Car Accident on a Leased car w/ MSD's

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I just leased a brand new car, still have the temp tags on them, and was involved in a car accident. So far i think it’s just cosmetic but i’ll need a new front bumper, driver side front panel, and new driver’s side headlines.
I’m not at any fault, and going through the proper channels w/ my insurance (geico) and already filed a police report.

I’m curious, at the end of the lease when i return the car, will my MSD’s be in jeopardy at all even if everything is fixed by a audi certified collision repair shop? My understanding is that normal wear and tear is allowed, and unless car is totaled or stolen I should be getting my full MSD’s. A I live in NY but car was leased in PA.

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Just get it repaired by an Audi certified body shop then you’ll be fine.

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I believe you get your full MSD’s back even if the car is totaled or stolen. MSD’s aren’t treated the same way a downpayment is.

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should not be at risk, no

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thanks, i trust you guys more than anything i hear from the stealership :smile:

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Whatever you do, do not blindly go with their “preferred” body shop unless you have independently verified that they do high quality work.

The first criteria for a “preferred” shop is that it costs less to the insurer, ie its cheap. Usually the fastest way to be cheap is to cut corners.

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I think this is good advice, but my experience the last couple (!!) repairs was:

  • most auto groups own and operate a body shop. The last in my case, their body shop also Lexus, Toyota, Honda, and Ford.
  • they used all OEM parts
  • the adjusters for every agency are used to working with them, take their estimates which are loaded into the shop management system, and the only variable is labor rate (eg Geico pays $X/hr, All State pays Y, Statefarm pays Z - their negotiated rates at that shop)

I’ve had repairs I’ve taken to multiple shops, the estimates all had exactly the same parts and labor. It’s pretty formulaic.

All to say, the insurance didn’t steer me to a body shop, I asked the dealer who their OEM recommended shop is, they recommend the one their auto group owns or partners with, that shop was approved by my insurance.

Just avoid the shade tree mechanics, especially if you have parking sensors…

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thanks max.
yeah I’m going to be adamant the repair shop be a audi authorized collision repair shop, which i found using this link
http://audi.universalshoplocator.com/map.php

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Geico insisted they would only pay for used/aftermarket parts when my wife’s Camry was involved in an accident. The car was about six years old at the time, so maybe things would be different on a new car.

I just checked the fine print on my 2017 Audi lease, and it states that Audi can charge you excess wear and tear charges if use non-OEM parts. As such, I recommend you insist that OEM parts be used for repairs.

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This, my wife got side swiped in a Honda lease years ago, the insurance company tried saying they would only pay for aftermarket parts. I got Honda financial involved and the insurance company backed down immediately.

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I had a 10 month old Lexus in an accident and Geico also tried to not use OEM parts. It seems like they do that a lot, I have a feeling State Farm or Allstate would not do that. One of the reason I went with Geico is that they have mechanical breakdown coverage similar to extended warranty. But it also turn out not wise to have extended warranty for Lexus/Toyota cars.

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