Bash!! - the encore

Why is it that other drivers are so drawn to the rear ends of my Audis that they can't avoid hitting them? After the fun and games with my A6 in the UK (follow the link for the thread), here we are on a different continent, and still finding the same rear-end attraction exists.

https://i.ibb.co/rs30F5K/image5.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/ZdpCL8c/image4.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/LkKX5fH/image3.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/CtQbHmV/image2.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/gRT2WZ8/image1.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/B2zKCsX/image0.jpg

The truck is a livestock transporter, and the driver was seemingly not paying attention when the traffic slowed and stopped on the highway ahead of him. The poor Q5 acted as his brake. The seat belt tensioner pyrotechnics deployed during the collision, and the car automatically lowered the front windows and called the emergency services. Thankfully nobody was hurt.

On a positive note, because of the height difference of the vehicles, the Q5 took the hit higher up than if a normal car had run into it, and my little Union Jack trailer hitch cover escaped unscathed. :)

We're waiting to see if they decide to repair the car or write it off. I have a worrying feeling they may try to repair it - it's only 6 months old and with around 9000 miles on the clock. I'm hoping they decide it's a write-off, though. Regardless, I don't think it will ever be quite the same again, so we'll be looking to replace it if they go ahead with repairs.

Anyone want to buy a Q5? One careful owner. ;)

MF.

Well, it looks like they are going to repair the car. For anyone interested, the assessor report is here:

Assessment Redacted.pdf - Google Drive

This doesn't take account of the fact that the recovery company left the car outside, uncovered for a week, though. It rained quite hard for a couple of days, and the car has no rear window...

It's now with an Audi approved repairer, and they are in the process of stripping it down to assess the full extent of what needs fixing. I'm hoping they will find enough waterlogged electrics to write it off...

MF.

Just reading the repair quote, looks like they have quoted a new rear bumper without parking sensors. (replace bumper cover w/o sensors), you may want to check that.
Also they are charging for impact bar without trailer hitch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KevTrem

Just reading the repair quote, looks like they have quoted a new rear bumper without parking sensors. (replace bumper cover w/o sensors), you may want to check that.
Also they are charging for impact bar without trailer hitch.

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Yep - there are a couple of issues with that assessment. The repairer told us they just use it as a starting point, and make a proper assessment as the car is being taken apart. This then goes to the insurer to give them a better idea of the true scope of the repair. Any parts replaced are OEM too - despite the assessment stating at least one aftermarket part.

I think the car is already being worked on. I'm not getting a response from the vehicle in the MyAudi app, so I assume the battery has been disconnected. We haven't heard from the insurance company yet though, so that might be as far as they have got. The app still shows the faults from the time of the accident though - including " Drivetrain fault - contact workshop" as one of them. I'm guessing this will be noticed when they scan the car, or at least I hope it will. I have VCDS, so I'll be scanning the car for faults before we accept any repairs.

In the meantime our temporary replacement is a Kia Sorento rented from Hertz. We're keeping the miles down on our other car by using the Kia for every trip we can. It almost feels like masochism :)

MF.

Well, things certainly move a lot more slowly on the repair front here in the USA than I'm used to from prior UK experiences. We called the body shop yesterday to see what was happening - we hadn't had any updates for over two weeks. The bloke I spoke to said the parts had just come in, and they were going to start repairs within the next week. They haven't done anything to the car yet. I voiced my concerns again about the possibility of water damage after the car was left out for a week in the rain by the recovery company. He replied that yes, he had mentioned it to the guys, but they had ordered the parts so it looks like there are no issues. I'm a little worried now. How do they know there are no water-related issues if they haven't started working on the car yet?

I am now getting vehicle responses from MyAudi, though. I read on the Q7 forum that the Audi servers have been having issues for the past couple of weeks, so maybe that was why I didn't get anything before. Looks like I was wrong about the battery being removed. I guess I was just being optimistic :)

No sign of getting out of the Kia any time soon...

MF.

Having been told last week that the car repairs would be finished by the end of today, we waited with anticipation for a call. And waited. You've already guessed, haven't you? There was no call. I took matters into my own hands and rang them few minutes ago. They are now telling me there were "some more parts we needed to order" and it might be ready by next Monday. Sigh. How long does the factory take to build a Q5 from scratch? I'm sure they could have built, stripped, built, stripped, built, stripped, built the vehicle many times over in the time these repairs have taken up to now. Oh well.

Still driving that Kia... :)

MF.