There's a reason why the car is assembled with rivets - aluminum is such an amazing conductor of heat and electricity that welding a single piece in multiple places causes the previous welds to fail. The car simply cannot be welded together, hence the use of rivets (and the rivets actually make the car stiffer and stronger). I was concerned seeing that they were going to attempt to repair the fender with a patch - that wouldn't have worked, due to the fender to A-Pillar single-piece construction being structural to the car. That would have been a problem.


On the subject of a diminished value claim: The insurance company cannot deny this claim. They can fight you on the value, but they are required by law to pay this out, if you request it. They are under no obligation to volunteer to pay this - you are required to request it. Due to the severity of the damage and the fact that this damage will be on the CARFAX, you will be taking a substantial value hit on the car. The insurance company will ask for you to have a JLR dealer provide a value estimate on the car before and after the accident. The difference in those two values is what is paid to you, in cash, as settlement. You are literally throwing away money by not requesting this - and the insurance company is seriously hoping you aren't aware of your legal right to be paid for this.


CARFAX: Any and all accidents that have gone through top end body shops or were paid by an insurance claim will report to CARFAX. ALL of them. There is no way around it and regardless of the skill in which the repair is done, it will be a permanent part of the car's CARFAX from this point forward. JLR will not certify your car for a CPO program. Serious structural damage officially makes your car ineligible for the program.

 

The shop is certified by JLR. I'm counting on them to repair as JLR specifies.

Which law is this? My research so far indicates that in California, I'll need to file suit, and will end up in court. A number of those that did expressed the opinion "It wasn't worth the effort. I wish I'd never pursued it."

I don't know what the standards are for eligibility, except that aftermarket parts are not allowed. Can you point me to JLR's standards for CPO?

 

Update: The car should be ready for paint by the end of next week.

 

Here's a link to the Jaguar CPO checklist… vehicles with structural damage are not eligible:

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/shoppi...inspection.pdf

I'll get you the statute info on diminished value claims... Hang tight.

Edit: here's a good place to start:

http://diminishedvalueexpert.com/cal...-value-claims/

For the record, your car has, more than likely, lost a significant amount of value due to this accident.

 

I ain't no lawyer, but have been accused (fairly) of being pedantic and a hair-splitter.

Is that "have structural damage" or "have had structural damage?" I will not accept repairs that fall into the former, but if structural damage is repaired to the satisfaction of JLR, I'll need to accept it.

That is certainly separate from loss of intrinsic value.

 

In the UK we have "Approved Used" which is equivalent to CPO. Cars that have had structural damage that has been repaired to JLR standards is acceptable under the program, and it is only vehicles that have damage present that are not. The table on that CPO PDF checklist is the largely same as the Approved Used checklist I got with my F Type, with minor wording changes. The initial page with the CarFax items is not there though as we do not have an equivalent over here, and we have no publically-recorded lemon laws.

Your extra CPO conditions appear to exlude frame-damaged and repaired. That is not very surprising as the US is very litigation-friendly compared to us.

 

Correct - Previously repaired frame damage is a disqualifier for CP. Here's a good way to look at it:


Take a paper clip and bend it out of shape. Now, bend it back into shape and make it perfect. Impossible? Exactly. That's the rationale for not allowing frame-damaged cars into CPO programs. CPO is a car that is certified by the manufacturer - as such, the manufacturer is liable if existing frame damage causes an injury or fatality in an accident down the road. So, they omit the cars.

 

There's been a lot of beer under the bridge since my metallurgy classes, but I understand work hardening.

My understanding of the repairs is that there wouldn't be straightening of damaged parts, but that they would be replaced. I think I need to visit the shop and see for myself.

 

When my X351 was rear-ended in the UK they removed everything back to the good seams and replaced with new panels, bonded and riveted exactly as it was when it left the factory. Even the interior trim clips were replaced to ensure no rattles from reusing the old ones. There is some welding in that model's construction using a bespoke alloy and heatsoaking clamps but I am unsure which part/s that was for. That bit took 4 months to sort out because the Jaguar-certified bodyshop were out of the bespoke wire and JLR's UK supplier was also out at the time and waiting on their suppliers. I don't know if the F Type also has some welded parts.

 

It's the one year anniversary of my taking delivery. That means it's due for its first scheduled service. Unfortunately, the car is still in the body shop :-(

I have heard though that it is in the paint shop now, so while I don't expect it next week, I'm optimistic about the following week.

 

We're all pulling for you to get the beast back soon.

 

I appreciate that. This is not in a long series of exotics and high end cars for me. This was a car I needed to scrimp and save for and commit to as an only car.

Oh, and it's stand-in, the 25 year old Miata, developed clutch hydraulic issues today. Other than timing, I can't find fault with it. It's older than many trophy wives and has had a lot less work done. Still, I'll probably be commuting on the MV Agusta for a few days. That's hardly a joy in this heat. It's like sitting on an atomic furnace. At least the performance is terrifying. It's got that.

 

I have a friend with and X3 who was hit and the car was repaired. They found the right attorney who had experience in this situation and went back to the insurance company of the driver who hit her and were able to recover additional money due to the fact there was now a mark on the Carfax causing the SUV to be devaluated.

 

Any updates on your car. Good news I hope!

 

Generally complete and just been towed to the dealer to check alignment and reset all the electronics that will have gotten confused by disconnection from power and from each other.

After that, detailing. Hopefully that's all and I'll soon have it back. As of today, it's 135 days and counting. I've gone the entire summer without it and we even had to spend our first anniversary apart.

 

Reading back a bit in this thread I see this from me. I'll follow up on it, just because it highlights something. The clutch hydraulics started going out on the Miata. I called the dealer on a Saturday. The usual suspect is the slave cylinder, and they had one for $125. I decided to wait. I checked online and saw there were aftermarket options.

On Sunday, I called my local auto parts and they not only had the slave in stock, but the master too. $70 for both. I didn't even bother do diagnose which was the culprit. I changed them both in about two hours, including the run to the auto parts.

There's something to be said about mass-produced commodity cars.

There's also something to be said for special cars. Sometimes, practicality and sensibility need to go fly a kite. There's a price to pay though.

 

137 days later.

 

Congratulation! Take a few days off and go for a drive!

 

Looks great. Glad you are able finally to welcome it home.

 

The car looks great. Are you satisfied with the work?