I searched but couldn't find the answer to my question: What is the parts cost for replacement underbody panels of a B7 chassis?

The reason I ask here is that I'm looking at a 2005.5 A4 2.0 CPO that appears to have been in an accident where two underbody panels have been destroyed and what remains of them is being held on by plastic quick-tie straps. I know, I'm thinking "yeah, some ceritified car they have here..." as others may think. However, the car has low miles, runs strong and goes down the road straight even with different make tires on the car; yes, they have a mix of Contis and Pirellis on this Quattro A4 but, as the salesman said, at least they're the same size. Pathetic dealers, IMHO.

So, does anybody have an idea what these panels cost? The dealer parts departments I've called are silent unless I have a part number and even then they tell me to "...just see a service advisor to schedule a repair" when I press the issue. Thanks for any input.

 

What? No input from ANYONE? I just got off the phone with an Audi Dealer Parts Dept and they said I would have to buy a pair (the area under the seats is what is affected) if I wanted to repair the issue myself.....$2100 + tax. I can't believe that's a realistic price for 2 pieces of plastic underbody belly shields. Can anyone suggest a dealer who doesn't gouge or is this the norm????

 

i mean that sounds utterly rediculous to me... i know there are quite a few websites out there that sell oem audi products so you dont have to pay an arm and a leg from the dealership... however i dont know of the websites from the top of my head, but i would suggest searching on google for oem audi products or something along those lines and see if you get anything, if not ill try and see if i can find it for your

 

Has anyone thought about making these out of fiber glass like they do for race motorcycles?

 

Would anyone be interested in buying this type of thing? If so, I have some friends that might be interested in making some.

 

how much would they cost?

 

You sure the car is a CPO? A dealer shouldn't be selling a car as CPO if the underbody panels are held on by ties. This is one of the inspection points required for the CPO. The undercarriage is section 6.1 of the audi inspection checklist. Is it what they call the lower splash shield? If so, it's mentioned specifically on the checklist.

http://www.audiusa.com/etc/medialib/....0009.File.pdf

 

that is a valid point there, i didnt even think about that when he mentioned the CPO part... you should talk to them about that

 

Yes it's a CPO car and has "CPO" stickered all over the car. Per Audi, the CPO program also allows dealers to self-certifiy as long as the complete the punchlist (and hopefully actually carry out the inspection for thoes items and not just check them off). The underbody splash guards are the panels under the car I assume, so yes they should be intact.

No matter, this stealer says the A4 I looked at is a CPO car and they indeed self-certified it. They cannot explain the underbody damage and the quick-tie attached underbody splash panels, however. I'm sure Audi would not have certified the car had they seen the mismatched tires ON the car as well as the non-matching spare in the trunk on an absolutely ugly beat up wheel no less (and the wheel didn't even match). The stealer can't explain the tire issue other than to say "Well then don't buy the car". To lower myself to their intelligence level: No st, Sherlock.

I reported it to Audi, but as of today the car still sits there for sale...even though I got the sale pitch/pressure to "get it now it'll be gone a day or two". Car salespeople are, IMHO, morons if they think that an educated professional who is a true "car guy" with dozens of car purchases under his belt is going to fall for that kind of pitch. Even Porsche and Mercedes salespeople have the same demeanor, but that may just be the Chicago market I'm dealing with. Oh well.

 

It's funny cause when I first went to the local dealership they tried to talk me out of buying a new Audi... I'm just a couple years out of college, but I look younger, they couldn't see how it would be possible for me to get a loan... the guy told me to buy a cheap car first and make payments for a year to build up credit history. So I came back a couple days later with a line of credit from my bank and bought from a different salesman. :P