Golf GTI running over embankment - threw a few errors, possible damage?

[Veteran78]

Hey all, was exiting a restaurant car park today. Had to move to the side to allow another car to enter the carpark. Did not see the embankment on the left side of the car. Car went over the embankment and scraped the bottom undercarriage. There was a loud bang and lots of metal squealing and scraping. My heart broke...literally....3k km GTI

Car threw Start/Stop error and an oil sensor error. Lodge an intent to claim and would hope to take it to the repair shop for assessment tomorrow. Anyone have any idea of possible damage or what to expect?

Could not see any large damage but see a few scratches in the under carriage. Hope that is the only issue but could be worse. Tomorrow's assessment will tell.

[Lucas_R]

If the embankment was on the passenger side then thats the side your gearbox is on, so if you heard metal scraping it will likely be exhaust, suspension arms or possibly gearbox that was rubbing.

The oil level fault might have just been because the car was on an angle at the time.

Best to get the underside checked over for any possible damage, but likely its just a few scratches.

[Veteran78]

Thanks for the input Lucas. Hope it is just a few scrapes...or maybe not.

Yeah was on passenger side. Started the car this morning and the 2 errors popped up within a minute. The exclamation mark was on and car was crying for the workshop. As I drove it the was some rattling noise. Doesn't sound good. FML

It is in the shops now for an assessment.

Dont have access to my manual. What is the button to clear errors on the car?

[Lucas_R]

You probably wont be able to clear those errors without either a scan tool or an OBD reader such as Carista or OBDEleven. The mechanic who is looking at the car should be able to clear then but best to fix the problem before clearing the errors.

Its possible you may have damaged the oil level sensor itself or the wiring to the sensor as it at the bottom of the sump under the engine.

[Veteran78]

Thanks Lucas. Just got a call from the repair shop.

Damage to the following:
Front/rear muffler
Fuel tank - need to be replaced
Fuel sensor - need to be replaced
some frame and plates under the car were damaged as well?

All up $7k. FML. Thank god for insurance so it's $1.3k out of pocket but all I care about is that my car comes back without any further ongoing problems.

Lesson learnt, next time be more aware of these embankments in car parks

[Lucas_R]

Thanks Lucas. Just got a call from the repair shop.

Damage to the following:
Front/rear muffler
Fuel tank - need to be replaced
Fuel sensor - need to be replaced
some frame and plates under the car were damaged as well?

All up $7k. FML. Thank god for insurance so it's $1.3k out of pocket but all I care about is that my car comes back without any further ongoing problems.

Lesson learnt, next time be more aware of these embankments in car parks

Exhaust is very easy to replace and is all one piece up to the downpipe. It needs to come off to replace the fuel tank anyway.
Fuel tank is plastic - so any damage could structurally compromise it.
Fuel sensor is inside the tank - may have been damaged as well.
There are some brackets under the exhaust in 2x places underneath - this may be what they are talking about. They are about 1.5mm thick steel.

The $7k price is scary but after insurance its much less painful thankfully.

[Veteran78]

Thanks Lucas. You're a goldmine of information. The information you shared validated some of the things the repairer was saying giving me confidence in his repair.

If it was your car. What would you look out for when you receive the car after repair to ensure everything is in order? My concern is that the damage is underneath the car and it is not visible to me.

Some things that keep me awake at night:
- paint scratches underneath not painted over leading to corrosion? I am not familiar enough with the underside to understand the materials and treatment to the metal under a car. Worth a look to request a visual check under a hoist?
- rattling - nightmare looking for sources of rattling in my older car. I hope the repaired VW doesn't have any.

[Lucas_R]

Best thing to do would be to jack the car up and stick your head under there. There are long black plastic panels that run the length of the car between the front and rear wheels so they might be damaged but should have protected the metal chassis from impact.

Make a note/take photos of anything you can see that is damaged, then check again once you get the car back from repairs.

Everything will be replaced with new genuine items so assuming they are installed correctly you shouldnt have any issues with rattles or ongoing issues.