Now in the body shop.....

[1 bad 03 rs6]

Now the car is at the body shop. Got into an accident New Years eve. Guy pulled out in front of me at a stop sign. I am so dissappointed.... It is at Paramount Centre in Tacoma. I hope they take good care of the Beast and fix it up right. I don't have any pictures to post here at work. The estimate before taking it apart was $6k, and they said they were putting together a supplemental list now that it's apart to submit for insurance approval.

Man, the headlight assembly is $1k - Crazy!

Posted here in case you didn't read it in another reply I responded to.

[hahnmgh63]

Make sure the front fenders & hood are the A6 4.2 / RS6 ones in Aluminum. $758.88 price for each OEM Xenon headlamp new from Genuine. Even University quoted me $850 so the autobody shop is squeezing some extra profit here and there. Really sorry to hear that, stick to your guns and make sure everything comes out just like it should be.

[MaxRS6]

I feel your pain. Go at the insurance company for devaluation as well. You might not get it- but it is worth a shot.

Good luck with the repair. As Hahn says- stick to your guns to make them get it right. You might even consider hiring an outside body shop consultant to oversee the work if you don't have the time to detail review their work. Some shops will try to shortcut some of the "hidden" items (i.e. aux radiators, piping, etc).

[vitalian]

Oh man, that is a HUGE bummer! I'm so sorry that happened! Good luck with repairs, and I agree with Max -- try to get some compensation for devaluation. Might even be worth hiring a lawyer to negotiate with the insurance company.

[ben916]

DAM! sorry to hear that!

I don't want to see photos...

[ttboost]

Sorry to hear Curt...Poor car..flashing back!!!

[1 bad 03 rs6]

Thanks for all your support. The shop seems pretty excited about working on the car. Not sure about the devaluation thing as the car already had a salvage title. I'll just be happy with the repairs done properly. The shop was recommended by the Local Audi dealer (Larson - not my favorite, but...) as well as another body shop I took it to. Supposedly they have the only Audi certified body guy in the south sound. The car was in good company. The lot was full of Porsches, AMG's, BMW's, etc. I pretty high end shop. They took me on a tour, showed me their paint booths, how they prep and finish, etc. I know that that doesn't always mean quality work, but it certainly gave me as warm and fuzzy a feeling as I could get all things considered.

It will be interesting to see what the supplemental list of parts and labor were. I have not heard back from the body shop, so all must be good for now. I will keep you posted.

[1 bad 03 rs6]

I feel your pain. Go at the insurance company for devaluation as well. You might not get it- but it is worth a shot.

Good luck with the repair. As Hahn says- stick to your guns to make them get it right. You might even consider hiring an outside body shop consultant to oversee the work if you don't have the time to detail review their work. Some shops will try to shortcut some of the "hidden" items (i.e. aux radiators, piping, etc).

My friend and I had already done some "custom" work on the repair from when it was totaled. Ie., deleted the aux radiators, eliminated the fog lights and made custom grills (which they said they would do as part of the repair, we'll see), added a plate style B&M trans cooler, etc. They apearently do quite a bit of custom work, and repairs of such. I am hoping for the best.

[Benman]

Thanks for all your support. The shop seems pretty excited about working on the car. Not sure about the devaluation thing as the car already had a salvage title. I'll just be happy with the repairs done properly. The shop was recommended by the Local Audi dealer (Larson - not my favorite, but...) as well as another body shop I took it to. Supposedly they have the only Audi certified body guy in the south sound. The car was in good company. The lot was full of Porsches, AMG's, BMW's, etc. I pretty high end shop. They took me on a tour, showed me their paint booths, how they prep and finish, etc. I know that that doesn't always mean quality work, but it certainly gave me as warm and fuzzy a feeling as I could get all things considered.

A couple of things to consider.
1: Dealers are not in the habit of recommending crap body shops. If they referred you, it is only because the shop has a solid reputation.
2: Crap shops are not in the habit of taking customers for a tour of their facility and showing the customer how repairs are done. Only quality shops do that.
3: Unlike a lot of the members here, shops are not in the habit of searching the internet for hours to find the best price on an OEM part... they order from the dealer, and yes, that means a higher price. It also means a very easy and FAST return policy if a part comes damaged. And your insurance is not getting "ripped" or charged to much, your insurance is merely paying dealer list price.
3(A): Parts are ordered VIN specific. No need to worry about them ordering non 4.2/RS 6 hoods LOL!
4: Yes, it is a good sign for the shop to be certified. Crap shops won't be.
5: ANY, and I mean ANY quality shop (and these folks sound the part) will have a lifetime warranty on workmanship.
6: If the pre-suppliment estimate was over $6K, expect another 30% on top of that once it is properly torn down. Along those lines, also consider that industry standard is @ 4 hours of labor per day or roughly $350.00 of total repairs to be completed each work day. You can do the math from there (once you have the final total) to find out how long the shop will have your vehicle. Also, that $350 a day clock does NOT start till final insurance approval is received, so get your insurance to give them what they need in a timely fashion. Calling your claims handler ill go a long way (afterall, the shop wants the insurance's money but the insurance wants YOUR money. Who do you think they will answer faster. )
7: Shops work directly with your insurance on the supplement so they will not be able to "screw" your insurance. If anything, there will be a ton of stuff that the insurance will not want to pay and the shop may contact you to make you aware of that fact.
8: I'd pass on having a "consultant" check out the repairs. They are hit or miss. Unless of course you have prior knowledge of their skills firsthand. I know several, but they are all down my way with the exception of one in Boise (too far from you). Bottom line, you may be wasting your money.
9 (final): Make sure you learn what a "betterment" is. Depending on the damage, it may apply to you.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.


Ben