The Automobile Thread

buggravy said:
I sure hope it gets totaled out. 3 panels of body damage aside, the rear axle is about 3 inches fore of where it used to be, there are air suspensions parts and sensors hanging everywhere, there's a crumple in the C-Pillar, and I have to think the frame is bent. Guy never hit his brakes, and my car ended up about 8 feet from where I parked it, after it bounced off the curb. It will never be the same if they try to repair it. I'm probably in for a fight.
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Dunno what they do here but a bent C pillar would be a new roof in most countries I have experience of and thats almost instant write off territory these days with a modern car. The fact that the axle is no longer located where it should be means your rear floor is probably toast. If it was punched sideways into the curb your halfshafts have probably interfered with your diff in a manner not conducive to it performing ongoing diff type duties. I think the damage underneath is going to be fairly extensive. I'd be surprised if thats economically repairable at an Audi approved bodyshop!
 
SnakeCharmer said:
Any car mechanics here? My wife's '08 Civic EX started acting up a few days ago.

Two things:
1) It will drain a brand new battery dead overnight, so I am pulling the negative cable off when it's parked.

2) Rough idle and drops low momentarily enough to almost stall it when any switch is turned on (overhead light, power door locks,...)

I had the alternator and starter tested for power drain/function at two places. Each passed both times.
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Check for a stuck compressor clutch relay. Kinda common on those cars. Start the engine, see if the compressor clutch stays engaged even with the a/c in the OFF position. I have probably 5 to 10 relays in stock. They fit a multitude of Hondas.
 
Luis said:
Check for a stuck compressor clutch relay. Kinda common on those cars. Start the engine, see if the compressor clutch stays engaged even with the a/c in the OFF position. I have probably 5 to 10 relays in stock. They fit a multitude of Hondas.
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Actually, I think that has been an issue for a long time on this car. I have that it was engaged even when off for some time now. How can I tell if it is actually engaged or not?
 
Lost Kiwi said:
Dunno what they do here but a bent C pillar would be a new roof in most countries I have experience of and thats almost instant write off territory these days with a modern car. The fact that the axle is no longer located where it should be means your rear floor is probably toast. If it was punched sideways into the curb your halfshafts have probably interfered with your diff in a manner not conducive to it performing ongoing diff type duties. I think the damage underneath is going to be fairly extensive. I'd be surprised if thats economically repairable at an Audi approved bodyshop!
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That's encouraging, and I appreciate the insight. I may be incorrectly calling the D pillar the C pillar. I'm used to the C pillar being the rear pillar on a hatchback or sedan. I've seen the rear pillar on SUVs referred to both C and D, and in the former case the pillar at the small side window in the hatch was called the B2 pillar. Regardless, it's the rear pillar that I'm referring to. You can see what looks like a dent well up that pillar, but there's no marring of the paint that high up from an impact. Looks like the body crumpled as it was pushed up, but I don't know that there is a crumple in the structure of the pillar itself.

Anyway, I spoke to the shop that my dealership uses for body work, and they said at a quick glance it's borderline totaled. Said it will probably come down to frame and suspension damage once they tear the car down. I should know more tomorrow.
 
Sidewalk said:
I heard in a song once that it is painless.
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Runs with Scissors said:
And it brings on many changes.
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I was waiting for that reference...

That song was playing in my head when I took these pictures... And I could see the helicopters from the opening sequence. :thumbsup:

Standing on the landing pad...
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Big step in the right direction today. Got word from the collision repair center that their assessment showed significant body and structural damage. Their portion, which doesn't include open items that can only be done at an Audi dealership, is $28K. Open items include suspension damage, steering, and anything electrical. I asked if they guessed the Audi portion would be over $10K, and they said easily over $10K, and probably way over. Plus, if insurance decides they want to see an actual estimate from the dealership as well, it goes to my dealership, and my service manager knows the drill.
 
buggravy said:
Big step in the right direction today. Got word from the collision repair center that their assessment showed significant body and structural damage. Their portion, which doesn't include open items that can only be done at an Audi dealership, is $28K. Open items include suspension damage, steering, and anything electrical. I asked if they guessed the Audi portion would be over $10K, and they said easily over $10K, and probably way over. Plus, if insurance decides they want to see an actual estimate from the dealership as well, it goes to my dealership, and my service manager knows the drill.
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Rad. I hope you get a new vehicle out of it. Yeah, I would not want to drive anything with that much damage.
 
buggravy said:
Big step in the right direction today. Got word from the collision repair center that their assessment showed significant body and structural damage. Their portion, which doesn't include open items that can only be done at an Audi dealership, is $28K. Open items include suspension damage, steering, and anything electrical. I asked if they guessed the Audi portion would be over $10K, and they said easily over $10K, and probably way over. Plus, if insurance decides they want to see an actual estimate from the dealership as well, it goes to my dealership, and my service manager knows the drill.
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Great!

