Not so great early birthday present

[pwdrskr]

Yep, the universe decided I needed one last kick in the teeth before the calendar ticked over one more year on me (56 today). I was rear ended while stopped behind another car that had yet to start moving when the stop light turned green. A car in the adjacent lane had stalled. Another driver had gotten out of his car and was waving other drivers down, presumably to prevent an accident. This caused the vehicle in front of me to sit unmoving despite the stop light turned green. I couldn't move. Then I glanced in my rear view mirror just in time to see what turned out to be a 20 something woman driving a white Lexus sedan plough into me at close to 40 mph! She told the responding sheriffs deputy that she saw the green light and just kept going! Apparently seeing multiple stopped cars wasn't clue enough not to keep rolling along? I suspect she was looking at her phone or something...no way to prove that.

Our RS6 withstood the crash quite well considering her car was demolished (front end destroyed, four front airbags deployed). Nobody was injured in either car. The RS6 is drivable, hers not a chance. The RS6’s bumper is badly damaged, exhaust, lift gate and both rear 1/4 panels as well. Hard to know what else until a shop gets a look. Car instantly lost tens of thousands of dollars in value and will never be the same. All because some idiot wasn’t paying attention.

As if that wasn't enough, my rear facing cam didn't capture the accident. It was disconnected! Likely by an Audi tech a couple weeks ago when I had the car is for a faulty parking camera connection. I at least was able to download the front facing camera footage that clearly shows the car in front of me not moving and the moment of impact when the idiot rammed into me. Oh, and it picked up some choice exclamations from me.

Now, you'd think when someone slams into another person like this there'd be an accident report written by the police/sheriff officer. Nope, not in California. No report is written unless there is an injury or the other driver in intoxicated. The sheriffs deputy said that if he were to write a report he state she was at fault (DUH!).*The state in its wisdom has decided that the insurance companies will sort it all out. Well F*** me! It should be very clear the other driver is at fault and my dash cam footage should remove any doubt. However, insurance companies will do everything they can to avoid paying. I say this from experience. So, I'll be on the edge of my seat until I get the RS6 repaired to my satisfaction. Complicating things are the aftermarket Akrapovic exhaust and Euro tail lights (unclear if the lights were damaged).

So now I get to decide where to get things repaired. The shops insurance companies chose suck in my direct experience. They cut corners and use crap parts. Not to mention will leave the car out in the elements, further damaging the interior (this happened to me on another car several years ago). I have a shop I'd like to use, but I have to first get an estimate from the insurance company's shop, then another from the shop I want to use. Submit them both and hope they are the same amount (probably won't be for aforementioned reasons).*

Happy birthday to me... Yay!

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[Corgiman30]

Glad you’re ok but sad about your car. I had the Audi dealer back my car into something and damage the bumper. I got the Bentley dealer to tell me who they used and the repair was flawless. I had bought two cars from them but give it a try. When I picked my car up there was a Rolls on one side and a McClaren on the other. In Texas if you hit from the rear you are liable. Failure to control speed.

[two+2]

Sorry to read about your story, hope it works out in your favor.

Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise and you get into a newer performance spec?

[Runge]

Sorry to read about your story, hope it works out in your favor.
Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise and you get into a newer performance spec?

that's what I'm doing after getting hit by a cement truck.. took about a week trying to find a video format insurance could view (can't access youtube, other types of videos were to big) but within 5min of insurance being able to see my rear camera video, instantly said not my fault. They didn't seem to care about the police report. Car behind me flashed their lights, cement truck thought lane was open and drove right into me...

[STALKER]

Sorry to hear this, hopefully car is back soon and good as new.

Police and insurance companies work the same way here, it’s irritating.

[FBAnder]

Ooof bad luck comes in 3s, hopefully this was #3 for you. Glad you were not hurt and are able to get things sorted quickly!

[Timmyjnh]

Yep, the universe decided I needed one last kick in the teeth before the calendar ticked over one more year on me (56 today). I was rear ended while stopped behind another car that had yet to start moving when the stop light turned green. A car in the adjacent lane had stalled. Another driver had gotten out of his car and was waving other drivers down, presumably to prevent an accident. This caused the vehicle in front of me to sit unmoving despite the stop light turned green. I couldn't move. Then I glanced in my rear view mirror just in time to see what turned out to be a 20 something woman driving a white Lexus sedan plough into me at close to 40 mph! She told the responding sheriffs deputy that she saw the green light and just kept going! Apparently seeing multiple stopped cars wasn't clue enough not to keep rolling along? I suspect she was looking at her phone or something...no way to prove that.

