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Audi e-tron Got a $38,000 Repair Bill for a Fender Bender in the U.S.

We recently wrote an article about a repair that Tesla charged $16,000 to make. The Electrified Garage eventually sorted it out for $700. The story we tell you now shows legacy automakers are not free of mind-boggling repair bills with their EVs. In this case, an Audi e-tron owner received a $38,000 budget. Shockingly, the issue didn’t affect the battery pack: it was just a fender bender.
Audi e-tron and Its $31,252.14 Repair Bill for a Fender Bender 42 photos
Photo: Audi
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Steven Burns told us this story after he tweeted about the bill. In the tweet – written right after he was informed by phone about how much the repair would cost – he complained that his wife’s e-tron was waiting for a repair for six weeks at that point. As you can see below, he tweeted that on July 22. The fender bender happened on June 13 at about 6 PM.

Burns told autoevolution he would not have to pay for the entire repair but that the waiting and service cost really appalled him. Making his story public was a last attempt to get things sorted. Before that, Burns tried to solve them in private with Audi, but that didn’t work.

“For me, I knew that we would eventually get the car repaired (it is now in week 7) and that our insurance company would pay for most of this (we have a $500 deductible). I was mostly apoplectic because of the cost to repair this car.”

Audi e\-tron and Its \$31,252\.14 Repair Bill for a Fender Bender
Photo: Steven Burns
The Audi owner’s husband put that bill into context.

“The repair of a minor accident in an Audi is close to the cost of a new Tesla Model 3. It makes no sense that a car is nearly totaled when hit by a car that just couldn’t stop fast enough from the rear. It was probably at 5 mph or 10 mph. A $70,000 plus car ought to withstand that. I am aware that there are issues in the supply chain for getting parts, and this is one reason things are taking so long.”


You’ll notice Burns tagged Tesla and Third Row Tesla in his tweet. We asked him about that. After all, it could seem that he was attempting to promote Tesla by showing or eventually exaggerating the problems with Audi. Burns was kind enough to explain and show us the documents that prove his wife’s car is waiting for a repair for that long, as well as the extension of the damages.

“I tagged Tesla in this because I own a Tesla and tried to get my wife to buy one as well. She decided on the Audi in the end, and I find it drives extremely nicely but is really not a modern piece of technology. Tesla has the advantage because they really didn’t have any legacy investments in all the components that go into their vehicles and could rethink the entire driving experience. I feel that the Audi is really a 10-year-old car with a new powertrain. However, I appreciate that EVs seem to cost more to repair due to a variety of factors and just wanted Tesla to know this is the experience of an Audi customer. I tagged Third Row Tesla because a friend (Omar Qazi) is a co-founder of that group and a huge Tesla evangelist. I felt that he might have an interest in sharing this amongst his network.”

Audi e\-tron and Its \$31,252\.14 Repair Bill for a Fender Bender
Photo: Steven Burns
According to the Audi Authorized Repair Facility, it would have to replace “the rear bumper complete, rear body panel, right quarter panel, outer wheelhouse,” and “repair inner wheelhouse.” Burns later tweeted that message, included above. None of these repairs is unexpected when you check the pictures of the crashed car. Some moldings would also be replaced “due to being adhesive.”

As you’ll notice, the repair price was reduced to $31,252.14 thanks to an “approved supplement.” Most of that amount ($17,276) involves labor costs. The rest ($10,740.87) will be spent on parts. We kept examining the bill to discover what could cost that much. If the service bill amount were a damage reference, we would assume that the crash was massive, but it wasn't.

Blending “the right rear door, liftgate,” and “roof panel for a three-stage color match with the replaced parts was also expected. The Audi Authorized Repair Facility said most of the cost came from a “jig measuring system” meant to bring the car back to factory specifications. For those simple procedures, Audi charged the amount we already disclosed.

Audi e\-tron and Its \$31,252\.14 Repair Bill for a Fender Bender
Photo: Steven Burns
We got in contact with Audi, and it said that it could not discuss the particulars of the case “due to privacy restrictions." However, it said it was “working to support the proper repair process.” The Audi Authorized Repair Facility that took care of Burn’s wife e-tron would be part of “I-CAR Gold Class, which is the highest tier for training, quality, tools, and practices.” These shops would be able to “repair a vehicle to like-new condition in terms of quality and integrity in addition to panel gaps that rival original specification down to the millimeter.”

For Burns, Audi could have done more to clarify the repair bill and the waiting time his wife is having to deal with.

“We heard from Audi and Audi USA. They were basically PR responses to give one the feeling that they care. They simply asked that we go to their website and contact someone. I responded that if they really cared about their customer, they would be proactive and have someone contact us directly.”

2019 Audi e\-tron
Photo: Audi
Audi did contact them, but paying $31,252.14 remains a mystery that gave Burns an epiphany.

“Looking at these fees, if I come back in a future life, I’d like to be a car mechanic!”

Write that down, kids. You still have time to make the right professional choices. As for Audi, it will probably also have some homework to do regarding repair costs. Charging as much as a Tesla Model 3 for a fender bender is not financially or environmentally sustainable. That must be fixed as much as Burn’s wife e-tron.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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