Received a call this evening from my Audi dealer service technician and he basically told me that my car was in a collision with an 18-wheeler truck during a test drive and it is damaged pretty badly. This is a properly taken care of 2008 B7. I am extremely pissed and do not know what to do.

The dealer offered to jump the gun and have everything fixed, but I paid off for the car 2 months ago and purchased extended warranty on the car earlier this year. Clearly the resale will take a hit and I personally won't buy a car that has seen an accident. Will post pics when I finally get to see my car in the morning.

ADVICE PLEASE!!!

 

You could tell them you want a second opinion from a different mechanic. That way you know everything that needs to be fixed, without the dealership being the only one that knows what happened.

 

What kind of damage are we talking about. $2K , 5K , 10K ??? Get an estimate and understand if it is cosmetic or if there is suspension or drive train damage. If the frame is bent your best bet is to get it totaled . I would consider suing the dealer or have them replace the car. Start the negotiations now and find out what your options are. Good luck.

 

^^^^^
pretty much this

most likely, they are simply going to offer you a cash settlement. depending on their insurance and some other corporate factors they (the dealer) may not be able to negotiate a settlement. it is probable they will simply offer you whatever amount the insurance company determines is the value of your car.

Might be in you best interest to find a lawyer or other spokesperson to handle the negotiations with the dealership for you. I've found that when you are too close to the situation, emotionally, it can interfere with your judgement. Having a third party that represents your interests, without emotion, can be beneficial. You basically tell them what would be the ideal solution and what would be the minimum acceptable settlement. Then they work to find you something in the middle (hopefully closer to the ideal).

just a thought.

good luck. let us know how it works out

 

Just got back in from the body shop that they took the car to. I plainly told them to do nothing with it while I figure out what to do. I'm not sure if to involve my insurance company so that I have an evaluation that's on my side. I am also considering legal consultation to find out exactly what my rights are in this issue.

After visiting the dealership (Audi of Austin) this morning, they were sympathetic and showed me pictures of the car at the crash site. Basically the car was t-boned by the front of an 18-wheeler on an access/feeder road, and the car deflected and ran straight into a sizeable trailer hitch that was parked on a retail lot. The pic sums it up. Driver airbag was deployed and engine is displaced. They didn't identify skid marks on the road, so the car seemed to take the full force while doing 45-ish mph. Haven't seen the police report yet though. Audi will get that info to me soon (I hope).

In the mean time they let me take a brand new a4 off the lot to drive while things get resolved. It just doesn't feel as beefy and planted as my car. I am everything just short of stressed. Pic of frontal damage is attached in the photo below.

 

looks/sounds totaled

take a deep breath. try not to stress. sounds like the dealership is willing to try to work with you to get things resolved. definitely give your insurance company a call and see what they say

 

Start looking for another car as I can pretty much assure you that one is totaled. You most likely will not get more than High retail KBB for it. Insurance is for accidents and that is what it was. Lawsuit would be pointless since there is no injury and the insurance will go from there. Do not expect to get anything more that what it was worth except maybe some cash to cover your warrant purchase. Make sure you document any upgrades and stereo you might have put into it.

Wish that would have happened to mine before I traded it in!

 

tell them to exchange it for one of the same year. if they fix it, you'll be screwed with the resale if a carfax shows it was in a crash.

 

Looks totaled from the pic. I would advise against getting a lawyer as you do not have anything to sue for. At most you can get the value of your car and reimbursment for a rental (which they provided so far free of charge) and maybe a little extra for your trouble. A lawyer will suck 33% of any settlement amount you would get which means you would probably end up losing money. Do some research and get the current value to replace your car in your area. Then (if the car is totaled) present that to the dealer and tell them that is what you want. If they balk you can file a claim with your insurance company and let them fight it out with the dealers insurance company. You didn't mention if the truck or the tech was at fault in the accident? Wouldn't matter for your side, but the dealer may have to sue the truck company for their employee injuries(if there were any) or vise versa.

 

You're getting a lot of good advice here. I am no insurance adjuster, but I would concur with everyone that it appears to be totalled. I would push for that (not fixing it). Like rhodes said above, a lawyer probably isn't necessary and won't really help in this case. Just work with them on the value, get your insurance company to value it if necessary, and try to walk away with a check. The only advice I would give is don't negotiate any sort of purchase/trade on the spot even if you're tempted. Just walk away with a check for cash and if you really want to go back to shop, wait a day. You'll be more objective that way and have a little better negotiating position as you won't be dealing with the value of your wrecked car in the same deal.