Our RS6 withstood the crash quite well considering her car was demolished (front end destroyed, four front airbags deployed). Nobody was injured in either car. The RS6 is drivable, hers not a chance. The RS6’s bumper is badly damaged, exhaust, lift gate and both rear 1/4 panels as well. Hard to know what else until a shop gets a look. Car instantly lost tens of thousands of dollars in value and will never be the same. All because some idiot wasn’t paying attention.

As if that wasn't enough, my rear facing cam didn't capture the accident. It was disconnected! Likely by an Audi tech a couple weeks ago when I had the car is for a faulty parking camera connection. I at least was able to download the front facing camera footage that clearly shows the car in front of me not moving and the moment of impact when the idiot rammed into me. Oh, and it picked up some choice exclamations from me.

Now, you'd think when someone slams into another person like this there'd be an accident report written by the police/sheriff officer. Nope, not in California. No report is written unless there is an injury or the other driver in intoxicated. The sheriffs deputy said that if he were to write a report he state she was at fault (DUH!).*The state in its wisdom has decided that the insurance companies will sort it all out. Well F*** me! It should be very clear the other driver is at fault and my dash cam footage should remove any doubt. However, insurance companies will do everything they can to avoid paying. I say this from experience. So, I'll be on the edge of my seat until I get the RS6 repaired to my satisfaction. Complicating things are the aftermarket Akrapovic exhaust and Euro tail lights (unclear if the lights were damaged).

So now I get to decide where to get things repaired. The shops insurance companies chose suck in my direct experience. They cut corners and use crap parts. Not to mention will leave the car out in the elements, further damaging the interior (this happened to me on another car several years ago). I have a shop I'd like to use, but I have to first get an estimate from the insurance company's shop, then another from the shop I want to use. Submit them both and hope they are the same amount (probably won't be for aforementioned reasons).*

Happy birthday to me... Yay!

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Sorry to see this, and glad everyone is ok above all else! I manage an Audi Ultra certified collision in MA and have also worked as a supervisor on the insurance side. When you are rear ended, liability is never really disputed, and Im sure the police report will state the same. All states basically default to right-of-way and there's never really any scenarios when you rear end someone and arent found to be at fault. So I wouldnt worry about that. You have the right to chose whatever repair facility you want, and I suggest looking for another ultra certified shop near where you are and having insurance cover the tow there. DO NOT use any insurance referred shops, those are the ones who will cut corners. You can file the claim through either insurance company, and when you are found to be not at fault, they are responsible for any and all aftermarket parts as well, so I would definitely get proactive and get your receipts for any of those parts together in advance and be very clear that they are on your car when reporting the claim as well.

Most states also have ways for you to open a claim for diminished value to your vehicle as well. If the car is repaired and its worth less by no fault of your own, the at fault parties insurance will compensate you for the drop in value/resale value as a result. Every state is different, but I would begin making inquiries about that when and if they decide its fixable. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Corgiman30]

Sorry to see this, and glad everyone is ok above all else! I manage an Audi Ultra certified collision in MA and have also worked as a supervisor on the insurance side. When you are rear ended, liability is never really disputed, and Im sure the police report will state the same. All states basically default to right-of-way and there's never really any scenarios when you rear end someone and arent found to be at fault. So I wouldnt worry about that. You have the right to chose whatever repair facility you want, and I suggest looking for another ultra certified shop near where you are and having insurance cover the tow there. DO NOT use any insurance referred shops, those are the ones who will cut corners. You can file the claim through either insurance company, and when you are found to be not at fault, they are responsible for any and all aftermarket parts as well, so I would definitely get proactive and get your receipts for any of those parts together in advance and be very clear that they are on your car when reporting the claim as well.

Most states also have ways for you to open a claim for diminished value to your vehicle as well. If the car is repaired and its worth less by no fault of your own, the at fault parties insurance will compensate you for the drop in value/resale value as a result. Every state is different, but I would begin making inquiries about that when and if they decide it’s fixable. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Aftermarket parts drive me berserk. I guess insurance companies feel like you’ll sell the vehicle before any issues arise. Is there a mechanism to insist on factory parts?

[Timmyjnh]

Aftermarket parts drive me berserk. I guess insurance companies feel like you’ll sell the vehicle before any issues arise. Is there a mechanism to insist on factory parts?

