My USP got rear ended

**Gails Woofel** · 04-07-2008 11:00 PM

My A4 usp got rear ended tonight my a 95 ford truck with steal bumpers. Very sad day only had the car for a month so far. What is the first step?? Call the guy's insurance company?Should I take it around to a few of the top body shop places in the area?? There is a place around me that only does high end cars..my buddy was there last week for his bmw and all they had was Ferrari's and Porsche's in the garage.....the police offer told us that the report will say its his fault...I have no idea what kind place I should let do the body work. Is there a list of certified Audi body guys?? I am def going to need new rear bumper and trunk and possible exhaust. any help will me much appreciated.

**EuroTrash A4 NY** · 04-07-2008 11:08 PM

honestly it depends on your insurance company... find a body shop you trust and get a quote... call the guys insurance and arrange for an inspection, there may be more damage then just the bumper cover, rebar and trunk.

when i was rear-ended i was quoted 1500 for rebar, cover and exhaust, it ended up being 3500 for the cover, rebar, rebar shocks, bent body panels and the panels behind the bumper, trunk and much much more. tell the insurance adjuster the shop you will be taking it to. a good body shop will help you deal with insurance, id be surprised if the quote from the adjustor is enough to cover the damage.

you can also take advantage of the crash and get a nice rear bumper, aftermarket or s4 maybe?

**Nhoj** · 04-07-2008 11:11 PM

Id take it to the best body shop you can find and get a quote for all the damages done including exhaust and everything. Then Id call his insurance company. But it depends if its gonna cost YOU money to get a quote or not... Thats my 2 cents

**gdawg'05a4** · 04-08-2008 06:39 AM

Adjusters just look at the face value. They don't go look underneath the panels/bumper cover/etc. For example, say a small fender bender, someone rear ends you but not enough to put a hole or bend the bumper all out of shape but some paint is missing. They'll see that and say, okay, re-paint it for this much.

It is when you get it to the body shop, they'll tear it down and then they'll request a supplement from the insurance company to cover the additional found damages. Let the body shop handle the insurance company. You can call them out (usually your insurance company handles this) to do a initial look at the car so they can do a write up and then tell them your body shop choice.

Most insurance companies take care of accidents (at least mine does). I call them up and say I was in an accident, someone rear ended me. They take down your info and then the other driver's information including their insurance info. My insurance company will the other driver's insurance and report the information, etc. I didn't speak to the other insurance company at all. They just sent me some information about their rental car coverage since the other driver was at fault for hitting me.

Ask around your regional forum and see recommended body shops in the area.

**Gails Woofel** · 04-08-2008 07:01 AM

thanks for the help. I called my insurance company(travelers) and told them what happened. The police report is going to rule in my favor so my insurance agent just said try to put a claim through the guy who hit me insurance company. The issue is that I don’t have the name of the carrier it I guess he went through a broker all is says is "Joseph Mcgrath Insurance Agency Inc" i cant tell who he has it through. So i left a message at the agency. Should I just get things moving and put it through my carrier??

**gdawg'05a4** · 04-08-2008 07:07 AM

Give your insurance company the other driver's information (name, address, drivers license number, car info, plate info, etc) and have them go after the other driver. You should not have to do any of this, they should be taking care of this. As long as they understand the situation and they even know it will rule in your favor, it shouldn't be a problem.

**jbrown7815** · 04-08-2008 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by gdawg'05a4

Give your insurance company the other driver's information (name, address, drivers license number, car info, plate info, etc) and have them go after the other driver. You should not have to do any of this, they should be taking care of this. As long as they understand the situation and they even know it will rule in your favor, it shouldn't be a problem.

Exactly.

**Gails Woofel** · 04-08-2008 09:00 AM

sounds good....would it be my best bet to use the body shop at the audi dealership??

**gdawg'05a4** · 04-08-2008 09:01 AM

Ask around your area or regional forum for body shop recommendations. Or do a search for your area on AW/AZ.

**Gails Woofel** · 04-11-2008 09:29 AM

no help in the regional forum...I have it down to 2 places 1 place is what the Audi dealership uses which is also the one that the local Mercedes, land rover and Cadillac uses. The other place is a higher end place that is Mercedes certified but they will do any higher end car. I just wondering which place would do a better job? I guess iam leaning towards the one Audi recommends but iam still not sure...I am sure the higher end place will do excellent job also??? What do you guys think??