I've been enjoying my I-Pace for the past few months since I got it, but then bad luck hit. I was driving down a highway when a driver zoomed across three lanes to pass closely in front of me. He then continued straight alongside me two lanes to my left and then, without warning, cranked the wheel and side-swiped me. I went into a diagonal skid and a controlled stop on the right shoulder, but the other driver made a left turn on red and took off (the police found his disabled car, though). My I-Pace was not drivable due to a wheel being jammed inward a bit.

I have GEICO insurance and they tend to be pretty good. They contacted my preferred body shop and then told me that they could not work on the I-Pace. They towed the car 40 miles to another shop that they said could work on anything. I then got a call from the adjuster saying that the car needed certain "Jaguar protected parts" that could only be ordered by shops certified to work on them (they are aluminum). The Jaguar dealer I bought from wasn't even certified. It was left to me to find a shop that was, which I did, and the car is being transferred there.

I was surprised to learn that the population of shops that can do these repairs is so limited in my area and thought that the readers of this thread might want to be aware of that. I will update the thread if anything else unusual occurs in the process of repairing my vehicle.

 

Thanks for the information. It is important to know!

Even though aluminum body panels are becoming MUCH more commonplace (think Ford F-150) the mention of Jaguar protected parts is interesting. Apparently they need to be repaired a certain way to assure future accident protection.

https://rts.i-car.com/collision-repa...and-rover.html

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Sorry that you were a victim of that Jersey Slide

 

Thank you for that practical information. Mostly, though, I am sorry for the pain of having your new car get hurt that badly.

 

6/29/22 Update: I was told weeks ago that some of the parts were back-ordered and to be ready to ship from the U.K. on 6/22. As of today, there are still parts on back order. it looks like it could take three months from the date of the accident before I get the car back.

 

Having previously owned a 2007 XK and currently two other aluminium Jaguar models, I've long been interested in possible issues with repairs but fortunately never required practical expeience.

As I understand it, it's not the use of aluminium as a material but the way in which the vehicles are assembled that causes JLR to be so cautious about body shops. Unlike older steel bodied models, the aluminium ones are almost exclusively bonded and blind rivetted together. Part panel or box section replacement is not as straightforward as it was with mainly welded steel bodies hence the concept of 'protected parts' to ensure only approved facilities with appropriate training get their hands on them.

However, this doesn't explain or justify the delay in parts which is affecting more and more of JLR inventory. The pandemic is used as an excuse for lack of availability and long lead times for re-stocking rather than the reality being unwillingness to tie up money in high value, slow moving parts.

Graham

 

I think that's an accurate assessment. Also, with the number of I-Paces and other Jaguar models sold into the U.S., I also can't believe that they don't have at least a small domestic inventory here.

 

Our UK Jaguar Dealers hold little other than fast moving items because the delivery from the JLR Global Distribution Centre in Frankfurt, Germany used to be 'next day' if ordered before 2:00pm before the pandemic. This facility is being replaced by a new Jaguar Land Rover Global Parts Logistics Centre at Appleby Magna in the UK, which is supposed to open in 2022. The delay in sourcing your parts could be due to this transition.

Graham

 

Wow, I guess I need to keep up a lot more with Jaguar's business changes like you. Thanks for the info.

 

I picked up my I-Pace from the body shop today a bit over two months following the accident. It looks and drives like new. The final repair bill was almost $22,000. There was fender/bumper, suspension, headlamp assembly, wheel/tire, side mirror, door and numerous other types of damage. The super-nice DRL headlamp assembly alone was $4,200 for the part alone. Yep, it was pretty banged up.

I knew when I bought the car that replacement parts might some day be an issue and that turned out to be true. We can blame a lot of it on the extant supply chain issues that may get better over time, but I think all Jaguar owners need to keep this in mind and hope it never affects them. We also can take comfort in the fact that Jaguar maintains good quality control over who gets the parts. My shop also requires a Jaguar dealer to review the vehicle and give the green light before handing the car back to the owner. If that's something that Jaguar enforces, it's another good reason to own one.

 

thank you for putting this out for those who may wind up in a similar situation.

it is becoming a bit of a trend, regardless of manufacturer, that body repair shops need to be factory authorized and that the factory will only make parts available to those specific shops.

It is a shame that your dealership was not more helpful and that you only learned of this via the adjuster.

 

A few years back, something similar happened to my wife and I. She was stopped at a traffic light, when some inattentive SOB rear ended her, and also shoved her into the car in front of her, also stopped for the light. She was in her '16 XJ-L. at the time, also an aluminum bodied car. Our local dealer didn't do enough aluminum repairs, so they weren't certified, consequently our car was "flat bedded" 400 miles, from the Rochester, NY area, to a shop located just outside of Boston, MA. In the end, the car was declared a total loss, and sent off to the salvage yard. A VERY sad end for a great car.....

 

So sorry to hear this. I'm grateful my vehicle was repairable.

 

I missed this when you first posted. Good to hear it turned out well.

Graham