All states are different. Here in MA insurance company can write whatever parts they want on any vehicle with more than 20k miles. In other states its based on date of manufacture. If you want to guarantee all oem parts and also protect any aftermarket parts (incl paint protection film and ceramic coating), is to add endorsements to your current auto policy. So you would call up your company or agent and request an endorsement for oem parts in the event of a loss and another endorsement, if applicable, for whatever aftermarket parts you have (be prepared with invoices).

This protects you in the event of an at-fault or a non-fault claim.

[amolinaro]

Not fun at all but as you said, it held up well and kept you safe. It's a PITA to deal with insurance but hopefully you're back soon. Happy birthday!

[pwdrskr]

Sorry to see this, and glad everyone is ok above all else! I manage an Audi Ultra certified collision in MA and have also worked as a supervisor on the insurance side. When you are rear ended, liability is never really disputed, and Im sure the police report will state the same. All states basically default to right-of-way and there's never really any scenarios when you rear end someone and arent found to be at fault. So I wouldnt worry about that. You have the right to chose whatever repair facility you want, and I suggest looking for another ultra certified shop near where you are and having insurance cover the tow there. DO NOT use any insurance referred shops, those are the ones who will cut corners. You can file the claim through either insurance company, and when you are found to be not at fault, they are responsible for any and all aftermarket parts as well, so I would definitely get proactive and get your receipts for any of those parts together in advance and be very clear that they are on your car when reporting the claim as well.

Most states also have ways for you to open a claim for diminished value to your vehicle as well. If the car is repaired and its worth less by no fault of your own, the at fault parties insurance will compensate you for the drop in value/resale value as a result. Every state is different, but I would begin making inquiries about that when and if they decide its fixable. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thank you for this. California is indeed a diminished value state. Now I need to figure out how to determine what this might be for my RS6. its 2 1/2 years old (purchased summer 2022) but only has !9.5K miles (yay Covid?). Is there an accepted methodology for determining diminished value?

[Timmyjnh]

Thank you for this. California is indeed a diminished value state. Now I need to figure out how to determine what this might be for my RS6. its 2 1/2 years old (purchased summer 2022) but only has !9.5K miles (yay Covid?). Is there an accepted methodology for determining diminished value?

Most parts of the diminished value claims are handled post repairs and the place you choose to fix it will play a large part in how much it does diminish in value. I cant speak for CA, but essentially just like all things insurance, I would anticipate them having their own representation come out and low-ball what they feel the vehicle has lost in value. You need to seek out/employ your own advocates to counter that determination. How the claim gets reported back to carfax will also play a roll in how much value it loses. It looks like there will be damage to your rear body panel, which would then lead to the word structural being involved and that of course lowers the value more than say a "cosmetic" or "minor" diagnosis.

I usually refer people to billy here for help with that and theyve never done anyone wrong...

https://collisionsafetyconsultants.us/

[Mazadi]

This stinks. Sorry to see this happen to you, but glad that you walked away unhurt.

I live in CA as well. My 911 was rear ended by an idiot on his phone (he said as much when he got out of the car) and my wife's 3 month old X5 was broadsided by an amazon driver and caused $25k worth of damage. In both cases I went after diminished value. The 911 was pretty straightforward, but amazon's insurance fought us the whole way. I ended up hiring a diminished value expert to guide us. They cost something like $500 (maybe $750) but told us what to do, what to say, gave us the letters to write, etc. It took a lot of back and forth, but we ended up getting a satisfactory amount in diminished value. I'd say for a car with the value of an RS6, you should definitely go after diminshed value.

[NoGarageQueen]

Very sorry to hear about your situation. Glad you and others are okay (but make sure you’re listening to your body and if something doesn’t seem right then please seek medical attention. That’s a big impact to absorb.

It really stinks that this happened at all, and especially on your birthday. Happy belated birthday. It can only get better!

You’ve gotten some great advice here, and thanks to everyone who shared their expertise. I hope never to need it but it’s nice to refer back to the advice here if necessary.

Best of luck getting it back to good as new and getting a fair diminished value reimbursement. Please keep us posted.

[Runge]

This stinks. Sorry to see this happen to you, but glad that you walked away unhurt.

