Dealing with 'Wings' & ''Dings'?

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teazel

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I can't decide whether to buy a new A2 or a Polo Sport FSI (my wife has a Polo SE FSI).

However, on reading the A2 entry in Top Gear's "Used Car Buyer's Guide 2004" it concludes "watch for expensive-to-remedy blemishes to that finely-sculpted alloy body".

I've already had to deal with an expensive (and deep) 'ding' on my wife's supposedly 'tough' new Polo (caused by careless passenger from another car opening their door into our Polo's rear wheel arch), so I am very aprehensive about suffering the same fate with an aluminum bodied A2.

What are the experiences of existing A2 drivers on this topic?

On this issue, can you convince me to buy an A2 1.6 FSI (can't decide between SE/Sport) rather than a Polo Sport FSI?
 
For a start the wheel arches are plastic and the doors are very forgiving - someone opened a door on to ours and got in, I was expecting a big ding but not at all there was is a scuff on the paint work but it polished out. I find the bumpers scratch more - Passing trolleys and the such like..

Lee and Sheridan,
TDI SE, Build 11/01, Dolphin Grey
50% Brighter Bulbs : Audi 6 CD Changer : Rear drinks holder : Floppy Wiper : Centre Tray : Elasticated Belt System : Chrome Numberplate Surround : A3 Transmission Nets : Heated Mirrors
 
[4][4] If its any consolation, I had a too-fast pr*t slide into my side in the snow last month with a decided 'thump', but after having given him the usual verbals - I had stopped to allow an on-coming vehicle and he tried to pass me - (he was a student!) I then inspected the 'damage' and found no perceptable marks or 'dinges' on the rear wheel-arch or rear door. And yes the only scuff mark I have ever picked up on the car is a scrape on the outer end of the front bumper, in absentia - probably from a supermarket trolley!!
 
In a moment of madness last week I opened my electric garage door forgetting that my A2 was parked directly in front of the garage! The door promptly wedged itself against the upper edge of the rear bumper. I had been expecting a significant amount of damage but amazingly it all polished out and there is not a single visible mark (with use of a magnifying glass!).

However...nearly 2.5 years ago and within the first 2 weeks of ownership, some git managed to roll a supermarket trolley into the bonnet of my A2 causing a small dent (see http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/tips.htm#dent). This however is another matter and cannot be removed without the purchase of a new bonnet! This is due to the internal layers of metal within the bonnet that prevent access to rear of the dent. It's highly annoying and frustrating as it is the only real blemish on the car, but something I have had to live with from the start!

[img=left]http://www.a2forum.net/stuart.gif[/img=left]Stuart Diamond: A2OC Founder | Forum Administrator

2001 TDi SE:http://www.audi-a2.co.uk/uk1.htm Cobalt Blue Metallic | Open Sky Roof | Kenwood Mask CD | Front Centre Armrest | Front Centre Tray

A2OC Website | 2004 A2OC Competitions | Join the A2OC!
 
Regarding small 'dinges' : My wife has an A3 which was literally 'pebble-dashed' (bonnet and roof) with 2 cm hail-stones some two years ago - she had them 'taken out' in a day - the insurance paid - by her local Audi agents who, I presume, used some sort of vacuum device (like they use to hold plate glass) as there was no repraying involved. Dont ask where as it was in Slovenia!! But surely someone does the same thing here in the UK.
 
I had a small dent (10p sized) pushed-out from my driver's door. The guy who fixed it said there was no real problem with aluminium over steel, it just needed a different technique.

JR

1.6 FSI, Cobalt Blue, Open Sky, Leather, Bose etc.
 
I can also vouch for the ability of "cosmetic" repairers to remedy small dents on A2's. I have twice had to use the services of one of these firms and the results in both cases have been invisible.

Regards
Ian - 2001 1.4 petrol SE
 
the front passenger door on mine has a dent after some scumbag catapulted
a rock into the side of it.
Alot of it polished out but there is a small shallow dent visable when you catch it at the right angle and light condition, good job i got a dark colour it seems to hide any minor blemishes.
the A2 gladly is a tough cookie!![:p]

cheers

A.D.Simmons
 
I had a few small scratches on mine from the previous owner - on the rear bumper, drivers door, offside wheel arch and front bumper - which would have cost me a whopping £800 if I let Audi do it [13]
 
I had my front almost ripped off when a Renault Espace hit me. A part of the aluminium frame was slightly bent and the hood, front and side panels were damaged. The bumper and the service grill were also gone.
Everything is repaired and the car looks (and feels) new. If I weren't in the car when the Espace hit I'd never suspected the damage.

Dennis de Held

Amulet Red 1.4 Tdi
 
Some moron bumped into my car today [3]and scrached the front-left-side of the bumper + scratched above the front-left-wheel, luckily he only hit the plastic parts. I was wondering if it's possible to polish out the scratches on the bumpers, or will i have to change the whole thing?

The scraches are mostly on the surface, but one is pretty big and deep. I have contacted my insurance agency, but i thought maybe some of you had experienced something like this before, just so i know what the cost will be.

--
Bigshow
1,4Tdi SE
 
Sounds like it may be blown over by a competent sprayer may be worth getting a quote from a local bodyshop just to see if it less than your excess and all the grief of a claim even though it was the other muppets fault.
 
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