2013 Audi A8 L totaled (hopefully) with only 2800 miles...
03-04-2014, 04:35 PM
#21
AudiWorld Senior Member
I know dealing with insurance can be very frustrating and it does not always seem "fair" but I would dispute insurance companies being unethical. Insurance is probably one of the most misunderstood business products and yet it is next to impossible not to have it and unfortunately sometimes have to actually use it. I say unfortunate because unlike most things we buy, having to file a claim means there has been an accident, a fire, a flood, a death, etc. Insurance is for catastrophic events in our lives that none of us would like to have happen but rarely does it work the way we "think" it should work which is usually because we never bothered to read the policy, ask questions, verify coverages, etc. Would you actually buy and A8 or S8 without going over the vehicle and making sure you got everything you paid for? And most likely you read all or at least part of the owners manual and played with all the gadgets to make sure they operated as expected. Then you get in that new, beautiful $100k+ car and drive on public roads surrounded by folks who are total strangers in all manner of vehicles and with all levels of driving skills but did not bother to find out if the contract you purchased to cover catastrophic events involving your new car is going to be paid for. Just like you checked out your new car (or house or boat, etc.), check out your insurance; you just may need it!
03-05-2014, 05:05 AM
#22
AudiWorld Super User
Count on it being totaled.... the b pillar is massively compromised on the driver side. There is no way there are going to get a door to ever hang off that strait without a lot of cutting and welding. That is massively labor intense aside from it being aluminum. Also the B pillar on the passenger side (photo #15)
You can tell that the passenger front door is sticking out by a mm or two versus the rear door edge that's sticking inboard. The car is shaped like a banana at this point. Its toast.
Of course the insurance adjuster is going to look at it and probably miss that point, (unless they guy brings panel gap tools with him/her or they have a keen eye) but as soon as they put it up on a rack to check the frame no shop with any amount of sanity is going to touch that without charging 30-35 grand in labor let alone parts. Parts will easily be another 40 grand. You're above the 60% threshold for sure.
You can tell that the passenger front door is sticking out by a mm or two versus the rear door edge that's sticking inboard. The car is shaped like a banana at this point. Its toast.
Of course the insurance adjuster is going to look at it and probably miss that point, (unless they guy brings panel gap tools with him/her or they have a keen eye) but as soon as they put it up on a rack to check the frame no shop with any amount of sanity is going to touch that without charging 30-35 grand in labor let alone parts. Parts will easily be another 40 grand. You're above the 60% threshold for sure.
03-05-2014, 09:28 AM
#23
Audiworld Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Arlington, TX
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High End Cars Being Totalled
I took over as a parts manager at a MB, Porsche and Audi dealership. I inherited an S Class with over $25K in damage (this was in 1984). The insurance company would not total it and we had to fix it. BE CAREFUL that the adjuster does not pressure the repair shop to use non-OEM parts. If they are fixing your car have them repeat the mantra . . "This car is covered by a factory warranty, I must use OEM parts."
But the most important thing is you are still alive to worry about things like this. In the end, it is just all stuff.
But the most important thing is you are still alive to worry about things like this. In the end, it is just all stuff.
03-05-2014, 11:41 AM
#24
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Audis_or_VWs_4_Life,
Wow. I had not looked at that photo (#15) (http://adamcb.smugmug.com/Cars/Audi-...0003&k=PCdnHfr) at that level of detail. Thank you for your keen eye and observation.
From the looks of the image - you are right. You can see how the light is hitting the doors/panels on the PASSENGER side and see that things are not lining up like they did/should. If you think about the amount of energy it took to transfer from the driver's side pillar/frame all the way over there to the passenger side, not telling what other frame mis-alignment must be there that we can't see...
Still waiting on Progressive to get back to me. I spoke to my adjuster this morning but he didn't have anything. He speculated that this is taking a while either because they're tallying up the damage OR they are looking for comp values - which is tough on a 2013 super-luxury car with only 2834 miles on the odometer.
Kkirkg, love your mantra - the good news is that there aren't too many knockoff parts in aluminum and the only collision center in central texas that works on aluminum is also Roger Beasley - who owns the Audi dealerships here. (It's also the only R/S/A 8 certified collision center).
You guys have all been a big help here. This has been a tough week and you've helped me thru it. I'm sharing all of this with you so that you make sure you look at your insurance policy carefully. Yes to the comments that a super-premium car deserves premium insurance - I've been lucky that in my 42 years I've never had an insurance claim. Now that I have a significant one, I'm learning and want to share this with you.
As soon as I hear back from the adjuster, you'll be the third to know...
Adam
Wow. I had not looked at that photo (#15) (http://adamcb.smugmug.com/Cars/Audi-...0003&k=PCdnHfr) at that level of detail. Thank you for your keen eye and observation.
From the looks of the image - you are right. You can see how the light is hitting the doors/panels on the PASSENGER side and see that things are not lining up like they did/should. If you think about the amount of energy it took to transfer from the driver's side pillar/frame all the way over there to the passenger side, not telling what other frame mis-alignment must be there that we can't see...
