‘Split the engine in half’: Woman left her Audi Q5 at a shop for two minor leaks. Then she says the manager took it driving away and crashed it

Alicia Good said in a TikTok that she dropped her Audi Q5 at a German car mechanic in Santa Monica for two minor leaks, then learned the manager had taken the car after the shop closed and crashed it. She said the impact “split the engine in half” and totaled the vehicle.

Good, who posts as @alicia.good, shared the account in a selfie-style storytime she labeled part 4. The video had drawn about 51,700 views. On-screen text read, “STORY TIME Y’ALL KEEP ASKING WHAT HAPPENED TO MY AUDI Q5,” and a still of the blue Q5 appeared as she said, “so here it is.”

She said the shop asked to keep the car one extra night and that she agreed. She then said that after closing on Friday, the manager took the car without her authorization. On-screen text read, “THE MANAGER TOOK MY CAR WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION.”

The crash timeline she described and how shops can face claims

Good said the crash happened at 8:15 p.m., two hours and 15 minutes after the shop closed. She said he hit a 20-foot concrete barrier in Pacific Palisades, a location she described as at least nine miles from the mechanic shop. The video showed night and daytime photos of the damaged Audi and a map of the route between the two places.

She said a crash expert who saw the damage estimated the driver was probably going 90 to 100 miles an hour. She said, “The impact split the engine in half and totaled my car.” Close-ups in the video showed a mangled front end and an engine bay she described as destroyed, with the engine block visibly separated.

Good said the shop owner knew by 9:15 p.m. but did not call her. She held up a phone photo of the wreck with a timestamp while she said that. She said she kept calling on Saturday and that the shop did not tell her until almost 18 hours later.

She said that since then the shop has taken little accountability and that she has heard four different stories. She said the car had low mileage and was otherwise in excellent condition. She asked why it was nine miles away after hours and traveling that fast, and why they waited nearly 18 hours to tell her. She said, “Does this seem suspicious to you? Because it does to me. And what would you do?”

According to Morris Bart, a mechanic or repair shop can potentially be held liable when carelessness or recklessness causes a crash, such as incorrect work, unfinished promised repairs, or shortcuts that create another problem. A negligence claim generally needs evidence of a duty of care, a breach, causation, and damages, and a shop is likely not liable if the collision came from something it could not reasonably control or from a defect unrelated to its work.

Motor1 reports that customers in that situation should keep the repair order, paperwork on authorized work and test-driving, texts, emails, call logs, receipts, a police report, photos and video, surveillance, witness statements, repair estimates, and the shop’s insurance information. 

Rules and filing deadlines reportedly vary by state, so a local attorney or insurer should be consulted. Repair shops can also face disputes over the work they actually perform, such as when a Kentucky woman got four new Goodyear tires installed, and the shop tried to take them back for cheaper Douglas ones. 

The outlet also cites Kelley Blue Book, which said “totaled” does not necessarily mean a car cannot be repaired. It generally means the insurer has decided repairs would cost more than the vehicle was worth just before the damage, or that it would remain unsafe after repairs.

Motor1 said a total-loss settlement is typically based on pre-crash actual cash value, not the original purchase price or a new replacement, and that a deductible may reduce the payment. It said gap coverage may cover a loan or lease shortfall, and that a low valuation can be challenged with mileage, condition, maintenance, options, upgrades, and local comparable listings. 

Viewers under the video treated the account as a reason to involve insurance or a lawyer. One commenter wrote, “Don’t stress this is the insurance job.” Another treated her question about suspicion as already settled and wrote, “SEEM suspicious? Ha it IS suspicious. They owe you a new car.”

A third commenter framed the drive as unauthorized joyriding and wrote, “Joy riding… get there insurance to buy u a new car.. don’t go there again.” Another called the situation shady and wrote, “Shady – time for an attorney.” One commenter suggested the outcome could shift ownership of the business and wrote, “Congrats you now own a mechanics shop.”