Rear corner crushed

Hello,

Unfortunately, a small delivery van collided with my parked A3 over the weekend.
The entire left side of the vehicle is dented, with the damage ranging from 1-2 cm near the front fender to up to 10 cm towards the rear.
Are there any specific things to keep in mind during the repair? The rear section, up to the door frame, probably needs to be carefully removed.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,
My condolences. Due to the lack of highly qualified answers and with the risk that you already know this: The sheet metal is galvanized. Audi requires resistance spot welding at the points where pliers can be applied. This requires increasing the pressing force and current compared to normal sheet metal. Additionally, the seams are glued. I don't know whether the operating permit will be voided if you don't purchase the adhesive from the original manufacturer. If it needs to cure at a warm temperature, this can probably also be done in the paint booth.
I would be willing to do without the spot welding pliers if absolutely necessary, but I would definitely not give up the adhesive!


Best regards, Christian.

Thank you, Christian.

That information about the adhesive was new to me, thanks for the tip. Due to a lack of time and patience, I took the car to the Audi service center in Nuremberg. Let's see what the car will look like when I get it back...
I got a really cool rental car (an A6, 2.5 TDI with 132 kW and automatic transmission), and the Audi center was really accommodating, as no other vehicle with a tow hitch was available.
Hopefully, the repair will be successful, but based on my previous experiences, I'm a little skeptical.

Best regards, Rainer.

Yes, I'd be curious to know that too. Certainly looks good from the outside.
It's a matter of luck whether you find it from below or within the cavities.
Christian

Hi Rainer.

First of all, I would like to express my deepest condolences.
That must have been a heavy blow for you. But chin up.
"Nowadays, workshops have the technology to fix things so well that you might not even notice they were ever damaged. However, you'll probably still need to use flexible repair methods. Make sure they only use branded, galvanized parts. And if you negotiate skillfully, you might be able to get extras, like a complete car paint job, a free facelift, or even having plastic parts painted to match the car's color." Because if you let them handle the insurance claim process, they tend to be a little tricky.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!

Hello,

Okay, I have my car back .
As far as I can tell, it's quite well done.
- Excellent paint job, no visible edges.
- Slot dimensions within tolerance.
- Body dimensions are within acceptable limits.

"The following are not allowed:"
- The plastic door frame trim is crookedly attached (or I suspect it was applied crookedly?) or came loose too early.
- Door lock screws not tightened (tightened myself because the door was rattling due to loose holes).
- Color residue on the door seal (easily wiped off even with a diluted solution).
- Paint and primer on the partially masked left gas strut opener of the tailgate (removed myself with thinner).

Initially, I noticed some imperfections in the paint on the left side of the windshield frame, but I'm not entirely sure if they were already there before. The upper half of the right door was painted at a "special price" because it had a poorly repaired scratch.

I am very satisfied with the work, but I have an appointment to have the incorrectly installed kickboard trim fixed.

Do I have a right to a replacement car during the rework appointment? Ultimately, the fault for me having to go back lies with the workshop.

Further imperfections, regardless of the workshop:
- The expert must have had Pattex glue on his eyes, because even though I explicitly pointed out the scratches on my wheel arches at the workshop, nothing about them was mentioned in the expert report.
Unfortunately, I had to follow up on this. The revised report is not yet available to me (it's possible that it's already in my mailbox, as I haven't checked since Thursday evening).
- No depreciation found after expert appraisal? Well, time will tell.
At least one new winter tire came out, now I just need to buy another new one.

Best regards, Rainer.

That was half the rent.
If it were mine, I would now check the cavity protection, underbody protection, and primer, as these areas may have been damaged during the repair. Otherwise, it won't work out to have a depreciation of 0.
Christian

Hello Christian,

christians wrote:

That was half the rent. If it were mine, I would now check the cavity protection, underbody protection, and primer, as these areas may have been damaged during the repair. Otherwise, it won't work out with a depreciation rate of 0.

I removed the interior door panel today, and it looks quite good inside. The same goes for the rear of the vehicle, as far as I could tell.
The underbody protection has been repaired. If I find some time during the Christmas holidays and the weather cooperates, I'll wax everything again.

Best regards, Rainer.

Okay, the plastic trim piece has been replaced and is now perfectly glued in place. Similarly, the hazy finish on the window frame of the windshield was polished.
It looks great now, but it's a shame that you always have to follow up and nothing happens on its own.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to do without your own follow-up checks.
I'd give the repair a grade of around a C+.

Best regards, Rainer.