Audi Damaged pretty badly...need body shop in Northern Virginia

**OMGAUDI** · 01-21-2014 07:09 PM

All,

I'd hate to have to go to the dealership...

My 2008 Audi S5 got backed into pretty badly when it was parked. I need a good body shop in the area. The other person's insurance has given me the go ahead to pick any shop that I want.

Any recs?

**aka5** · 01-21-2014 07:12 PM

alot of ppl will say "tysons collision" they are good but ive had BAD issues with them before

i go to "matchless" on rt 7 in vienna near great falls IMO great shop, quick, and do it right

**Mops@Nemesis** · 01-21-2014 07:16 PM

Damn, hate that happened. Good luck with the repairs.

**spyder101** · 01-21-2014 07:36 PM

I would stick with what body shops the dealer recommends. Man, I've seen some really shitty work come through my shop, from non-certified "body shops" and I just don't see how they stay in business. Cut EVAP lines, holes in the tank from welding, electrical problems, on and on and on. You see where I'm going with this.

**easy_button** · 01-21-2014 08:12 PM

D&V Autobody is probably the best in the area, and is in Sterling.

**Hamletcin** · 01-21-2014 08:15 PM

That sucks man!!! Good luck on the repair

**jauri** · 01-21-2014 08:24 PM

google search: audi authorized collision shops.

**dazed1** · 01-21-2014 08:29 PM

http://www.audiusa.com/help/collision-repair

**quattro16** · 01-21-2014 08:38 PM

Why would you not go to the dealer or use who they use? Insurance is covering it. 90% of the other shops out there would try and salvage most of that or use junkyard panels/door to fix it. When an Audi approved repair facility has standards far from what everyone else has. I've seen some real shitty work over the last 10 years and most of the repairs were from body shops the customer chose and insisted to go to. They can't even perform proper wire repairs or module replacements after accidents and bring them to us for that part. I've even called customers down and showed them how shitty and unsafe the vehicle has become since the repairs because god forbid it gets hit again and kills someone I do not want any part of that! You get what you pay for….

**speedydragon** · 01-21-2014 08:39 PM

If your dealer does collision work, I would bring it to the dealer. I had similar damage on my b5 avant and took it to my local dealer.

**mihixson** · 01-22-2014 05:50 AM

Took mine to WagonWorks off Route 1 in Alexandria a little over a year ago when someone clipped my bumper in the parking garage at work. Audi HQ used to take all of their cars there if they needed work done, and there were always R8's and Porsches and other high end cars in the lot. They've since been renamed to Pohanka Collision, and I'm not sure if they still have the same reputation anymore. Worth looking into though. I've also heard good things about First Choice Auto Body, which is also right off Route 1.

**jauri** · 01-22-2014 06:17 AM

because not all dealer body shops arn't audi authorized. check my post above.

Originally Posted by quattro16

Why would you not go to the dealer or use who they use? Insurance is covering it. 90% of the other shops out there would try and salvage most of that or use junkyard panels/door to fix it. When an Audi approved repair facility has standards far from what everyone else has. I've seen some real shitty work over the last 10 years and most of the repairs were from body shops the customer chose and insisted to go to. They can't even perform proper wire repairs or module replacements after accidents and bring them to us for that part. I've even called customers down and showed them how shitty and unsafe the vehicle has become since the repairs because god forbid it gets hit again and kills someone I do not want any part of that! You get what you pay for….

**TitanG545** · 01-22-2014 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by aka5

alot of ppl will say "tysons collision" they are good but ive had BAD issues with them before

i go to "matchless" on rt 7 in vienna near great falls IMO great shop, quick, and do it right

I sure hope you aren't referring to Cherner's. IF so HELL NO don't go to them. They were recommended by Geico to repair my BMW 545 when I got rear-ended in DC. Dropped my car off, and got a Honda Accord. Now when I dropped my car off I did NOT have a crack in my windshield, when I picked it up I DID. They swore up and down that I came in with the crack and that the pictures they took showed it. Since I didn't have my own pics to dispute it, I let it go. While going over my car, while still on the lot I noticed that they didn't blend then paint from my bumper into the back quarter panel. Having quite a few close friends as professional painters I checked with them on the right way to do things. Your suppose to blend the paint to match, I also spoke with a few other body shops who confirmed this. They took the cheap and easy way out.

Fast forward 5 months, to this past October. I come out for work and my car won't start, I have it towed to my local mechanic. He discovers that my battery was sitting in about 3 inches of water, and that he can't be sure but he believes it is coming from my trunk. A water test is performed and confirms that the leak is coming from the trunk. Geico is now involved and sends out a claims rep to confirm what the shop says, which they do. Cherner now sends out there body shop manager, who disputes and refuses to acknowledge the leak is coming from the trunk. Keep in mind my car is sitting in the shop for about 2 weeks at this point, after going back and forth with Geico's supervisor, manager, and area manager. Cherner finally acknowledges they were at fault and decides to fix the damage, 3 weeks after the problem was first identified.

I take it to a body shop a family member recommended and they show me clear as day that they didn't fix the body damage just the superficial part. Damage was finally taken care of and I received my car back a month after it initially didn't start. My car is still having electronic issues, which is why I am trading her in with the quickness. I hate Cherner and will never have a positive thing to say about them.

Apologize if the message isn't as clear as mud, this experience still has me VERY heated.

**aka5** · 01-22-2014 07:51 AM

lol im deff not talking about cherner, they are by far the worst, took them 2 months to fix my familys cayenne

**i1overice** · 01-22-2014 08:03 AM

I have had decent experience with 395 Auto collision. They repaired a dent in my brother's rear fender, one of the harder places to repair and it looked brand new again...

