Damaged front unit, I guess the whole thing needs replacing

[jangles]

I had a mishap today that was totally my fault, I can't blame anyone else and so the consequences are painful only for me

Parking in the car park at Oxford services on the M40, I parked too far forward over a kerb; pulling the car back in reverse ripped the whole front from its mountings so it was literally hanging off.

Photo:

audi-frontleft1.jpg

With the help of a car expert at the Porsche centre at Silverstone - my destination today: could hardly have been at a better place with this problem! - the car was made safe so that I could drive it home. Safe = removing the entire front unit.

Here's what it now looks like - not a pretty sight:

audi-frontleft2.jpg

My task tomorrow is to talk to Audi Reading to determine cost of a replacement unit - if that's what is needed. Then I need to decide what to do, eg, whether to make an insurance claim or not. Depends on cost, I guess.

What would you advise in this regard? I'd appreciate any helpful suggestions, thanks.

[Macdoon]

Ouch, it's just so much worse when it's your own fault.

Determine cost, and whether you can afford to do it with/without the help of insurance? Either way go DTM front bumper.

Mac

[jangles]

Thanks Macdoon. That's what I plan to do.

(DTM? Can't figure what this means... )

[Macdoon]

Thanks Macdoon. That's what I plan to do.

(DTM? Can't figure what this means... )

DTM - Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft or German touring car masters. Audi made 250 A4 DTM models for Europe, inspired by the DTM racing cars from 2004-2005.

Mac

[jangles]

DTM - Deutsche Tourenwagen-Meisterschaft or German touring car masters.

Got it, thanks! Looks like a good description on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Tourenwagen_Meisterschaft

[darich]

Personally I wouldn't change the bumper to DTM.
The insurance may not meet the cost of it since it's not standard - if it's more expensive you may have make up the shortfall.
If the bumper is damaged in future insurance, again may only replace the standard bumper meaning you'd need to pay the rest.
Could force up premium since you're buying/replacing parts with rare/non-standard ones.
EDIT - does the DTM bumper fit standard wings? I know the SE and SLine bumpers are different and not interchangeable.......would the DTM simply slot on??

That's just me though - if you want to go for it then it's your call.

Either way, it's a sore one and even worse when you can't blame anyone....except yourself.

[jangles]

I spent time at Reading Audi this morning. The bad news is that the repair could cost around £1.5k - clearly an insurance claim, no question. Additional damage noted in the initial inspection, eg, headlights loose (clamps broken, can't repair only replace light units), the skirts in front of the front wheels ripped open, need replacing.

Here's a pic I took at Reading Audi, see the front of the car in all its unglory:

P1000012-2.jpg

The good news is that the insurance company (LV) is happy for Reading Audi to do the repair, subject to acceptance of their cost estimate. In hand, should know more tomorrow.

I would add that my expectation of how Reading Audi would address my problem was exceeded. That's what they do. That's what relationships are all about.

@darich, to your point re DTM, I don't intend to go that route. The car's an S-Line and that's really what I want it to look like as it came out of the factory. In any case, now it's an insurance claim, the shots are being called by LV and the dealer. That's fine with me - I just would like my car back in at least as good a state as it was right before my little mishap with a high kerb.