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My family and I were in a rear-end accident last week in my Q7. We have had it less than 6 months. It is a Q7 Prestige with the adaptive chassis. We were sitting at a red light and were hit by another vehicle which was going between 55-60 mph. The biggest thing is that my kids are okay. The Q7 was amazing in the accident and even the police commented that we were extremely lucky to be in it.
We are now stuck in limbo though about it being totaled. Apparently because it is brand new, a specialized and enhanced vehicle, and, as the collision shop keeps saying, it's an Audi, there is a delay in determining whether it will be totaled. They said it could be over a week to even get it to the right place to start making a determination. During this, we are in limbo.
The seatbelts did lock and, we were advised, that the Pyro fuse was detonated so it will not start the engine. It has extensive damage in the back. The other vehicle went in and under mine. The back bumper, all supports, and lights are pretty much demolished. The rear hatch won't open due to metal that is crushed up. There are a plentitude of severed wires hanging about. The drivers side rear muffler is pushed all the way to the back tire. The center muffler on the exhaust is cracked and crushed. The rear driver tire appears to turn out slightly at the bottom. I am attaching pictures below. The gold piece stick in the back is part of the other vehicle. Would anyone have any experience or opinions that they could offer on whether it might be totaled? Although we loved it, we are nervous about having a vehicle that is less than 6 months old with extensive repairs and the impact on value.
Also, with the adaptive chassis, the vehicle is now completely lopsided. The front tires have almost two hands of space between the tire and
wheel well while the back tire is a squeeze to fit one hand in. In an accident, is this supposed to happen or is this the adaptive chassis failing from damage?
I appreciate any input! Thank you!
Jorie Adaptive chassis spacing difference
Damn! Glad you and the kids are ok!! Looks like the Q7 took it like a champ...I almost wonder what the other car looked like...probably front end was destroyed. Based on what you describe, looks like multiple systems were impacted and demolished. Based on that, it's not unlikely that they have to total the vehicle. These cars are complex and expensive and after damage like this you will likely want a new one anyway...not repaired. Unfortunately you will lose money given how new this was, but you need to fight the insurance company to make you whole. Give the crazy discounts posted here, its very likely you can get a new one with the insurance payout.
Also, push the insurance to put you in a loaner in the meantime and speed up the estimate process.
She was good to you, but you dont want her back...
The Q7 did show its best quality to you and your family - being one the safest cars on a road. Pity it did happen, but you've got your money worth alright. I am guessing it will be totaled. And I would hope this will be the case so you can get a new one. The Audi Q7 is the uni-body vehicle, thus the damage like that of your car definitely affected its structural integrity. This car will never be the same no matter what the body shop will do to it. Best luck!
P.S. I know a guy who did totaled his brand new custom-built Chevy Impala 7 miles away from the dealership on its maiden voyage. Deer jumped right in front of it on his way home. He got himself new one after that, but this time from the dealer's lot.
Did you lease the vehicle and if so, do you have GAP coverage? This is something I always insist on when obtaining (leasing) a vehicle - just to have the opportunity to start with a new vehicle with $0 out of pocket in case it's stolen/totaled.
FWIW each insurance company has a different cut-off for the percentage of Actual Cash Value (ACV) for when they will declare your car a total loss. The cut-off percentage ranges between 70-80% of your car’s ACV depending on the insurer.
Wow! 55-60 mph! Hard to conceive how it is even possible to be hit by someone quite that stupid/drunk/stoned/asleep but I guess they are out there. Just curious as to what the other vehicle was. Musta been small to submarine under the Q7.
In any case, it is super that your family was fine and makes all of us feel good about driving the Q7!
In my case, I would not even consider keeping that complex a vehicle after that kind of crash. If they did not total it, I would see what legal remedies there were to make me whole. I had a similar thing happen in the late 90's (hit by someone sneaking between stopped cars) and it was so close to totalled that they gave me the option of whether to fix or total it. Lumina van, FYI. I told them to send it for scrap or fix and sell it - I did not want to drive a repaired vehicle that had been damaged that badly
Just out of curiosity, how did the active chassis got damaged like that? Was there some control unit got pushed from the impact or what?
We don't know for sure but the initial belief from the collison center is that the control was damaged. The information relayed to me was that it can compensate in an accident but it should not be that extreme.
07-22-2019, 02:27 PM
Q7 Totaled???
