Salvaged then fixed B8.5 S4

[spacek.at]

Hello everyone. I have just got an offer to buy a 2013 S4 with 32k miles on it for around $17.5k. Here in Czech republic this is pretty much $8.7k under the regular price of the same make year but that would even have more mileage (50k ish). There is a flaw of course. The car is originally from Canada where it was crashed and put as salvage. Then it was bought, fixed somewhere for which I was not able to get papers so far, and then registered in Czech republic.

A guy bought it two years ago not knowing it was crashed (told him just now and made a bargain price) and drove it till now not noticing anything. Did not have any issues with the car whatsoever and I saw the service history for the past two years. Official Audi service did not notice anything out of the ordinary. VCDS did not find any codes since last service which was about half a year ago so seems like there are not any technical issues.

Problem is I am really not able to check if there was any structural damage and I was told there is no way to tell? Car drives normal, does not make nay werid noises while going or have the tendencies to turn by itself or so.

It was crashed from right behind and the left front was also damaged. What is you opinion on this guys? Is there any way to find any info about the crash? It was Ontario registered. I do have the VIN: WAUFGCFL7EA042236

Report link: https://www.carfax.eu/report/view/c52dd4cd-6916-4d9b-92ab-fa4c66cb6354

Thanks for any help and opinions!

[fstr n u]

Unless Ontario laws are different from those in other provinces, the only way to know about the actual accident would be to talk to the owner which is next to impossible to do when cars are sold online. The rear end damage i'd be less worried about than the front left (lots of mechanical/cooling parts in there.

I would need to see pics including inside the engine bay to know if the car is even worth looking at.

.....on a side note...2 accidents in that car's short life, very sad....

[spacek.at]

Yup that is sad. What I know is the mileage is accurate comparing carfax and a system in Europe. The car was always hit from the behind as far as carfax says. Just out of curiosity. Is it possible the car was crashed the first time which got fixed and lowered the price and then when it got hit the second time since it was already once fixed it was not worth fixing because of the price deduction of first hit? I did see the car and all looks normaln even in the negine bay. As I said, no error codes for the past time, tried to give it hell going and braking, handles normally. I will have it checked at Audi for sure.

The most I'm worried about is something cracking on the body or so or if it will be still safe in an accident.

Here is also the european report with photos: https://www.autodna.com/vin/WAUFGCFL7EA042236/audi-s4-2014-2995cm3-petrol/1d523d26852b391aedbb8925a6035b8450fef4b6/autodna_vhr?utm_source=email-po-zakupie&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=link-do-raportu

No engine bay though.

[jygesq]

If you can have it inspected and it shows no structure damage and it rides and handles well, no unusual tire wear or noises ,it may be worth the chance .BUT forget resale later. Very strange a Canadian car ended up in Europe. Except the salvage title. That is the explanation. But why does previous owner, who claims he knew nothing about the salvage title what to sell it.? All in all ,I would pass,NOT BUY IT. To many indications there are hidden problems. The most concerning,that previous owner wants to sell it.

[spacek.at]

Well the price I listed here is not the original one the seller wanted. He was in the normal sell prices. He has had the car for two years and he usually trades in or sells and buys a new one. I even saw the contract when he bought it and it did not say anything about damage. The one lying here was the first dealer who sold it after bringing to Europe (Advantage Cars Prague). I will have a call with them tomorrow hoping for some kind of info of the accident.

[mjfloyd1]

Typically salvage cars are worth less than half of a clean title car. If you are buying it to drive until it dies then get it inspected and buy it for a salvage car price. If you are buying a car to drive for a few years and trade in then I would find a car with a clean title

[spacek.at]

The only reason I found out is I bumped into Carfax and know my way around with english (like maybe 15% people in my country). We do not have salvage status here. It is just like any ordinary car. Hopefully IÂ’ll get some info from the dealer who brought it to Czech rep. Guess I will have to force myself to use my head instead of heart to make the decision. The car was in a great shape so I was surprised to find this out (yesterday).