I live in CA as well. My 911 was rear ended by an idiot on his phone (he said as much when he got out of the car) and my wife's 3 month old X5 was broadsided by an amazon driver and caused $25k worth of damage. In both cases I went after diminished value. The 911 was pretty straightforward, but amazon's insurance fought us the whole way. I ended up hiring a diminished value expert to guide us. They cost something like $500 (maybe $750) but told us what to do, what to say, gave us the letters to write, etc. It took a lot of back and forth, but we ended up getting a satisfactory amount in diminished value. I'd say for a car with the value of an RS6, you should definitely go after diminshed value.

wish we had that in Canada. a little rub from cement truck, CarFax for 25,000$. It would have better if written off car then would have got 100% value of car since less then 2 years old.

[m00m00w4t3r]

This stinks. Sorry to see this happen to you, but glad that you walked away unhurt.

I live in CA as well. My 911 was rear ended by an idiot on his phone (he said as much when he got out of the car) and my wife's 3 month old X5 was broadsided by an amazon driver and caused $25k worth of damage. In both cases I went after diminished value. The 911 was pretty straightforward, but amazon's insurance fought us the whole way. I ended up hiring a diminished value expert to guide us. They cost something like $500 (maybe $750) but told us what to do, what to say, gave us the letters to write, etc. It took a lot of back and forth, but we ended up getting a satisfactory amount in diminished value. I'd say for a car with the value of an RS6, you should definitely go after diminshed value.

Good to know!!

With all these kids on their phones while driving no one is safe!

[pwdrskr]

Most parts of the diminished value claims are handled post repairs and the place you choose to fix it will play a large part in how much it does diminish in value. I cant speak for CA, but essentially just like all things insurance, I would anticipate them having their own representation come out and low-ball what they feel the vehicle has lost in value. You need to seek out/employ your own advocates to counter that determination. How the claim gets reported back to carfax will also play a roll in how much value it loses. It looks like there will be damage to your rear body panel, which would then lead to the word structural being involved and that of course lowers the value more than say a "cosmetic" or "minor" diagnosis.

I usually refer people to billy here for help with that and theyve never done anyone wrong...

https://collisionsafetyconsultants.us/

Awesome, thank you! I’m definitely going after diminished value. Fortunately, this truly was a dream car I never plan on selling, so loss in value will likely not be an actual issue. I’d been obsessing over an RS6 since I first heard such a thing existed back in the early 2000s. I figured I’d never get the chance to own one thanks to Audi’s short sightedness not to bring it to the states. Then, someone at Audi had a brain fart or something, and suddenly the RS6 was destined for the new world. The stars further aligned when Pfizer decided it needed the company I’d just joined and paid off the acquired company’s staff stupid money to first stay through the acquisition, then to go away once the deal closed. Wife was on board, and in 2022 I started looking only to realize that thanks to pent up demand and COVID they were very hard to get, even if placing an order. Anyway, after waiting ~6 months for the car I ordered to begin production I got frustrated and started calling every Audi dealership that showed as possibly having one on the lot. I finally hit pay dirt finding one in Maryland. A couple weeks later our white RS6 arrived at our doorstep. Only two things have disappointed me, well four now:

1. Standard seats don’t come with passenger side memory or power thigh protector nor do the rear seat head rests come allowing for conversion to the Euro low profile versions. I’ve toyed with the idea of replacing with upgraded seats. Wouldn’t be the most cost effective thing to do, but sure would improve my enjoyment of the car!
2. Inability to store Favorites or set the two personalized buttons on the lower MMI screen (supposedly a software fix was due by end of last month). 2 1/2 years of being unable to store Favorite radio stations has been really irritating. Audi has shown near zero interest is fixing this fundamental flaw…until now, maybe. Remains to be seen if this actually is solved by the forthcoming software update
3. Failure of our keys to remember user settings (e.g. seat position, mirror position, climate settings, etc.). This could be tied to #2.
4. Lack of camber adjustment for front wheels that resulted in pre-mature wearing of front tires.

Update: turns out the shop I wanted to use, Chris Amato’s Autowerks (recommended by Sean at Tag Motorsports), is already an approved shop by the other driver’s insurance company, AAA. This makes things a lot easier. Also, AAA has already accepted full responsibility for the accident. Just waiting on the estimate to get written up by the shop and approved by AAA. Car will go into the shop as soon as those two things happen. Hopefully, next week. Three weeks or so for repairs, assuming all parts are available.

Thanks to all who’ve posted condolences and advice on this and the other forum threads. The Audi community comes through again!

[MEnginerdS8]

Aftermarket parts drive me berserk. I guess insurance companies feel like you’ll sell the vehicle before any issues arise. Is there a mechanism to insist on factory parts?