**Nittany** · 01-22-2014 08:07 AM

I went to Wagonworks a few years back. They are good, but very expensive. I recently went to T&J in Clarendon to fix a dent on my X5. They did an amazing job and they are very reasonable. Fast turn around...got it back in 2 days. Check you their Yelp reviews.

**JimmyBones** · 01-22-2014 10:06 AM

OMGAUDI, Were you driving on route 29 Lee highway near Merrifield yesterday night? I waved at the driver.

I would recommend Eddy at Autocraft paint and body in Alexandria. They do fantastic work.

**Zee Dgerman** · 01-22-2014 11:35 AM

ouch

**Storm33** · 01-22-2014 02:07 PM

That sucks; hate seeing an Audi get hit. Good luck getting it back to beautiful.

**scmguru** · 01-22-2014 06:12 PM

Audi authorized body shop

**UmIsThisThingOn** · 01-22-2014 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by mihixson

Took mine to WagonWorks off Route 1 in Alexandria a little over a year ago when someone clipped my bumper in the parking garage at work. Audi HQ used to take all of their cars there if they needed work done, and there were always R8's and Porsches and other high end cars in the lot. They've since been renamed to Pohanka Collision, and I'm not sure if they still have the same reputation anymore. Worth looking into though. I've also heard good things about First Choice Auto Body, which is also right off Route 1.

I was going to recommend WagonWerks. When I lived in NoVa I had heard a lot of positive feedback about them. I went there for a quote I saw quite a few Audis including the then-unreleased-in-the-US RS5 that an Audi HQ exec wrecked; guy told me it was the second or third time it was in for body damage. I figured if it was good enough for Audi HQ it was good enough for me.

**OMGAUDI** · 01-23-2014 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by JimmyBones

OMGAUDI, Were you driving on route 29 Lee highway near Merrifield yesterday night? I waved at the driver.

I would recommend Eddy at Autocraft paint and body in Alexandria. They do fantastic work.

No wasn't me! I still have my Cali plates on...so if you see them around town it's me.

**OMGAUDI** · 01-23-2014 12:48 AM

Thanks for all the recs. I've been calling around and following up on yelp reviews. I know how to use google...I was asking for personal recs because this isn't just a simple bumper repair and there are a lot of other intangibles and places to watch out for (even if I'm not paying for it) that you can't find on google. I am pretty sure that the door frame needs to be squared away on an appropriate audi jig (surely should come on any Audi cert) and a thorough inspection of the frame for damage or bending.

Thank you all for your help!

**23psi** · 01-17-2015 09:44 AM

DO NOT GO TO CRAFTSMAN AUTO BODY in Falls Church VA! These guys do shitty work and also drove my car more than 60 miles!! More than a quarter tank of gas was gone, my clutch is now very soft, and my hood will not open! They also took 5 days to do some very simple work. They also admitted to scraping when they pulled the car in and out of the paint shop.

Do I have any legal options? Or am I screwed?

**namvar** · 01-17-2015 11:45 AM

I am not an expert in this area but don't they just replace the panels? My thoughts about going to the dealer is that Audi will be responsible and if the dealer does not perform to your satisfaction there are so may ways to escalate.

On the other hand I seem to be one of the few who has had a very good experience with my dealership.

**Octothorpe** · 01-17-2015 12:31 PM

Yeah, if insurance is covering it, take it to Audi.

**Race Shooter** · 01-17-2015 02:59 PM

WagonWerks is always who I recommended in the NoVa area. They had a great reputation, did a lot of supercar work and did a lot of custom work as well. Not cheap though, but if the other company is paying, who cares?

**ExhaustNote** · 01-17-2015 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by namvar

I am not an expert in this area but don't they just replace the panels? My thoughts about going to the dealer is that Audi will be responsible and if the dealer does not perform to your satisfaction there are so may ways to escalate.

On the other hand I seem to be one of the few who has had a very good experience with my dealership.

The rear quarter panel can't just be replaced easily. They have to cut and weld.

**Nate B.** · 01-17-2015 05:41 PM

I'm really sorry that happened. I just hope you get it fixed and everything ends up looking like nothing ever happened.

**Mops@Nemesis** · 01-17-2015 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by ExhaustNote

The rear quarter panel can't just be replaced easily. They have to cut and weld.

Correct. That's what they did with mine.

Ouch. What a shitty couple of months that was :/

**GSS5** · 01-17-2015 08:39 PM

i don't know why everyone is telling op to go to an audi dealer. dealers typically don't do body work themselves, and dealer affiliation means squat when it comes to body repairs.

op, your best bet is to spend time, do research, get referrals, narrow down your choices, and look at the work that is coming out of your selection of shops. it looks like your quarter panel will likely have to be cut and welded. also your repairs will invove repainting/blending into the trunk, roof, door, fender, cant rail + a pillar..if you can, maybe you should try pushing for a full body respray. either way, you want a shop who knows what they're doing, and has the time, experience and knowledge to repair your car back to 100%. unfortunately those shops are in the small minority, so choose wisely.

**Nate B.** · 01-17-2015 09:53 PM

i agree with ^ that duder. I would do my research very well before deciding. But I'm sure you will. You obviously care about your car if you are posting on this forum in the first place. Just pick very wisely. Drive a distance if you have to. I believe it would be worth it.

**Trix** · 02-13-2015 08:57 AM

Omgaudi, can you please advise where you fixed your Audi finally? My q5 need some body work done in nova and would appreciate if you can share Ur recommendation.