And it's good to be friends with the service manager! :thumbsup:
 
Well, car is officially totaled, and insurance is giving me just under $3K less than I paid for it new 5 months ago. I couldn't believe it. I was prepared for a fight in getting it totaled, and absolutely expected a fight over the settlement amount. All things considered, I'm feeling pretty blessed at the moment. I guess there's a new car day coming. Kind of surreal.
 
buggravy said:
Well, car is officially totaled, and insurance is giving me just under $3K less than I paid for it new 5 months ago. I couldn't believe it. I was prepared for a fight in getting it totaled, and absolutely expected a fight over the settlement amount. All things considered, I'm feeling pretty blessed at the moment. I guess there's a new car day coming. Kind of surreal.
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Good to read! We had a similar positive outcome when a car was totaled 15 years ago or so. It happens!
 
buggravy said:
Well, car is officially totaled, and insurance is giving me just under $3K less than I paid for it new 5 months ago. I couldn't believe it. I was prepared for a fight in getting it totaled, and absolutely expected a fight over the settlement amount. All things considered, I'm feeling pretty blessed at the moment. I guess there's a new car day coming. Kind of surreal.
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Now you can get employee pricing! I’d say that would be the silver lining in this situation.
Oh and don’t worry, your current car will be sold at auction and a couple of months down the line, some ‘bro’ will be driving a salvage titled Audi.
 
Luis said:
Now you can get employee pricing! I’d say that would be the silver lining in this situation.
Oh and don’t worry, your current car will be sold at auction and a couple of months down the line, some ‘bro’ will be driving a salvage titled Audi.
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Haha, yeah, from a financial perspective this has worked out kind of fantastic. My dealership has been absolutely amazing through all this, and on top of some other things they did, I’m getting a solid discount over and above the standard employee pricing, which is already great. Kind of crazy how this all played out.
 
buggravy said:
Haha, yeah, from a financial perspective this has worked out kind of fantastic. My dealership has been absolutely amazing through all this, and on top of some other things they did, I’m getting a solid discount over and above the standard employee pricing, which is already great. Kind of crazy how this all played out.
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I need you to work my next deal! :thumbsup::cool: I think my wife wants to trade her brand new Atlas on a Q8. The Atlas drives a lot bigger than she was expecting (truck-like hood) and it's been to the shop four times since she bought it in July. Don't get me wrong, it's a great car, but this particular one seems to have issues, and the "Drive Bigger" thing is real. The Q8 is probably about the same size, so maybe she needs to think Q5 - but that leaves us with no actual family road trip car. (Cue the Clark Griswold references).
 
herzalot said:
I need you to work my next deal! :thumbsup::cool: I think my wife wants to trade her brand new Atlas on a Q8. The Atlas drives a lot bigger than she was expecting (truck-like hood) and it's been to the shop four times since she bought it in July. Don't get me wrong, it's a great car, but this particular one seems to have issues, and the "Drive Bigger" thing is real. The Q8 is probably about the same size, so maybe she needs to think Q5 - but that leaves us with no actual family road trip car. (Cue the Clark Griswold references).
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I'd be happy to help. If a Q5 is not enough space for family truckster purposes, check out the A6 Allroad. I love that car, and would take it over Q8 all day. Adjustable air suspension so it can be a wagon by day, and a, uh, well, a tall wagon by night.
 
buggravy said:
I'd be happy to help. If you Q5 is not enough space for family truckster purposes, check out the A6 Allroad. I love that car, and would take it over Q8 all day. Adjustable air suspension so it be a wagon by day, and a, uh, well, a tall wagon by night.
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I had the original A6 Allroad. It was awesome - when it worked. The air suspension was a nightmare. The twin turbo was OK until I chipped the car, then I had vacuum leaks frequently. It got us into and more importantly out of a foot of slick mud at Gooseberry with 4 adults and bikes. Phew!

I'll dig up the photo.
 
buggravy said:
Haha, yeah, from a financial perspective this has worked out kind of fantastic. My dealership has been absolutely amazing through all this, and on top of some other things they did, I’m getting a solid discount over and above the standard employee pricing, which is already great. Kind of crazy how this all played out.
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Sounds like there could be some money left over for a new bike! :D
 
Dirtrider.... said:
I picked up a new bike carrier this past Tuesday.

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Nice. I have a new F150 hybrid on order. Currently looking for good ways to carry a bike in the bed without a rack (I'm going to get a Decked Drawer system, so something like the Thule tailgator won't work). I have a 1Up roof rack, so I'm trying to find a way to mount that to the Decked system, or using the stake pockets to mount it to the top of the bedside. While I have a nice hitch rack, I need a way to carry a bike when I'm towing.

And I know exactly where that first photo was taken....
 
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