A very sad day for me...

[bethridg]

I regret this has to be my first post outside of the VIN compilation thread. I have owned 905593 for less than 3 months.

On my way home tonight, I struck two deer at 40 mph.



I've never owned an Audi before and this being a very special 10 yr old specimen, what is the likelihood it can be repaired to original? I suppose it's just a question of time/money like everything else.

The entire front clip is toast. Hood, both fenders and radiator support. Radiator is punctured somewhere. The inner fender near the passenger head lamp is crinkled. Passenger head lamp assembly was annihilated. Bumper cover is cracked in multiple places. More will come upon further inspection.

Any one care to take a guess on repair costs????

At this point, my plan is to have it towed to the local Audi dealer for a proper estimate. Any recommendations? I'm in the Kansas City MO metro area if that helps.

I'll be dealing with my insurance company tomorrow. Super bummed right now.

[RAUDI]

Very sorry to see that. It is good that nobody was hurt.

KBB in very good condition says the car is worth over 23,000.

http://www.kbb.com/audi/rs-6/2003-au...tion=very-good

I hope you get her fixed up. I don't know what your state's laws are for buying a car back from the insurance if they call it totaled. There a few donor cars out there right now you could start snatching parts from.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[lswing]

Sucks...if they total it get another! 4everRS went through that...can be fixed with any luck.

[lswing]

Off the top I'd think ~10k parts, paint, labor.

[Bigglezworth]

Damn. That sucks and then some. Not significant enough damage to write off, so suspect insurance will support repair in quick order.

1 Headlight
1 Hood
1 Fender
1 Grille
1 Radiator
1 bumper skin

Assuming there is no damage internally to the intercooler (lower and would think it fared fine), and that the radiator support can possibly be retained/repaired, I'd peg a third party fix-up with new OEM parts tipping the scales at $10,000.00 like mentioned above. A backyard wrencher with access to used parts could likely repair for 35-40% that cost assusming they can track down the parts. Parts in hand, this is a solid 6-8 hour repair since you will need to drain, uncouple, refasten, and fill up all coolers mounted to the rad clip. Would be nice if you could get away from that, but with a leaking rad, it all needs to come off to free the rad anyway.

I would start an Internet search for Avus silver RS6's that are being parted out. They exist. No guarantee you will find a matching color, but I would think the hood and fender can be sourced from a salvage unit. Radiator and rad support can for certain be sourced as those aren't quick sellers. Bumper skin will likely need to be new unfortunately. There is another thread with a member looking for a new skin also and a couple of links to one that was for sale on the used market a while back. The headlight and grille can be purchased as new off auction sites or reseller sites at affordable prices. Best of success with the repair.

[bethridg]

Very sorry to see that. It is good that nobody was hurt.

KBB in very good condition says the car is worth over 23,000.

http://www.kbb.com/audi/rs-6/2003-au...tion=very-good

I hope you get her fixed up. I don't know what your state's laws are for buying a car back from the insurance if they call it totaled. There a few donor cars out there right now you could start snatching parts from.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

Agree with nobody being hurt. Except the deer; neither survived.

I've kept an eye on Kbb values since I made the purchase. And I paid quiet a bit less than that $23k estimate. The car was in really good condition for it's age and 89k miles. Aside from a small blemish here and there it presented like new and ran very strong.

As for insurance buy back, I've only had second hand experience with friends buying their sportbikes back after minor accidents. But I'm not sure it will get to that.

Sucks...if they total it get another! 4everRS went through that...can be fixed with any luck.

I am absolutely in love with these cars. At the time, I was searching for a C6 S6 when I found the RS locally. After scouring this forum for info it was in my driveway 48 hours later.

However, I already have a long term project car taking up space in my garage. So if it comes down to it I think I'd be better off just signing the checks and letting someone else actually do the work.

[bethridg]

Damn. That sucks and then some. Not significant enough damage to write off, so suspect insurance will support repair in quick order.

1 Headlight
1 Hood
1 Fender
1 Grille
1 Radiator
1 bumper skin

Assuming there is no damage internally to the intercooler (lower and would think it fared fine), and that the radiator support can possibly be retained/repaired, I'd peg a third party fix-up with new OEM parts tipping the scales at $10,000.00 like mentioned above. A backyard wrencher with access to used parts could likely repair for 35-40% that cost assusming they can track down the parts. Parts in hand, this is a solid 6-8 hour repair since you will need to drain, uncouple, refasten, and fill up all coolers mounted to the rad clip. Would be nice if you could get away from that, but with a leaking rad, it all needs to come off to free the rad anyway.

