Rear end collision

[SiliconValleyA4]

I was in a rear-end collision yesterday. The guy behind me was not paying attention and hit me going at least 30-40 mph. His Corolla is clearly totaled, the entire front of his car is crumpled. I got some nasty whiplash but the doc said it should be ok in a few weeks.

My 2009 A4 surprisingly doesn't look so bad rom the outside, but as soon as you look in the trunk it is all bent. The tire is stuck, etc. it also started smelling when I tried to turn it on and then the electrical system went haywire. It didn't start anymore. I think the battery etc. is in the back? Does hat mean it got damaged? I'm afraid ther is some serious structural damage, so the value of my car just got cut in half. :( I am waiting to hear from the body shop.

And I just got my engine rebuilt two weeks ago due to the known engine consumption issue :(

Me:




Other guy:

[100Daily]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

[DaveyDave424]

ah that sucks man. i hope you're okay - poor audi, didn't even see it coming

[svirk2]

That's maybe 20-25 mph

[SiliconValleyA4]

Does it sound repairable without long term concerns? I'm worried about resale value since I don't want to keep it more than another 3 years or so.

My 5 year old son was also in the car. Luckily he doesn't complain about any pain. I might get the car seat inspected just in case.

[ben916]

Does it sound repairable without long term concerns? I'm worried about resale value since I don't want to keep it more than another 3 years or so.

My 5 year old son was also in the car. Luckily he doesn't complain about any pain. I might get the car seat inspected just in case.

Have your son checked also for whiplash also.
Get it replaced no matter what! If the other insurance co doesn't pay for it, have yours and then bill the other guy.

[Stubek]

battery is under the spare tire.
In the back right quarter panel, there are a few electronic control modules and fuse blocks.
In the back left quarter, you have the radio amp, nav, and some other MMI related electronics.

The fuel tank/fuel pump as I recall has a mechanical shut off that when it gets a big jarring, it stops letting you flow fuel, so you probably can't start it. This is so if there is a fuel leak, you don't blow yourself and everyone else up.

When the other guy's insurance fixes it, fight for "diminished value" and you can hopefully recover some of the lost value.

Get your son and his carseat checked. I was in an accident when I was 15, I was the passenger, I had whiplash and went through pt for my back for about 6 months a couple times per week. We thought I was better, but 23 years later, I still get severe back pain in that same spot, and there is nothing I can do for it besides take time off from work and muscle relaxers for a few days

[TheHeiko]

This reminds me of when I got rear ended while driving my wife's A6 Avant. The Chevy Corsica looks as bad as that Corolla and the A6 about as bad as your A4. The damage that we had wasn't that bad. There was nothing structural. The worst was that one side of the exhaust got pushed and required replacement. I was not able to drive away initially because the wheel well liner got push into the tire but when pried away got out of the way of the tire.

I know the situations can be very different underneath but have faith. It should all be okay and as others have stated, just make sure you two are healthy.

Oh, and maybe you'll end up with a S-Line bumper or S4 trunk....

[jlaudio]

first and foremost i'm glad everyone is safe and you and your son are able to walk away.

but holy damn look at that toyota vs the damage in the audi... just goes to show you we do have solid cars. the pic of the corolla with the broken glass looks like he smacked his head on the windshield. did he?

[jtdbsr]

Looks to be from the airbag deployment.

[48855]

Just got mine back from being rear ended....probably a 10mph at the most but repair came out to 5300...

[LoveMyA4]

Audi: 1 Corolla:0

[Pared]

Surprised the Audi held up as well as it did. Glad you guys are ok.

Had this been the front or sides, the Audi would have folded faster than Cozad vs. Tyson.

[bshanna]

I was hit in a similar fashion: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...monday-night-(

A bit higher than you but they had to replace (well, are still replacing) everything-- the deck lid, the bumper, the valance, the bumper hinges, the trim, the liner. Pretty close to the guy who said ~$5k.

The two things you'll need to find out is if the frame was damaged (my rear sub frame had to be replaced/re-welded) and if the quarter panels were damaged (yours looks okay but there are tests the body shop will run to tell for sure). If your quarters are damaged that's bad since they will need to be cut and re-welded and colour-matched...

i did upgrade to the s-line rear :) it's the same price OEM + valance, you'll just have to cover the honeycomb insert cost which is like $150 bucks.

Glad is sounds like everyone is okay..

[100Daily]

It looks like the passenger in the Corolla hit their head on the inside of the windshield, or is that an optical illusion?

[SweetLou]

Glad you and your son are ok

When the other guy's insurance fixes it, fight for "diminished value" and you can hopefully recover some of the lost value.

Definitely file a diminished value claim with their insurance co once the repairs are completed.

Surprised the Audi held up as well as it did. Glad you guys are ok.

Had this been the front or sides, the Audi would have folded faster than Cozad vs. Tyson.

I thought the a4 had great front and side impact ratings? Do you just mean the crumple zones?

[Pared]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...t-ratings.html

[Wah]

Very unfortunate. However, considering the damage of the other car's front end, your rear didn't take that big of a hit.

[btmac]

It looks like the passenger in the Corolla hit their head on the inside of the windshield, or is that an optical illusion?

Looks like passenger airbag deployment broke the windshield.

[strife1013]

As everyone has said, glad you both are safe! Audi doesn't look tooo bad, the Toyota, well that's another story. Audi's, built well! Hope you get a new car soon!

[dracolnyte]

surprised audi doesnt have whiplash prevention headrest

[SiliconValleyA4]

Turns out looks are deceiving. The bumper hides the full damage. Got a call today from the body shop and he said the damage is quite extensive and that I must have gotten hit very hard. They have to tear it apart to assess the full damage, but the initial estimate is $10k or more, if they find more issues. He said the battery was cracked, that's (at least one of the reasons) why the car didn't start anymore. Good thing it got towed. Really concerned about the diminished value now, I almost wish it would be totaled.

[dbX79]

Dude I'm so cautious around crazy drivers now. People are careless and don't pay attention. I hope it works out for you. I had a lady in a Maserati run into my bumper a few months ago. I was at a full stop too. They had to sand the bumper and repaint it. Well good luck on that. I know you can't wait to get it fixed.


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[SweetLou]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...t-ratings.html

Huh? The test listed in that article, small front overlap, is the newest test the iihs started using ( in the last year or two). Only two cars received a "good" rating, and only 11 were tested total. The a4 (09-13 models) received a "good" rating in every other field including moderate front overlap, side, roof, and rear impacts. Even received a good seat/head restraint geometry rating.

The a4 has been a top safety pick for a while so I'm not sure where you're getting your info from.
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=558