Yes, you just insist on factory parts and tell the shop YOU pick to use factory parts. I’m not really sure what aftermarket parts they’d even use in that repair as glass isn’t even broken, but you can insist on Audi.

[JG 996T]

your car is my doppelgänger - contact supercarclaims if you need assist for DV claim.

oh, and dont worry, that’ll buff out

HNY and good luck

[pwdrskr]

UPDATE: Estimate for repairs (all OEM other than Akrapović exhaust) is $27,631

Parts are coming from Germany and will take four weeks to arrive. Car scheduled to go into the shop February 3rd. Three weeks to complete repairs assuming no "hidden" damage.

[NoGarageQueen]

Glad to hear things are moving forward. Please keep us posted on what you learn along the way, and any progress on dismissed value. Sounds like you’ve got lots of “tools in your toolkit” which is great (thanks to several who posted advice).

Wishing you the best possible outcome!

[pwdrskr]

AAA (Other driver's insurance) questioning / investigating cost of the Akrapović exhaust I'd put on the RS6. I provided a link to the cost of the exhaust up front when I took it to the AAA approved repair shop. Not surprisingly that wasn't enough. They've requested the original receipt and found out they called Europrice to verify price. I've anticipated they'd try to wriggle out of replacing the exhaust but I have my bases covered. Not to mention all they have to do is look at what is on the car currently. It is obviously Akrapović and damaged beyond repair. Sorry AAA, not getting out of this one.

I expect there will be more they try to get out of. I just don't trust insurance companies to willingly to the right thing.

Still waiting on parts. On schedule to begin repairs Feb 3rd...

BTW, anyone know if which (if any) rental company has wagons in their fleet? Not an SUV, a wagon. We need the space of a wagon, but an SUV won't work. We need a vehicle that can accomodate our dogs if the need arrises. Our oldest dog isn't able to get up into an SUV. So far I haven't found a solution...

[NoGarageQueen]

Looks like SIXT has mid-sized vans (Pacifica or similar) which might be the closest compromise between car & wagon and not SUV. I rented from them while in Europe and they were great to deal with.

I suggest calling your local rental car offices (where you’d pickup) to see if they offer a wagon, or what they suggest as closest option.

Also try Enterprise. Locally I rented a Maserati sedan. Their lot had some interesting and unique cars that change all the time. And the manager is a “car guy”. Maybe you’d have some luck with them. I’ve never used Turo but maybe that’s an option. When I searched “rent station wagon”, SIXT and Turo came up (but the SIXT was for Europe with references to renting an “estate”).

Good luck!!

[pwdrskr]

UPDATE: Repairs are now up to just under $40k and won't be done until the end of March. That will mean ~3 months without the car.

I've hired the law firm Gordon & Partners to pursue a diminished value claim. They advertise in Quattro magazine and specialize in diminished claims. They also work entirely on a contingency basis and give a discount to Audi Club of NA members.*

[NoGarageQueen]

Best of luck with everything, and I hope you are made “whole” at the conclusion. Looking forward to future updates.

[STALKER]

Figured it would be a big number but that’s much bigger then I thought.

[allenyao09]

I had a hit-and-run accident last year. The other driver hit my car on front left corner and ran away on highway. Fortunately, I got the license plate and dash cam footage of the accident. Police was able to track down the driver. Turned out to be no license and no insurance. The other driver even lied to the police officer that I hit her car instead, but I got the dashcam. Good luck with that

Police provided an accident report. I had to use my insurance's underinsured motorist coverage for my car. My insurance was pretty easy to work with and they've covered everything (new wheel, alignment, paintless dent repair, and new ppf). The total cost of repair is about $5500 and they provided a $2500 diminished value.

[pwdrskr]

OK, it's been a while since I updated this thread, so here's the latest...

Finally got the RS6 back Tuesday last week. I have to say the repair shop did an excellent job fixing what was an extensive repair. While visually it didn't look like that much damage had been done, it was what couldn't be seen that really drove up the level of repairs needed. The shop did a nearly flawless job. I say nearly as there are three issues I discovered after driving the car for a week, including a 90 minute each way trip to the So. Cal. desert on Sunday for some dune buggy fun. The issues I discovered:

