The unthinkable has finally happened to me. I was in an accident with my beloved b5 1.8t and now I'd like some advice on what possible underlying problems it could have. Long story short, I spun out and hit a guard rail head on at 15 or 20 mph (rough estimate). the front end definately needs some work. The hood, as well the front bumper, and some of the surrounding structure will need to be replaced; however the engine, even the radiator appears to be completely undamaged.

My question is, after all the body work is finished, what problems are likely to occur after an impact like this? The accident seemed to have caused the car to be slightly out of alignment, is this an easy fix? and are any other problems likely to occur later on?

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

alignment yeah that's not that to bad to fix. You're gonna wanna make sure the frame is still straight though. and see if you broke any control arms, etc. in the steering department

 

When a car is unnaturally taken out of alignment, that probably means something is bent... Like a tie rod or control arm. Your frame and sub frame are probably fine if you were only going that fast. First take care of the driveline then the body. Got pics? Also make sure the alluminum tranny mounting brackets didn't try to crush at all.

 

At 15-20 mph your frame shouldn't be bent. It takes a hell of an impact to bend a frame, or in the case of modern passengers cars, the subframe. If the frame is bent, then I'm either horribly wrong and need to readjust my thinking or you were going faster than you think. My buddy did the same thing to his focus at 25-30 mph except he hit the rear passenger side. He subframe was fine. Other than that, yeah, alignment shouldn't be too bad to fix.

 

sounds like a cf hood and an s4 front bumper....a new set of e-code one piece w/hid....

and hit up fcp groton and get the whole fron suspension kit.....

you can diy all of this with basic tools...and when your done get an all wheel alignment for about 80-100$....

good luck!

 

i did the same thing in my 2.8, only going about 55 in a 65 zone. yea i was going under the speed limit for a change and look what i get.... a new car thats what. i love my 1.8t

 

Thanks for your all your suggestions everyone, now I know what to look for. Anybody have any other ideas on what might be damaged other than the frame, subframe, tie rods, control arms, and tranny brackets?

Thanks qUaTtRoA4, I like your idea, minus the cf hood unless I can find a hell of deal on one. Anyone know where to find the best deals on body kits or even just a front S4 bumper?

 

good luck with the fix man. ive had the same problems its no fun. best of luck