same situation with my 2001 S8. I parked too close to the concrete bump stop in a parking garage and hooked the lower bumper over the top of the stop. I remedied the problem by pulling forward onto the concrete stop until the tire was on top of it, placed a 2" by 12" wooden block under the tire and carefully backed up. It worked like a charm. Now I carry this wooden block (nicely wrapped in Alcantera) with me in case I am so stupid as to do it again. Hope this helps.

Rob in Santa Barbara, California