• Wrong part installed for the rear lift gate. The "kick to open" function of the rear lift gate no longer works. A quick OBDEleven scan revealed that they installed the wrong part. The shop is going to fix this despite claiming they used my VIN to order all replacement parts.
• Battery is toast. Apparently, modern Audi batteries can't be allowed to sit for an extended period without starting the car and recharging. They drain past the point of recovery. Effectively killing the battery. Of course, replacement isn't so simple as dropping in a new battery. No, the battery needs to be programmed! I'll go into why I found this out below
• The fuel door is misaligned. This should be an easy adjustment

Coincidental to these issues, I'd scheduled an oil change appointment with Audi this past Monday. While driving to the dealership Monday morning, seemingly every warning light went off along with almost every system crashing reminiscent of the alternator failure. I made it to Audi thankfully. At this point I didn't know what the cause of the massive system issues. Cutting to the chase, the control module under the rear seat was severely corroded, indicating that water had gotten to the control module. The plastic bag fix Audi implemented didn't protect the control module either. This issue is not tied to the accident. The repair shop kept the vehicle covered while in repair so that wouldn't have been the water source. Something likely spilled in the back seat. Maybe more than once. While scanning to figure that out, Audi then discovered the battery issue which is where I learned that letting Audi batteries sit will irreparably damage them.

I relayed this all to the repair shop. They are claiming they frequently started the car while in their hands and therefore they didn't cause the battery damage. Who knows really. We never let the car sit for more than a few days at most, so we didn't do it. Regardless, the repair shop will be taking care of it along with the lift gate correction and fuel door alignment. The really stupid thing is that after Audi fixes the damaged control module (and rear brake job) the repair shop wants to tow the RS6 to their shop (can't drive a car with no battery) so they can evaluate the battery themselves. The stupid thing is that they can't program a battery, so they'll just have to tow the car back to the Audi dealership they work with (different than the one I use) to get the battery programmed. They expressly requested I DON't have Audi replace the battery while already in the shop.

Further, the part needed to sort out the rear lift gate is hard to find. My Audi S.A. found and ordered one. But, the repair shop wants to order the part themselves, likely causing even more delays. This should be a one day fix that will likely take days.

Now on to the diminished value claim. The lawyers I've engaged (who work on contingency) drafted the diminished value demand letter. They are going to state that the loss in resale value is $17,351 AND they are stating a loss of use cost (93 days and counting) equal to $41,617. Making the total demand for diminished value/loss of use is $58,969! The lawyers will take between 25%-30% of that depending on if this goes to court or not. Now I'm not so naive as to think AAA Insurance will just pay this amount when the "standard" formula used by insurance companies is 10% value less some modifiers. I suspect this end up between $0 and some total less. If it proceeds to court a judge very well could say nothing is owed by the insurance company. I have an acquaintance that had this exact outcome (he'd engaged a lawyer and ended up in court only to have the judge rule against his claim. No idea of the specifics beyond that). Anyway, the lawyers will be updating the loss of use component after the issues above are resolved. At which point the demand letter will be submitted to AAA (or however this is supposed to proceed).

I'll update as saga this proceeds.

[tinmanwpk]

Thanks for the update. I have a sign hanging in my office. "Illegitemar Non Carborundum."

Latin for "Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down!"

[Kczach]

Wrong part installed for the rear lift gate. The "kick to open" function of the rear lift gate no longer works. A quick OBDEleven scan revealed that they installed the wrong part. The shop is going to fix this despite claiming they used my VIN to order all replacement parts.


Did you have full functionality of the gesture controlled lift gate before the accident? The reason I ask is that sometime around 22-23 they discontinued the feature on certain models. I have the same message when I do a scan of my 24 RS7. My wife's 23 S8 also doesn't have the feature as well. There is a TSB out there about it.

[Maitre Absolut]

Now on to the diminished value claim. The lawyers I've engaged (who work on contingency) drafted the diminished value demand letter. They are going to state that the loss in resale value is $17,351 AND they are stating a loss of use cost (93 days and counting) equal to $41,617. Making the total demand for diminished value/loss of use is $58,969! The lawyers will take between 25%-30% of that depending on if this goes to court or not. Now I'm not so naive as to think AAA Insurance will just pay this amount when the "standard" formula used by insurance companies is 10% value less some modifiers. I suspect this end up between $0 and some total less. If it proceeds to court a judge very well could say nothing is owed by the insurance company. I have an acquaintance that had this exact outcome (he'd engaged a lawyer and ended up in court only to have the judge rule against his claim. No idea of the specifics beyond that). Anyway, the lawyers will be updating the loss of use component after the issues above are resolved. At which point the demand letter will be submitted to AAA (or however this is supposed to proceed).