[Turbocoop]

I wouldn't buy a NON-wrecked car from Canada, the salt from the roads there destroys the undercarriage. From experience, salvaged cars usually end up costing more in the long run.

Prague is a great city BTW!! Need to visit again

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[fastboatster]

Not really strange anymore that wrecked North American cars end up in Eastern Europe. Now days, even international bidders can purchase cars at salvage auctions.
Anyways, OP, maybe an inspection by reputable body shop could help? They could try to see what was repaired and how (quality or not)

[Zbichu]

I think you asked the question in the wrong place. Especially if you really want to buy this car [:d] In my opinion, this is a very good price. I bought a car imported from the USA from the same year of production but registered in 2014. It has a higher mileage of 85 thousand kilometers and cost me $20,000. I switched from A6C7 3.0tdi. However, apart from the report I had photos of it from the auction and I saw that the damage was minimal. I am very satisfied with this car. Europe, especially the east - central Europe, is a specific market and there are different rules and prices.

[2by2handsofblue]

I wouldn't buy a NON-wrecked car from Canada, the salt from the roads there destroys the undercarriage. From experience, salvaged cars usually end up costing more in the long run.

Prague is a great city BTW!! Need to visit again

Sent from my SM-G950U using Audizine mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Not necessarily true. As long it was fixed properly and maintained like any other car.
Owned a salvaged title care before. Usually its maintenance cost etc.

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[2by2handsofblue]

Your best bet is to have it inspected. And look for rust. Rust is a killer for cars.

And if the report of a reputable shop, than take your chances. Since u dont have salvage title cars you can always resell it. Albeit if u want to tell them the truth and sell it at a lower price.

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[19birel]

I drive a rebuilt (formerly salvage) B8.5 A4. I did the rebuild myself and have put ~13,000 miles on it since the repairs without issue. If it's done right, you won't have any issues with it being a rebuilt car, mine has been to the Audi dealership a couple times during my ownership and they were shocked when I told them the car had been totaled. They even did a multi-point inspection and the car received their highest score.

Since you don't know the extent of the repairs, I would have it taken to a reputable Audi shop or dealership and have them inspect the car to make sure everything checks out well before purchase. Assuming the work was done correctly it could be a very good car!

[spacek.at]

Thank you all for the input. Will have the car checked for the second time (first I checked myself from around + VCDS) tomorrow for any misalignment of parts etc. If all looks well and there is no rust or moved frame I will probably take a shot at it. The car was being taken to authorized Audi center for the two years and they never suspected it to be a totaled one (called them up).

[fastboatster]

Keyword is done right. Need to actually have it’s control point distances measured to find out, I’ve found some specs and the tolerances are 2 mm for most distances, even the larger ones. I would not trust a visual inspection to notice if something is off with these tolerances, Audi dealer could not tell if they were not really looking. Why not get an Octavia RS and tune it to hell rather then spend the time on this S4?

[19birel]

Keyword is done right. Need to actually have it’s control point distances measured to find out, I’ve found some specs and the tolerances are 2 mm for most distances, even the larger ones. I would not trust a visual inspection to notice if something is off with these tolerances, Audi dealer could not tell if they were not really looking. Why not get an Octavia RS and tune it to hell rather then spend the time on this S4?

Probably because a Skoda Octavia isn't anywhere near as nice in terms of refinement as an S4 haha (I've spent time in a new Octavia)

[RyanJon]

I’d be wary. I’m not up on Canadian rules but in the uk we have different categories of insurance right off dependant on severity of the damage. Iirc D is cosmetic damage, C is structural but repairable, B is never allowed to be put back on the road but can be stripped for parts and A has to be crushed and can’t have any parts removed at all.

A quick search on YouTube and you will find many Eastern European channels fixing things that wouldn’t lawfully be allowed to be repaired over here.

