Railflyer

Uni-body cars are expensive to repair. Good chance it torqued the uni-body against the tire friction of the wheels on the other side which will then bend all the suspension mounting points, etc.

I wouldn't want this car if they fixed no matter who did the work.

Herbys

I agree with the previous post. 25K seems a bit high. Not doing a sigle actual "repair" and replacing every single damaged panel or whole piece (replacing whole doors, whole rear axle, etc.) should cost much less than that and leave it in perfect shape. It wouldn't be the case if the chassis (actually the body itself) had been thrown out of alignment, but based on how well the back door aligns with the rear panels that doesn't seem to be the case. I would pay $30K for that car as is.

TURNEM

The damage goes much deeper then what the photo shows. The estimated salvage value for the car is 10-15k. The insurance comapny would be glad to sell it to you for 30k.

SteelWarHorse3.0TDi

As the Black Knight would say: " Ha! 'Tis but a scratch!"

But seriously... glad you and you passengers are ok!

I was involved in a very nasty crash in December 2008 - it basically took the front off the Q7 from the radiator forwards. Fortunately the engine block and drive system were not damaged.

Another Q7 was in the shop for a quite similar accident but he was less fortunate: the car also hit his side-on / front and did not damage the engine. However the impact did bend the chassis engine block support. Amazingly the dealer was able to repair it (cut and weld?).

Again, sad tale - glad you're ok!

sharks777

It's always possible to repair but the factory precision will be lost and the car will never feel the same again (I speak from personal experience). Many body shops are very capable, some can even chop and cut, meaning the front end of one vehicle is matched with the rear end of another. If possible I'd fight with insurance company to write off a vehicle that has suffered any kind of frame damage or heavy suspension damage. Otherwise, once repaired, I'd seek to sell the vehicle immediately and if allowed under the policy, claim the differential in value due to the accident.

98a6quattro

I'm an appraiser for a large insurance co in NJ and we go by the 75% rule. Basically the car is totalled if the damage exceeds 75% of its retail value. Of course sometimes they are totalled when there is a possibility of additional hidden damage. I will be the first to want any of my cars totalled if in a heavy collision, but the insurance company looks at the numbers and is not in the business of totalling cars just because the owner no longer wants it

JadeVetti

Thank Goodness you and your family were okay, and you have the Q7 to also thank for that.

Thinking of how another car would have faired in such a crash, you must more than appreciate your truck now more than ever before...things don't always happen twice to people in life, but you must ask yourself:

If you had to choose a car to save your kids' life in an accident, what make and model would it be? (look at other 6/7 seaters).

Go with your gut answer.