It had to happen.........

shezlee

Member
Well I ve had my first accident (well with me driving) and then it was not my fault!

I have contacted Audi Accident Aftercare (via Bristol Audi) who say that I may need both driver side doors replaced.

WHY people cant look or at least indicate when changing lanes bug**rs me.

Will let you know how much/how long etc..
 
Hi Lee,

Sorry to hear about the accident. Is it just bodywork damage? Presumably if it's just the doors - then the spaceframe is intact. Let us know which bodyshop ends up fixing it.

Ben
 
It had to happen

Sorry to hear of the accident Lee. You're right , whilst returning from my country seat on M25 yesterday a Honda CRV swung into my lane causing me to brake sharply 3 times, he was on the phone each time, in fact he was on the phone for 20 minutes in total. Then he was swerving all over the outside lane because he was attending to some paper work on the passenger seat, he then swung into the middle lane narrowly missing the vehicle in it , and I put my foot down to put as much distance between us as I could. What drives these ignorant ******** to drive like this on a motorway, or anwhere? I suppose as long as you dont annoy a speed camera this behaviour is acceptable, even normal.

See, I'm still a grumpy old man!
 
As far as I know there are two yes two body shops in the country that have the necessary skills to repair an A2 space frame, one is Smith Knight Fay in Audenshaw Manchester the other is daarn saarf somewhere, told this by SKF body shop when mine was in, there is a third but it's really a training centre, don't let the insurers fob you off with their cheaper body shop, it's your right to have the car repaired where you want, I have been informed that using the incorrect metal tools can damage the aluminium irreversably, and cause paint problems later on, something to do with the way different metals react with each other!
 
Update:

Audi Accident Assistance came today to take our baby to the menders, they kindly left a A3 2.0 TDI Sport as a loan car; was very nice of them.

Should hopefully have our beloved A2 home by the end of next week.
 
Tdiman is absolutely correct. It is essential that the correct procedures are followed in repairing aluminium cars i.e. a job best done by experts. Make sure you are not fobbed off by your insurance company. If both drivers side doors are damaged it will mean possibly that the B pillar also needs replacing. This part is a special casting and how it is re-joined to the rest of the space frame is crucial regarding future crash performance and the fit and finish of the new doors.

Audi have produced aluminium cars for some years now and repair procedures will be well sorted by now. Yes using the right tools is important, this also applies to lesser steel bodied cars. Contact corrosion, galvanic corrosion is a well known fact and the repair centres will be well aware. I think that the risk here is small, but getting the repair carried out by experts is essential. The paint should stick the same, as usual it is in the preparation where the quality of rapair shows. A2 are not Land Rover Defenders where the older design plays a part in the flaking of paint off the rear door, there is steel/aluminium contact in the structure here despite the best efforts of LR to make improvements. A2 doors are aluminium with the exception of the lock catches.

The original A8, I heard, could only be repaired at MIRA, so if Audi have a centre each in the North and South then this is a (slow) improvement. Then again there is today only the new A8 and Jaguar's XJ that is produced in aluminium, both having a different concept for the body structure, so the demand for accident damage repair is limited (I hope!).

I'm sure that Audi will make a good job of restoring your A2 to pristine condition, hopefully the other party are well insured and you will not be out of pocket.
 
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