After hitting a small deer at sub-highway speed, after applying my brakes and swerving. Does this look like $18,000 of damage? Note the fully intact bumper.

 

So I swerved to avoid a small deer that jumped off the median of the highway into my lane. The deer caught my 2009 XJ "Victoria's" driver side front corner.

My insurance company's suggested shop, well known around town for decades, did an initial estimate of $12,000! Sometime around this time, they notified my insurance company (I have the dated documents) that Victoria was a total loss!

They asked to pull off the fender and bumper, and I consented. They came back with a total of $14,400! As to repair, the shop said they "cannot even touch the car" because they cannot work with aluminum. Regardless, they apparently can issue repair estimates for aluminum work.

So, they consulted who was described to me as the only "Certified" Jaguar aluminum repair shop, and the only place who is allowed to obtain Jaguar-made OEM aluminum structural components. They charge $110 per hour, apparently for most or all of the needed work. Today, that shop added 4,200 more to the repair bill!

Some local repair shops wanted to fix up Victoria, but later said they didn't have a rivet machine needed for our Jaguars. I am trying one other shop...

Does anyone in the Northeastern U.S.A. know how and where to fix minor-looking accident damage to an aluminum Jaguar? Help! I want to drive Victoria this summer! HELP!

 

Here's something I found a while back about Jaguar aluminium repairs to XJ and XJ models:

JAGUAR - Aluminium Body Repairs.pdf

Jaguar appear to keep it exclusive by restricting supply of body parts to authorised repairers.

Graham

 

do a search using jaguar authorized aluminum repair network and you will get some names.
Sorry for your loss.

 

so sorry to see that sir. deer are brutal in CT. if you need a great body shop, I can refer you to one in Milford, CT where I have been... no connection to it... just legitimate great service and excellent work. PM if you wish. Best.....

 

Although this topic is a couple of months old, I have recently found myself in a similar situation. 3 weeks ago, while my wife was stopped for a traffic light, some inattentive "numb-nutz" plowed into her from behind, and as if that wasn't bad enough, the impact shoved her into the car in front of her. Fortunately, she's OK, but we're heartsick, as our 12,500 mile, 2012 XJ-L is messed up on BOTH ends, but primarily the rear. The damage estimate, SO FAR, is $18,700.


After the crash, we had it taken to the local dealer's body shop, but since they don't do enough volume of aluminum repair work, they can't afford to invest in the needed tooling updates and shop expansion needed, to repair aluminum cars. They sent it from the Rochester, NY area, to a shop in Ashland, MA, outside of Boston. The transportation fees alone, are another $1800, to be added to the repair bill ($900 to deliver it to the body shop and $900 to get it when it's completed).


This has had us thinking really hard, about buying another car that's made of aluminum.....

 

UPDATE to an old post.....


After our car got to the shop in Boston, and they performed a serious inspection and partial disassembly, they declared our once-beautiful XJ a "total loss". The hidden damage they found, ran the repair bill up to $22,000 in parts alone, with another $14-15,000 in labor.

 

DAMN, thats a little ridiculous (based on the pics) i mean who knows what happened under the metal (suspension / frame damage)

it just strikes me odd because I had an accident in my X350, low speed head on collision with a lady making a U-turn into me........i think damage came out to 8-9k, but the damage (looks) was similar to yours