Jdntea

So street parking in Brooklyn finally bit my *** this week. Some jerk backed up into my car entering/leaving their driveway and left. Someone witnessed it and was nice enough to leave a note for me with the plate number of the offender. I didn't get an official police report since they were unable to interview the witness. The car that hit me was a Lexus RX350 with a rear bumper guard that wraps around the corners. It looks like this vehicle has a history of backing into things because the whole rear end and metal bumper guard is covered in scrapes and dents. I have multiple pics but won't post--I will share them with my insurance though.

Geico ran the plates for me and the other driver is also on Geico, but they were unable to reach them and they will probably deny anything happened.

I am totallty bummed and eating a very large cinnamon bun right now to lift my spirits. A little over 4 months old and less than 1100 miles. This is my first new car and first Audi. I love this damn thing.

Do you think this will hurt the resale value and has anyone had any bodywork done similar to the damage below? Cost? Do you think it will pound out or will a new paint application be needed? It's Cuvee Silver, so how readily available is that for repair?

My cinnamon bun isn't big enough.

Thanks,

-Jeff

AudiQ5sleeper

they will compound it a bit before painting it. If I was you, report it to the insurance and police. Hit and run is consider as a felony. Make sure you have the witness contact information. It is very important. The guy who did this will be soo fked.

if the guy hit you pays you in cash to fix the damages it will not hurt the resale value because it will not be entered in the system. If this is reported and fixed through insurance it will hurt the resale value.

mjm3457

Hard to tell from the photo, but it doesn't look like any paint has been removed from the metal. The dent doesn't look that bad. If it were me, I'd have the car looked at by a "paintless dent repair" shop; AUDI sometimes has these in their regular body shops, but there are plenty of independents, too. If they can do it, the result will be superior. I have had a much worse looking door dent repaired this way, and you couldn't see it. No painting means you keep the original factory paint, and it is much cheaper ($100-$200). I assume you have a deductible you'd have to cover? maybe not if the hit-and-run sticks.

scrmorling

So sorry for you.

I, too, would formally report it to the police and to Geico. If the driver of the Lexus doesn't suffer any consequences, s/he will just keep on doing it.

Steve

Parsec

I second the PDR method. I had this done on my truck and you can't even tell there is damage unless you look really close. I got 1 large dent (size of my whole hand) and 2 small dents taken out for $225. The 2 small dents are not detectable and the large dent just looks like any other small nick/scratch that a car would get after a couple years.

lmariorod

Sux. Particularly when its still new to you. Possibly give Brooklyn Audi a call and see who they recommend for PDR. They may do it or recommend an Indy.

Took the wife three years before she would take her Q to the Bronx. Took her Vibe instead because of stuff like this.

http://www.audibrooklyn.com/index.ht...d-mediacom-sem

Jdntea

Thanks for all of the responses.

The fine folks at the NYPD said it was an insurance matter since there was no personal injury, so no hit and run felony. One officer said leaving the scene of an accident was possible, but they wanted me to fill out a civil accident form with the witness report, which gets mailed to Albany. They didn't want to follow-up with the witness for an official report because there was no bodily harm, so it's a little frustrating.

PDR seems like a good option for dings on a flatter surface, but these dents are right on the sharp body line crease.

I will go through insurance because I want this fixed correctly--even if it hurts resale. Geico already said I am not at fault, it's just a matter of which policy pays for the repairs. My deductible is $500 and no way do I want to be on the hook for that.

I hope the other driver does the right thing and takes responsibility, but still no contact with them. I left a note in their driver side door. This isn't even worth pursuing in court. My gut feeling is that I am going to eat the deductible. Not a good feeling.

nickcarguy

I have had numerous PDR repairs done over the years on my S4 and A6. I would not be afraid of attempting this repair on a sharp body line or crease. I had a larger dent on the upper body /character line on my S4. The dent was removed, and the body line was absolutely perfect..
If you get the right craftsman doing the PDR they can literally work magic.,
I was a skeptic, until my first repair. Have been a believr since.
It really does work. Certainly worth a try.
Good luck.

awryexperiment

First, get a quote for the repair.

Then knock on their door and confront them or double park and block their car in. Let them call the cops to the scene...

Or:
Call your lawyer and send them a registered letter.

I think you'll get their attention and if you have the quote you can make quick work of explaining what you expect them to pay for.

fsufan6000

small claims is an option too. i have used it for someone failing to pay rent and it's quite easy. maybe you can get on judge judy.