SawyerA8

Hello All,

Well the last couple days have been very interesting.

I'm not much of a story teller, but here is goes anyways.

Three days ago we were having some very gusty winds, around 30-70 MPH, here in Colorado. Colorado Springs to be exact. It's about 6:30 and I'm driving home up the mountain pass though Manitou Springs (some of you know the area) and I look about 1/4 mile up the road and see a major dust storm in the headlights of the cars ahead of me. So I say, well ok, I've driven though this stuff for 2 years now and it's harmless.

NOT!

It was a rock storm.

It lasted about 20 seconds when I hit it and I couldn't see the end of my hood. I slammed on my brakes, as did the 4 cars around me. It finally went by and we all started driving again.

So I'm looking at my windshield as I'm driving and it is TRASHED! TRASHED is saying it lightly. It was a goner. This has happened before, but not this bad. So I'm thinking that my windshield is bad how about the rest of the car.

This is where you will be in SHOCK.

When I got home, in the safe garage, and look over the windshield and the rest of the car. WOW

Next Morning:

Called the insurance - new windshield, of course, but I need to have a body shop look at the rest of the car.

Body shop estimate:

$7,881.49

They are replacing the front side windows and both headlight assemblies because they have chips in them.

Need I say more....

The positive on this: New paint job for $500 (deductible)

Anybody else have a Mother Nature horror story?

Later,

Noel Sawyer
98 A8

escapA8

That sounds horrible. Are there any pictures of the damage for you to share with us?

snolvr8

I feel for ya...have had Mother Nature strike, too.
It wasn't an A8, but my first Audi, a beautiful used, but very well maintained 4000 Quattro I was so proud of. I'd had the car about 10 months, it was early Spring, just got done getting all the winter salt off it, spent the weekend detailing it. It was Wednesday night just before 9 PM, we were hit with a storm, I thought a tornado was headed for the house. Bolted for the basement, got as far as the door, saw a wall of ice coming. We had hail the size of softballs hit the whole town. The insurance adjuster stopped at $4500, wasn't half done with the car. But, on the positive side, the house got a badly needed new roof and I got back what I paid for the car.

SawyerA8

I have the summer package and winter package

Windshield: $832.40
Side window glass: $647.40 each
Sunroof panel: $421

Insane

I'll get pics

skiracer

including helmets, leather jackets, and motorcycles (not to mention exposed skin- don't ask). Living in Colorado can be an adventure every day, even if you aren't necessarily looking for one at the moment! I love that 2-lane drive up through Manitou Springs- it is a beautiful area! One word of caution on the repaint- make SURE that the shop doing the work is capable of doing a quality job worthy of your A8. There are a lot of hacks out there painting cars. Also make sure that they don't need to sand down to the bare aluminum because standard steel primers won't work well on the aluminum. Post before/after pictures when you get them!

publisher

I've had a few sand/rock incidents. When I purchased my first Audi, it was a 2001 A6 4.2 and was in Ouray and was blasted by a rock slide the first week of ownership. Don't remember the repair cost, but I remember I was shocked to see this kind of damage to my beloved A6 the first week. Less than a year later, I purchased my 2001 S8 and have had my share on sand blasting but nothing like what you described. I live in Larkspur and I know the area you reference very well.

Have you ever noticed 18 wheelers take great joy in running off the roads into the sand to give owners of nice cars a sand shower? This has happened to me several times in my S8 and my 350Z.

Is this a jealousy thing, or what?