I'll update as saga this proceeds.

the diminshed value seems reasonable, the loss of use doesnt. Extrapolate to 9 months and loss of use is worth 100% of the value of the car?

[Timmyjnh]

OK, it's been a while since I updated this thread, so here's the latest...

Finally got the RS6 back Tuesday last week. I have to say the repair shop did an excellent job fixing what was an extensive repair. While visually it didn't look like that much damage had been done, it was what couldn't be seen that really drove up the level of repairs needed. The shop did a nearly flawless job. I say nearly as there are three issues I discovered after driving the car for a week, including a 90 minute each way trip to the So. Cal. desert on Sunday for some dune buggy fun. The issues I discovered:

• Wrong part installed for the rear lift gate. The "kick to open" function of the rear lift gate no longer works. A quick OBDEleven scan revealed that they installed the wrong part. The shop is going to fix this despite claiming they used my VIN to order all replacement parts.
• Battery is toast. Apparently, modern Audi batteries can't be allowed to sit for an extended period without starting the car and recharging. They drain past the point of recovery. Effectively killing the battery. Of course, replacement isn't so simple as dropping in a new battery. No, the battery needs to be programmed! I'll go into why I found this out below
• The fuel door is misaligned. This should be an easy adjustment

Coincidental to these issues, I'd scheduled an oil change appointment with Audi this past Monday. While driving to the dealership Monday morning, seemingly every warning light went off along with almost every system crashing reminiscent of the alternator failure. I made it to Audi thankfully. At this point I didn't know what the cause of the massive system issues. Cutting to the chase, the control module under the rear seat was severely corroded, indicating that water had gotten to the control module. The plastic bag fix Audi implemented didn't protect the control module either. This issue is not tied to the accident. The repair shop kept the vehicle covered while in repair so that wouldn't have been the water source. Something likely spilled in the back seat. Maybe more than once. While scanning to figure that out, Audi then discovered the battery issue which is where I learned that letting Audi batteries sit will irreparably damage them.

I relayed this all to the repair shop. They are claiming they frequently started the car while in their hands and therefore they didn't cause the battery damage. Who knows really. We never let the car sit for more than a few days at most, so we didn't do it. Regardless, the repair shop will be taking care of it along with the lift gate correction and fuel door alignment. The really stupid thing is that after Audi fixes the damaged control module (and rear brake job) the repair shop wants to tow the RS6 to their shop (can't drive a car with no battery) so they can evaluate the battery themselves. The stupid thing is that they can't program a battery, so they'll just have to tow the car back to the Audi dealership they work with (different than the one I use) to get the battery programmed. They expressly requested I DON't have Audi replace the battery while already in the shop.

Further, the part needed to sort out the rear lift gate is hard to find. My Audi S.A. found and ordered one. But, the repair shop wants to order the part themselves, likely causing even more delays. This should be a one day fix that will likely take days.

Now on to the diminished value claim. The lawyers I've engaged (who work on contingency) drafted the diminished value demand letter. They are going to state that the loss in resale value is $17,351 AND they are stating a loss of use cost (93 days and counting) equal to $41,617. Making the total demand for diminished value/loss of use is $58,969! The lawyers will take between 25%-30% of that depending on if this goes to court or not. Now I'm not so naive as to think AAA Insurance will just pay this amount when the "standard" formula used by insurance companies is 10% value less some modifiers. I suspect this end up between $0 and some total less. If it proceeds to court a judge very well could say nothing is owed by the insurance company. I have an acquaintance that had this exact outcome (he'd engaged a lawyer and ended up in court only to have the judge rule against his claim. No idea of the specifics beyond that). Anyway, the lawyers will be updating the loss of use component after the issues above are resolved. At which point the demand letter will be submitted to AAA (or however this is supposed to proceed).

I'll update as saga this proceeds.

I manage an audi ultra certified shop and they definitely killed your battery. likely by having the liftgate off of the vehicle or open for extended periods of time. We kill batteries all the time, despite actively working to prevent doing so. Sometimes just having a key too close to a vehicle, will cause drain. I would 100% push them on that if you did not have previous issues. Theres also a high likelihood that they allowed the water into the car. They would have had the entire rear luggage compartment stripped, along with the headliner and likely the rear seats too. So if water entered the luggage areas and they drove it, and hit the brakes, the water could have easily splashed over into the rear floor area. Or they may not have properly covered the holes in the roof after removing the roof rails. As for the kick sensor, I dont know how they would have messed that up, there are only a couple of options, but the rear bumper needs to be removed to swap some of the parts related to this, so hopefully the freshly painted bumper isnt damaged. Let them order the part, so they can handle the hassle and reimbursement from insurance.
The fuel pocket and fuel door both would have come off for your repair, and we replace the fuel pocket 100% of the time, because they never go back in right. Hopefully they replaced yours, because the pocket itself is likely the cause of the misalignment.

