I was recently rear ended (everyone is fine) and the insurance company is totaling my car because it’s $30k to repair.

I was able to meet up with about 40 other F Type owners and rip through the Tail of the Dragon drive a few weeks before the accident and walked away with a feeling that all the mods I had done to my car had come together to make it an awesome experience. The car’s handling felt great due to all of the unsprung weight reductions and lowering. All of the VAP mods made the 450hp push the car coming out of the turns feel responsive and exhilarating. The sound system upgrades and sound deadening made the 8 hour drive to TN even more enjoyable. I’ve learned a lot about this amazing car, put in some wrench time and got to enjoy this car at various rallies, meet ups and spirited runs over the last year and half. Thanks everyone for contributing towards this experience I’ve had.

I’m negotiating with the insurance company on what their payout will be next week but after adding up the parts and labor for modding my car, it’s about 28k on top of the cars value. Luckily I have all the receipts and it’s clear negligence on the other drivers part.

So I’m starting to look for my next F Type and would like to get a 2016-2017 so I can reuse the P7 grill but torn between getting a V8 or a 6MT. I was pretty happy with the modded V6S and it’s power but I do love the instant torque of the V8. But a 6MT with the use VAP mods I think is enough for me to be happy.

 

That's a real shame, and I've been there myself. One option is to buy the car back from the insurance company, take off all the good parts, sell off what you can't use, and put the good parts into the next car. Regarding what you've got into it, you can probably see this coming, but expect to get nearly zero above the street value for an unmodified car - unless you have "stated value" insurance.

 

I got rear ended and the individual who hit me said he told his employer that the brakes were bad 3 times and he didn’t do anything about it. The driver said this in front of the police officer and a few other witnesses.

I’m prepared to get an attorney to fight this but I’m expecting they allow me to take the items I can off the car and pay for the replacement parts and labor for anything that needs to be installed in the next vehicle that I can’t take off or install. I do have the receipt for everything and nearly all of the mods were done in the last 12 months.

I’m expecting it to be a battle but given the driver’s admission, do you think what I’m asking for is unreasonable?

 

Probably for the best it was totaled. I have now been hearing of extreme long delays at body shops due to parts not being available. This isn't Jaguar specific but more just general issue across the board. They say some cars are sitting there for 6 months waiting on parts.

 

Ouch. I've been there in the most literal sense possible; center shoulder of the freeway taking a picture of the damage. You have my sympathies. This was six years ago:



The repair estimate sounds about right. Mine was a bit more than that but the car was only nine months old so repairs were authorized, with other party accepting 100% liability.

A possibility you haven't mentioned is to take the money for the loss and keep the vehicle. They'll deduct the salvage bid from the payout. You could then do the repairs and live with a salvage title. The salvage title is mostly an issue for the car's value, so if you don't intend to sell it's not a big deal. I don't know what it would mean for insurance. I did it with a motorcycle (MV Agusta) years ago, and I think I had to get an inspection and an appraisal, but that wasn't difficult.

 

Good luck with the legal issues,

As far as the next car, it sounds like either pick is a winner. My modified v6 was totaled in March. Was debating between v6 and a v8 (mind you I was in the process of a tvs1900 set up on my v6). Nonetheless, ended up choosing a 2017 F type R. Couldn’t be happier

 

As kb58 pointed out, if you put aftermarket parts on a car and don't declare them with your insurance company (even if you have receipts) then in almost all cases the parts will NOT be covered (nor will the labor), regardless of who is at fault. Read the section on Aftermarket Parts or Modified Parts in your insurance policy carefully so you understand what the coverage is. Unfortunately, even if your policy will cover them if declared, insurers will only cover them if they are declared prior to a claim.

Now if you had previoulsy told your insurance company about the parts and they covered them (and adjusted your premium accordingly), then you should be fine other than fighting with the other operator's insurance company.

Good luck.

 

Ouch, at least you are good. Make sure to note any back pains if you start feeling them in the next few days. And good luck with the insurance. One thing to consider is to go through your own insurance and then have them go after the at fault’s insurance.

 

Hey there from the Dragon crowd! I hate that you're going through this. Such a nicely done car - but glad you're OK.

