My Audi Q5 is coming to an end in Dec (FL resident). Found out the right tail light damaged by someone hitting the car in a parking lot. There is a little bit of scratching too. My Dealer said it will cost me $1300 to replace the light. I have a deductible of $500. Question for Gurus:
Go through insurance? (Had a claim last year for another car)
Pay and get it fixed. Will get a better equity?
Thinking of getting an VW Atlas. Trade in as is and see what possible equity I get?
Get the lease inspection completed and see what they will charge you for the damage. Otherwise find the part number and see if you can get the taillight at a discount. Pretty easy to find online dealership part stores doing upwards of 30% off list price. An independent shop should be able to swap it for cheap if it’s not a DIY and potentially buff out some of the scratches.
In addition to @Britten440’s suggestion, look for a part out of a junkyard from a total loss vs the cost of a new.
You likely don’t have much, if any, equity unless you put big $$$ down up front. Used prices are falling like a rock, and German makes aren’t known for stellar resale value.
None of the above. As mentioned don’t do any of that until you schedule a lease end inspection and just see what Audi will charge for the damage. It’s most likely going to be way less than $1300 (or $500 + higher insurance).
When I turned in my SQ5 I had curb rash on 2 wheels which I thought for sure was chargeable and also had lost a key. Dealer wanted $550 to replace the key. Did the inspection and the curb rash was just normal wear and tear and the missing key charge was $120.
Thanks for the advise gurus. I will schedule the lease end inspection. I am thinking of replacing the Q5 with an Atlas, so I may as well ask the dealer what I get for the trade-in.