Hope that helps!

[NoGarageQueen]

@pwdrskr I hope it gets fully sorted to your satisfaction!

@Timmyjnh: thanks for posting your recommendations, experience and credentials!

[enzotcat]

Wrong part installed for the rear lift gate. The "kick to open" function of the rear lift gate no longer works. A quick OBDEleven scan revealed that they installed the wrong part. The shop is going to fix this despite claiming they used my VIN to order all replacement parts.


Did you have full functionality of the gesture controlled lift gate before the accident? The reason I ask is that sometime around 22-23 they discontinued the feature on certain models. I have the same message when I do a scan of my 24 RS7. My wife's 23 S8 also doesn't have the feature as well. There is a TSB out there about it.

Is that why my '24 RS7 Performance doesn't open the trunk when I wave my foot underneath it?!

[pwdrskr]

Thanks for the update. I have a sign hanging in my office. "Illegitemar Non Carborundum."

Latin for "Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down!"

Love that! Mind if I use that one myself?

I like something that was posted on the door to the mechanic my parents used to use for their cars way back when I was growing up...it was something like:

"Poor planning on your part does not constitute and emergency on my part"

Wrong part installed for the rear lift gate. The "kick to open" function of the rear lift gate no longer works. A quick OBDEleven scan revealed that they installed the wrong part. The shop is going to fix this despite claiming they used my VIN to order all replacement parts.


Did you have full functionality of the gesture controlled lift gate before the accident? The reason I ask is that sometime around 22-23 they discontinued the feature on certain models. I have the same message when I do a scan of my 24 RS7. My wife's 23 S8 also doesn't have the feature as well. There is a TSB out there about it.

I've had this feature since getting the new back in the summer of '22.

Turns out the fried control module was the culprit for the issue with the "kick to open" function. The "wrong part" message wasn't accurate. Audi figured it out when the "kick to open" feature started working after they replaced the control module.

the diminshed value seems reasonable, the loss of use doesnt. Extrapolate to 9 months and loss of use is worth 100% of the value of the car?

Agreed, though I'm going to let the lawyers handle this. I assume that this initial amount is the opening salvo of what will end up to be at least a few rounds of negotiation. I don't expect AAA Insurance to just sign off and pay what my lawyers have put in the demand letter. I expect this will end up in court actually, at which point it's a crap shoot. Will keep the thread updated as the claim progresses.

@pwdrskr I hope it gets fully sorted to your satisfaction!

Cheers! Thank you!

Is that why my '24 RS7 Performance doesn't open the trunk when I wave my foot underneath it?!

Certainly could be. If you have an OBDEleven you can check your coding to see if the feature was enabled. there are a number of settings that need to be active in order for the kick to function. Do you have you window sticker? It might be listed there, though not likely as its part of a package, or was for me.

[pwdrskr]

I manage an audi ultra certified shop and they definitely killed your battery. likely by having the liftgate off of the vehicle or open for extended periods of time. We kill batteries all the time, despite actively working to prevent doing so. Sometimes just having a key too close to a vehicle, will cause drain. I would 100% push them on that if you did not have previous issues. Theres also a high likelihood that they allowed the water into the car. They would have had the entire rear luggage compartment stripped, along with the headliner and likely the rear seats too. So if water entered the luggage areas and they drove it, and hit the brakes, the water could have easily splashed over into the rear floor area. Or they may not have properly covered the holes in the roof after removing the roof rails. As for the kick sensor, I dont know how they would have messed that up, there are only a couple of options, but the rear bumper needs to be removed to swap some of the parts related to this, so hopefully the freshly painted bumper isnt damaged. Let them order the part, so they can handle the hassle and reimbursement from insurance.
The fuel pocket and fuel door both would have come off for your repair, and we replace the fuel pocket 100% of the time, because they never go back in right. Hopefully they replaced yours, because the pocket itself is likely the cause of the misalignment.

Hope that helps!

Audi covered the battery under warranty as it was only ~2 1/2 years old and they should last ~4 years.

[Kczach]

Nice to see they worked to resolve issues.