The "good" news is that it doesn't matter what modifications you have/haven't declared with YOUR insurance company, since they're not the ones paying. The bad news is that the other company just isn't going to be inclined to care - at least not more than they have to. When you talk to the adjuster, you can fully expect to be disappointed with the initial offer, after all - they want to minimize the claim. But, know that there is some flexibility and that the adjuster is motivated to get the claim closed. Polite persistence is your friend here and don't sound like to need to close the deal today. "Thanks for the quick response, or the (little bit) extra, but that just doesn't solve my problem. There must be something else we can do here." Polite. Push.

Check around and see if you can find someone in your area that has credentials/experience to do car appraisals. (If you have a favorite body shop, they may be able to help provide a referral.) If they'll write you a "before" appraisal, it will cost you a few hundred bucks, but it adds a lot of weight to your claim and shows you're serious.

It could be helpful that the driver essentially threw the owner under the bus by admitting (with witnesses) that there was a known safety issue. That could go very badly for the owner on both liability and insurance coverage. "So, if I have to go to court, do I need to name you the owner or you (ins)?" (The REAL answer, BTW, would be both, but you weren't really asking him for legal advice.)

For the replacement car, I'd be inclined to stay with what you had. It was a great base to work from and you may be able to negotiate pulling some of the parts/mods across, as suggested above. If the insurance company doesn't want to pay for your P7 grill, etc, they'll have a hard time defending that you can't keep it.

A M/T might be fun, but they're rare enough you might not find a good match on the spot. Meanwhile, if you DO have luck getting enough extra for all your mod's, you might move into a "R."

Keep us posted on your progress and let us know if we can help!

 

Man that's a shame, hate to see it. The bad timing stinks. Car prices and availability are bad right now. Beware of them lowballing you on your settlement because anything new is gonna be at premium.

 

In my experience (and I'm hoping yours is different), the mods and labor won't increase the insurance value of the car at all, even with receipts. The flip side of their argument is that the absence of those same mods won't decrease the value of the car. If you intend to get a replacement F-Type that is compatible, you can then feel free to strip the car of all those zero-value mods to move them to your next car. I even got agreement from the insurance company before I stripped my rear-ended car. When it left my garage on a wrecker, it wasn't running and the stock stereo was sitting in the hole where my aftermarket system had been. It's a hassle, but at least you get a discount on getting your next car back to the same level.

 

Depending on who your insurance Co. is, you might see how much they will advise/fight for you. They likely want to keep your business and will be willing to go after the other Co. Also sounds like you definitely have a good liability claim. Get advice from "Reputable" attorney, not one of the 'Fly by nite ambulance chasers. Remember, they will promise you anything, but get it in writing.

 

Glad to read you are OK, but just sick looking at the photo of your beautiful car. I learned A LOT from reading the other responses RE: insurance companies. I haven't done any mods to the MY2017 that I have, but I did just up the insurance on my 69 E Type, and now, glad I did.

Best wishes on your hunt for a replacement. I'll put in my vote for a MT, which is what I have. Yes, hard to find, but they are around.

Please keep us posted on how everything works out.

 

If anyone is interested. I changed to Hagerty insurance (in the US) as my F-Type is not a daily driven car. They offer a guaranteed coverage option, which basically you agree to a pre-determined value of the vehicle should there be a total loss. In my case, with the car, market and mods, a 2016 R the agreed value was $75k. So if I am ever in a situation where the car was totaled, that is the agreed upon value. In addition, because they do insure more collectible (not saying the F is) or other higher end and vintage cars that are not driven as much, my rate for the F-Type was HALF of what I was paying with another insurance company prior to and anywhere from 40-60% less than any recent quotes I received if you paid for the year in advance. Should I ever decide to sell the car or something were to happen (heaven forbid) they would pro-rate the amount paid back as well. It might be worth looking into it for anyone stateside that is interested.

 

Won't the P7 grill work with any F-Type up to 2020?

 

There are several threads about this here, do a search. From what I read, it only works with some effort, as none of the knockoffs fit very well. I haven't read about whether an authentic P7 grill will fit, but recall someone saying that Jag will only sell it to registered P7 owners.

 

You have to have a VIN of a P7, but all available stock have been sold. They have been on backorder for somewhere over a year.

 

I agree. There are some seriously delays with parts but I really don’t want to go through the process of “building” another car. I was just starting to enjoy what I had….it’s only been 4 months.

 

That's definitely a possibility. I gotta run through all the numbers and see what makes sense.

 

Hey Matt, thanks. The other driver's insurance is covering this, 100% his fault so I'm not going through mine for this.