Can $13,000 rear bumper damage only be "cosmetic"?

[sanviko]

Considering buying 2014 S4, but carfax shows $13,000 rear center bumper damage. Trying to figure out how serious $13K damage is on an S4 bumper. Is it possible to spend $13K to replace a bumper or other cosmetic items, or is there likely serious structural damage?
Appreciate opinions!

[doug97gxe]

definitely structural .. walk away... walk... away...

[RJRAUDI]

Considering buying 2014 S4, but carfax shows $13,000 rear center bumper damage. Trying to figure out how serious $13K damage is on an S4 bumper. Is it possible to spend $13K to replace a bumper or other cosmetic items, or is there likely serious structural damage?
Appreciate opinions!

I had a front end collision that totaled about the same amount. There was no structural damage (frame), crash bar absorbed most the impact. See images Here

Not sure about rear end damage, but repairs and body work do add up with these cars.

[Selma]

Someone dented my front bumper very lightly and cracked my signal lens on my e46 and the insurance payout was $3,500...

I don't know how precise CARFAX is, but "rear bumper damage" may be a general term for rear end damage -- could've messed with a bunch of stuff including exhaust, tail lights, trunk, parking sensors if it has them...

I can't speak specifically for the S4, but all I can say is that a body shop can rack up a bill like it's nothing. If my light collision was valued at $3,500, I can only imagine the parts and paint for an equally light collision on a new S4 being a couple times that.

I'd take it for a PPI, and see what they say.

[DBL R]

I just had $12,400 repaired on my front end. 98% cosmetic. I Think the only addition was the plastic mounts for the radiator were replaced.

[nick71692]

same, had a front end collision that resulted in a little over $10k with next to no structural damage. Part of the cost was due to the fact that I requested new parts rather than reworking the bumper or sheet metal. May explain some of the costs there.

[Li ls4]

I would look for another car unless you personally know what and how bad the damage was.

[b8audis4]

Yeah, try and get an accident report if the price is really good. But I would never feel safe with $13k in damage. That is a lot. Probably trunk, bumper, taillights, exhaust, rear quarter panels, sounds like a lot was replaced for that price.

[Brother Owl]

I just had my shop ream the insurance company for $18k of repairs with no structural or frame damage. Dent repair, rock chips, paint correction, replacement lights, grille, trim, etc.
It is possible... but be wary unless you're provided pics and/or detailed damage reports

[DBL R]

I just had my shop ream the insurance company for $18k of repairs with no structural or frame damage. Dent repair, rock chips, paint correction, replacement lights, grille, trim, etc.
It is possible... but be wary unless you're provided pics and/or detailed damage reports

+1. I have pictures and a detailed report from both the body shop and secondary private company....then again I'm sure most aren't as meticulous as me.

[palmor]

I had a ~$21k rear end repair and there was more then cosmetic damage (but not awful) but here is the thing.. I got hit on the passenger side and they replaced everything on the driver side as well (lights, exhaust etc) so that everything matched. That added about 10k to the bill in my estimation.

You'd be surprised how much it adds up.. take a look and see if you think this would be $21k of damage: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...tention-equals

[mavz]

I got lightly rear ended a month ago... was like 2.7k estimate (including paint and labor). Had the rear bumper and diffuser replaced that's it... PM me if you would like a copy of the estimate.

[roadkillrob]

Front damage is way more expensive due to $1200 head lights and 400 grill plus all the stuff packed in behind the bumper and fenders, 12k up front can be all cosmetic, 12k in the rear is pretty extensive, tail lights are a bit expensive, but the rest is not too bad, that is probably fender damage, new trunk lid, new mufflers/tailpipes etc.

I would avoid that one if it was me.

[Senseless]

I had a body shop mechanic examine my car before I purchased it. If you can drive it over to someone, that would be great. I would not rely on a car reporting service.

[budda]

Being in the bodyshop industry, $13k is defintely a bit more than cosmetic but not neccessarily structural. Just make sure your bodyshop is an Audi approved facility, they will have the right equipment to do the job properly. Audi does certify independent repair shops as long as they have the right equpment and ICAR training.

[blackfunk]

Its possible. Audi's don't have a drain on the roof so if you're painting the bumper and then the quarter panel then the trunk and roof have to be painted.

[SteveYem]

Someone tapped my front bumper enough to create a permanent dent and crack a headlight housing. $4000 later I had a new bumper with new paint and a new headlight.

[kcrunch]

I was rear ended when my '13 S4 was only a couple months old. $9k damage - they had to replace the bumper, rear valence and exhaust and do some work on the portion of the unibody where the spare tire hits. In retrospect it was no big deal and hasn't affected the car at all. Cars in general and German luxury cars especially are just expensive to repair. That said, you should be able to negotiate at least a few thousand of what the price would be if it hadn't been in an accident. Don't feel bad about it either - if the car was rear ended then they probably got a diminished value claim of several thousand.

[DBL R]

Someone tapped my front bumper enough to create a permanent dent and crack a headlight housing. $4000 later I had a new bumper with new paint and a new headlight.

If I remember correctly the headlights are $1,250 a piece.