Still waiting on Progressive to get back to me. I spoke to my adjuster this morning but he didn't have anything. He speculated that this is taking a while either because they're tallying up the damage OR they are looking for comp values - which is tough on a 2013 super-luxury car with only 2834 miles on the odometer.
Kkirkg, love your mantra - the good news is that there aren't too many knockoff parts in aluminum and the only collision center in central texas that works on aluminum is also Roger Beasley - who owns the Audi dealerships here. (It's also the only R/S/A 8 certified collision center).
You guys have all been a big help here. This has been a tough week and you've helped me thru it. I'm sharing all of this with you so that you make sure you look at your insurance policy carefully. Yes to the comments that a super-premium car deserves premium insurance - I've been lucky that in my 42 years I've never had an insurance claim. Now that I have a significant one, I'm learning and want to share this with you.
As soon as I hear back from the adjuster, you'll be the third to know...
Adam
03-05-2014, 02:59 PM
#25
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Quick Update:
Progressive says that there is only $21,000 in damage. I find that extremely hard to believe, having read all of your experiences with damage and of course, knowing the damage on the car first-hand.
They want to get it to the Audi-certified repair facility for a tear-down and see if there is more. Obviously, we all believe there will be significantly more damage found.
They don't want to talk Diminished Value until we get to the next step.
I'm going to let them get the car over the the collision center so the Audi A/S/R 8 folks can take a look at it and write their own estimates - this seems to need to happen regardless of next steps. Depending on what comes from that, I will choose my next steps.
Does everyone agree that $21,000 in damages seems very low, or could it be accurate? I know of $15k fender-benders, so an airbags-deployed, frame ripped, major collision on a brand-new car seems absurd.
Adam
Progressive says that there is only $21,000 in damage. I find that extremely hard to believe, having read all of your experiences with damage and of course, knowing the damage on the car first-hand.
They want to get it to the Audi-certified repair facility for a tear-down and see if there is more. Obviously, we all believe there will be significantly more damage found.
They don't want to talk Diminished Value until we get to the next step.
I'm going to let them get the car over the the collision center so the Audi A/S/R 8 folks can take a look at it and write their own estimates - this seems to need to happen regardless of next steps. Depending on what comes from that, I will choose my next steps.
Does everyone agree that $21,000 in damages seems very low, or could it be accurate? I know of $15k fender-benders, so an airbags-deployed, frame ripped, major collision on a brand-new car seems absurd.
Adam
03-05-2014, 03:11 PM
#26
AudiWorld Super User
Adam, that's sounds real low.
03-05-2014, 03:46 PM
#27
AudiWorld Super User
21 grand???? Progressive must be snorting what Walter White is cooking. To give you a frame of reference, this was 17 grand in damage..... 
You have way more damage then I do. I am in the diminished value claim stage right now. By the way it took 6 weeks to fix my car. (I was not at fault) I ended up having to contact my state insurance commission because the at fault insurance carrier was doing everything they could to find a way for me to be at fault even though the police report stated their party was responsible. It was hilarious according to my repair place they were checking to see if I was driving the car with its stock summer tires (in the dead of winter in se pa) hoping they could find me at partial fault for using improper equipment. I had snow tires so that didn't work either. They did everything they could to stall the process and be counterproductive.
Wait until they break the car down, and put it on a rack. http://www.jimellisaudiparts.com/ if you want to get an idea of part prices....
You have way more damage then I do. I am in the diminished value claim stage right now. By the way it took 6 weeks to fix my car. (I was not at fault) I ended up having to contact my state insurance commission because the at fault insurance carrier was doing everything they could to find a way for me to be at fault even though the police report stated their party was responsible. It was hilarious according to my repair place they were checking to see if I was driving the car with its stock summer tires (in the dead of winter in se pa) hoping they could find me at partial fault for using improper equipment. I had snow tires so that didn't work either. They did everything they could to stall the process and be counterproductive.
Wait until they break the car down, and put it on a rack. http://www.jimellisaudiparts.com/ if you want to get an idea of part prices....
Last edited by Audis or VWs 4Life; 03-05-2014 at 05:09 PM.
03-05-2014, 03:55 PM
#28
AudiWorld Super User
There's a thread here somewhere where some very minor looking damage was $11k for a driveway mishap.
Yes, exactly.
03-05-2014, 05:19 PM
#30
As a long-time (since 1987) Audi owner and A8 owner since 2005, I can honestly say this is one of the most interesting and useful threads I've ever encountered within AudiWorld. The discussion points and level of concern expressed within this thread for the driver and for the aftermath with the insurance issues is off the charts in terms of understanding and intelligence not to mention solid advice. The vast majority of fellow A8 owners really want to see the best possible outcome for Adam and the pending (and likely protracted) insurance settlement. This could happen to any one of us tonight, tomorrow, or next week. Based on the great communication here so far from Adam, I know all of us are rooting for him and will continue to follow this case through to its hopefully good conclusion.
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