The aftermath

[Phil and Judy Rose <pjrose@servtech.com>]

As difficult as it was to describe my accident, it's even harder to express
adquately my appreciation for many messages of support, sympathy, and
advice sent by Qlisters. Thank you all.

My thought in posting the story was that it could be a useful cautionary
tale to other less-than-expert Qlisters; however it also served me as a
means of venting the frustration and emotional trauma.

We bought our first Audi just this past spring ('89 100), but it was the
QList education I received during the following months that enlightened me
enough to want--and know how to buy--our late 200q. This marvelously
supportive community is clearly a major factor in my resolve to get back
into the ranks of quattro owners.

Now, the dust has somewhat settled:

Yesterday, in our insurance-company-provided rental car, my wife and I paid
a visit to the current resting place of our '91 200. We all had a good
laugh as I walked in and said to the Audi shop owner, "Is my car ready
yet?"

"Not quite," he replied, "but the set of studded Hakka 1 tires that you
ordered is in." He was referring to the order I had placed with him for 4
new studded winter tires/wheels on the previous day--only moments before I
left on that fateful drive. Of course, since he was the one they called to
tow away my car a few moments later, he knew to cancel that order.

We went out back to view the tarpaulin-covered remains. The roofmetal had
been flattened but was not collapsed any noticeable distance. Both leftside
windows are shattered. Other glass seemed intact. All 4 doors/fenders were
crunched. Grill, airdam, and headlights badly damaged or completely ripped
off. The hood would not lift up so we couldn't look at the engine. However
there didn't seem to be significant intrusion into the engine area. The
apparent absence of major front-end impact was consistent with the fact
that the airbag did not deploy. Or perhaps it means I really needed to have
that recall work done. ;-) Both leftside tires had deflated. Engine,
drivetrain and much of the suspension ought to be salvagable--assuming (who
knows?) that the insurance company will write it off as total loss. The
struts and brakes would prove useful to me if another nice '91 200 (that
needs the brake conversion to be done) comes my way.

So, I found those additional 24 hrs had helped me gain enough sense of
proportion to see the car as the replaceable mass of metal, rubber and
glass that it is. Oh, did I forget to mention plastic? Earlier in the
morning we stopped for an unpleasant few minutes at the accident scene and
saw an incredible amount of plastic bits and pieces. The snow was still a
foot or two deep in the ditch, so "prospecting" was difficult. I tried to
determine if I could spot any personal belongings that might have been
"misplaced", but later found  that our Audi-garage-cum-towing-service had
neatly secured everything for me in a large cardboard box. The "everything"
included the 3-volume still-pristine set of Bentley manuals--all 30 lbs!.
These I had carried (securely boxed up) in the trunk--in my feeble attempt
at emulating Phil Payne's "Boot for All Seasons".

After another 24 hrs, the shoulder pain is almost completely gone. The only
remaining symptom is some tenderness and a scab on the top of my head,
where hair has long since feared to tread. The abrasion actually might have
been caused by the metal button atop the baseball cap I was wearing.

BTW, reviewing the scene yesterday brought the location into clearer focus:
The oversteer began on a distinct downgrade just at the start of a leftward
curve that was not at all "gentle", considering it begins only about
hundred yards or so after cresting the hill. I'm told that the same spot
has claimed many other unwary and/or unwitting drivers. Oh, yes, I forgot
to mention the added shame of having made the front page of the local
newspaper. The article mentions that the accident happened as I was driving
home after some repair had been done on the car. Unfortunately it may be
interpreted incorrectly that the dealer was in some way responsible for a
mechanical malfunction. Not so.

And the Audi gods were not yet satisfied. Today I had a dead battery in the
'89 100-- something I knew was coming since I had parked with the lights on
for about 8 hrs one day last summer.

Now, back to searching the classified ads.

Phil Rose
'89 100

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         *  Phil & Judy Rose     E-mail:              *
         *                       pjrose@servtech.com  *
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