Some like the famous Arthur look to do a very good job. Others have videos up of them doing what is known here as a ‘cut and shut’ which is basically welding 2 cars together.

On the other hand things can be written off for not a great deal in countries where the labour to fix them is 10x what it is in places like Lithuania.

[fastboatster]

I’d be wary. I’m not up on Canadian rules but in the uk we have different categories of insurance right off dependant on severity of the damage. Iirc D is cosmetic damage, C is structural but repairable, B is never allowed to be put back on the road but can be stripped for parts and A has to be crushed and can’t have any parts removed at all.

A quick search on YouTube and you will find many Eastern European channels fixing things that wouldn’t lawfully be allowed to be repaired over here.

Some like the famous Arthur look to do a very good job. Others have videos up of them doing what is known here as a ‘cut and shut’ which is basically welding 2 cars together.

On the other hand things can be written off for not a great deal in countries where the labour to fix them is 10x what it is in places like Lithuania.
This Arthur?:
https://youtu.be/C9ip64npRbE
I think Lituanian-fixed cars are notorious for sketchy repair. I actually like how the UK has different salvage car categories, that's a very good idea. In the US and afaik Canada, there's only one category. I guess that's the reason US salvage auctions became so popular with international buyers, I guess they can always say that all the damage was cosmetic. Anyways, if I was OP, I'd get it MEASURED.

[fastboatster]

Probably because a Skoda Octavia isn't anywhere near as nice in terms of refinement as an S4 haha (I've spent time in a new Octavia)
If RS is like a GTI (although I'm sure that f..ing VW made sure that comparable Skodas don't steal VW sales, so I'm sure RS is dumbed down) then I'd take it over an S4.

[19birel]

If RS is like a GTI (although I'm sure that f..ing VW made sure that comparable Skodas don't steal VW sales, so I'm sure RS is dumbed down) then I'd take it over an S4.

They drive very well,just like a VW but it’s essentially a budget version of the equivalent VW, more hard plastics etc.

GTI is a very fun car though, wouldn’t take one over an S4 but that’s mostly because I prefer the extra comfort of the Audi. Just depends on what you’re looking for


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[RyanJon]

This Arthur?:
https://youtu.be/C9ip64npRbE
I think Lituanian-fixed cars are notorious for sketchy repair. I actually like how the UK has different salvage car categories, that's a very good idea. In the US and afaik Canada, there's only one category. I guess that's the reason US salvage auctions became so popular with international buyers, I guess they can always say that all the damage was cosmetic. Anyways, if I was OP, I'd get it MEASURED.

That’s the chap, it can’t be denied that he’s extremely talented. There’s a white bmw 7 series in his intro clip that’s been on its roof that is well worth a watch and shows just what you could be potentially buying!

[fastboatster]

That’s the chap, it can’t be denied that he’s extremely talented. There’s a white bmw 7 series in his intro clip that’s been on its roof that is well worth a watch and shows just what you could be potentially buying!
Thank God I'm not anywhere near the cars he has repaired) Otherwise yes, every car purchase would be extremely nerve-wracking. There are now businesses back there that will check the car for you exactly for this kind of "talented" repair.

[fastboatster]

They drive very well,just like a VW but it’s essentially a budget version of the equivalent VW, more hard plastics etc.

GTI is a very fun car though, wouldn’t take one over an S4 but that’s mostly because I prefer the extra comfort of the Audi. Just depends on what you’re looking for


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I'm actually starting to care about more fun than refinement and would like something I could almost redline in many gears without exceeding the speed limit by much. kind of want a miata now

[19birel]

I'm actually starting to care about more fun than refinement and would like something I could almost redline in many gears without exceeding the speed limit by much. kind of want a miata now

I understand that completely, my first car which I still have around was a mk4 golf with absolutely no power, most fun car ever.

GTIs are great, especially the MK7, it just all depends on what you’re doing. I drive a lot so having something that both comfortable and fun is key. If I drove a little less I would 100% daily a new GTI.


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