panic! my insurers want to write off my A2

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Lizt

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Can any uk Audi owners help? My Audi A2 was hit by a mitsubishi two weeks ago. It's only 18 months old, has 40k miles on the clock and the damage is mainly to the bodywork. Because it's made of aluminium, the insurance assessor says that it is too expensive to repair and wants to write it off. The other driver has accepted liability for the accident.

Has anyone else had these kind of problems? Any advice gratefully received.
 
I think a car is written-off when the cost of repair exceeds 2/3 of the car's value.
When you say it is mostly bodywork damage do you know what parts need replacing? Where was the car struck? I would be suprised if it is only exterior panels that need replacing if for example the total repair bill is £7000. With that kind of bill I would expect major structural parts would be replaced. A friend of mine need a new B-pillar exterior panel on this Subaru and that was near £4-5k I think!

2004 1.4 TDi (90) SE, Cobalt Blue, Climate control, Cruise control, DIS, Sport seats, Winter pack, Symphony II.
 
The mitsubshi was coming towards me on the other side of the road, went into a low speed spin and hit the A2 on the driver's side, dented the drivers door and damaged the front wing. Apparently the door pillar needs welding and the door and wing replacing, broken headlight... The engine is fine. Labour costs for repairs are quoted at around 2K. Aluminium is apparently expensive to weld.
 
Have an Audi bodyshop look at it, they would be the only qualified repairers to let loose on it.

Andrew - 2003 1.4 TDI Silver Climate
 
Damage to the door and front wing could lead to a damages spaceframe.

Mine was hit by a Renault Grand Espace (1700 kg) on the front just after the headlights. As a result of that my nose was bent. The nose had to be cut from the spaceframe and new aluminium parts had to be welded to the frame.
That was quite an expensive repair. If my A2 had been any other color than red it would have been written of that instant. But the insurance told me that the value was lower because of the color. So they had to fix it. Had it been silver, black or blue it would have been bye bye a2.

A damaged spaceframe is something that can only be fixed by specialized company's and that makes it more expensive. Lots of body parts need to be removed. And since the chassis is effected the car will have to be road-tested again (mine was) to be allowed on the road again.

Good luck with your car.

PS. Mine is fixed and drives like a new one.

Dennis de Held

Amulet Red 1.4 Tdi
 
Sounds like the A2 is similar to the smart - damage to the smart's tridion frame usually results in a write off. Lizt - get the car to an approved Audi bodyshop for an assessment, if they agree it is unrepairable get them to price up a replacement for you and use this as a basis for the insurance settlement - don't let the insurance company fob you off with a trade in value.
 
Lizt
Unless you are loosing out financially (write-off value versus loan/HP/cost of replacement car) than I would jump at the chance of a replacement car.

OK, it may have been only a medium accident, but I would feel a lot happier being in a car that I knew hadn't been straightened out at some point-I would want to be confident that if I had another accident involving the same spot that a previous repair wouldn't contribute to an abnormal deformation of the cars structure.

Unless money is a huge issue, I'd be happy with a write off (bizarre as it may seem on a newish car with not much damage). I traded-in a previous car of mine that had been in an accident and repaired-after seeing the job the garage did I wouldn't trust them with a gerbil.

I hope no-one was hurt in the accident.

Steve - 2002 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior, Then an identical replacement 2003 A2. Now a Toyota Corolla 1.6 T-Spirit
 
From my experience, you only get a brand new replacement car if it's less than 12 months old and you are the first registered keeper - unfortunately.
As Lizt's car is 18months old, a replacement is probably not an option.

Don't drink drive! Not only is it socially unaceptable, it also harms A2's.
Was a Merlot Red 1.4SE petrol originally.
Now an Ebony Black 1.4SE petrol with Red Leather, CC, Symphony + all the previous options we had.
 
True-when I said replacement I didn't mean a new car-insurers are far to interested in paying out as little as possible!

Make sure you haggle when they offer you a value.


Steve - 2002 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior, Then an identical replacement 2003 A2. Now a Toyota Corolla 1.6 T-Spirit
 
Thank you for all replies. No-one was injured, thank you for asking.

My car has definitely been written off so any ideas of market value / cost of replacing will be much appreciated. My A2 1.4 was 28 months old at the time of the accident (I've owned it for 18 months) registered May 02, it had 40,000 miles on the clock and was last serviced by Audi on 10th September. Any ideas?

thanks

Lizt
 
Quickly off the top of my head, look at Audi's used car website and see if you can find similar-then you can give hard evidence to the insurance company of what you will have to pay for a direct replacement.

Steve - 2002 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior, Then an identical replacement 2003 A2. Now a Toyota Corolla 1.6 T-Spirit
 
A 52 reg was on sale in a local garage for £9,499. Parkers is suggesting £9,000 for an 02 base spec 1.4 petrol, but this is based on average mileage - yours is higher than average of 10-12,000 per year so an adjustment will be required. Say around £8,500-£9,000. Let us know what the insurance co offer you - part ex value is £7725.
 
I'll second what Runboy says. The insurance money needs to buy you a replacement car, which is not the same as the trade in value. When I negotiated with an insurance company in the past they seemed quite reasonable to this demand.

2004 1.4 TDi (90) SE, Cobalt Blue, Climate control, Cruise control, DIS, Sport seats, Winter pack, Symphony II.
 
I've been offered £8,390, which is not unlike Parker's £8,400 for private sale. However, I freely admit that my mechanical knowledge would fit on the head of a pin and leave room to spare! Consequently, I really need to get an Audi approved car which is going to cost nearer £9,000.

You've been really helpful. Any advice on how I can argue this one? Also, if that's the insurance company's first offer, are they expecting to have to raise it a bit?

Regards

Liz
 
If your vehcile was originally Audi approved the insurance company have to put you in the same position as before the accident. Either contact your local Audi dealer for the price of a replacement or look on the Audi website under the approved used car section. When you have hard evidence of the replacement cost contact your insurance company.
 
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