I would start an Internet search for Avus silver RS6's that are being parted out. They exist. No guarantee you will find a matching color, but I would think the hood and fender can be sourced from a salvage unit. Radiator and rad support can for certain be sourced as those aren't quick sellers. Bumper skin will likely need to be new unfortunately. There is another thread with a member looking for a new skin also and a couple of links to one that was for sale on the used market a while back. The headlight and grille can be purchased as new off auction sites or reseller sites at affordable prices. Best of success with the repair.

Thanks for the detailed analysis. This is pretty much what I had in my head. I didn't upload a pic of the drivers side fender but it's buckled. So there is that too.

I guess my question is how much can be sourced from OEM for these cars with the understanding that they will be at a considerable premium over second hand? Parts in common with other Audi models should be fairly easy to acquire. But how about the items specific to the C5 RS6? I wouldn't think there is a warehouse over in Germany stocked with left over body panels and such. So they would have to be salvage no matter what, correct?

Trying to put together a realistic expectation.

[nubcake]

Fenders and hood are interchangeable with S6 and A6 4.2 AFAIK.
Unique parts will be: grille, radiator, bumper cover.

Bumper cover and rad alone will cost around 2 grand, rest is manageable - especially if getting used parts.

EDIT: Actually, bumper cover does not look that bad in your pics - if it can be repaired, you can save quite a few bucks. Same goes for the rad - if it's a minor puncture in the side tank from the condenser support bracket (happened to mine in a similar accident) - it probably can be repaired.

Don't be shocked by the quote from dealer - it will probably be waaaay upwards of 10k - I'd guess around 15 maybe.
It still can be done properly for less.

[DHall1]

15-18k
Rad support is $$$

Good luck and fight hard for new parts.

[na1mt]

Had the same accident with almost identical damage. I only needed to replace one fender though. My bill was just under $10k. So I'm going to guess yours to be close to $12k

[Avus-RS6]

15-18k
Rad support is $$$

Good luck and fight hard for new parts.

Yep! But I'll choose $13K-15K, Bob. (Price is Right reference)

[na1mt]

And I just noticed your statement about taking to an Audi dealer for an estimate....that would be a big mistake. Do some research and find out what local body shops in your area are certified by AoA to perform repairs. The stealership is just going to have an estimator from that shop come give them a price, then mark it up 15-20% and give you your estimate. You are at an area where the difference of a couple thousand dollars could be the difference of the car being totaled or repaired.

[bethridg]

And I just noticed your statement about taking to an Audi dealer for an estimate....that would be a big mistake. Do some research and find out what local body shops in your area are certified by AoA to perform repairs. The stealership is just going to have an estimator from that shop come give them a price, then mark it up 15-20% and give you your estimate. You are at an area where the difference of a couple thousand dollars could be the difference of the car being totaled or repaired.

Very good point. A quick search shows that the dealer is the "Authorized Collision Repair Facility" for AoA in the area. I'll keep digging for an indy. Thanks.

Forgot to mention my insurance company has an in-house repair facility near me so I'll give them a good long look too.

[JSRS6]

Progressive?

[bethridg]

Progressive?

Yeah, experience with them?

[ben916]

Forgot to mention my insurance company has an in-house repair facility near me so I'll give them a good long look too.

I would be VERY careful with this as you can't have rookies work on these cars.

Also, check everything including all front suspension (is that a DRC clunk I hear?!?!)
I wouldn't be surprised if it gets totaled, you should be ready/prepared for that also...

[P1054]

I'm sorry to hear about your accident. I'm currently in the process of replacing my front bumper and fender too, I had an encounter with a concrete barrier during the "snowstorm" we had here in SW WA. Fortunately it was a very minor encounter and didn't affect either the headlight nor the rad support. However, I can tell you that my repair estimate (from Progressive) was $4100. That included replacing the bumper support as well. Adding the hood, rad support, and headlight (which is around $550), I'd say the estimates above are spot-on. As for dealing with Progressive, I've run two comprehensive claims and one collision claim (this one) through them and they have been great to work with. No quibbling, no fighting, just getting the problem fixed. This time I decided to take the payout and do the work myself since I was already planning to do the timing belt-water pump service anyway. They checked out the car, gave me the estimate, and gave me a check all in about 1 hour. Can't really complain about service like that!

Good luck with your fix! I hope they get you up and running quickly!

[Kgnast]

I have bumper, fenders, etc..... we can go used all the way or OEM new.... up to you..... drop me a line. And no P1054.... I wont sell him your stuff..... I have others... LOL