I was driving in Atlanta yesterday and all of a sudden a flying object came down out of the blue and hit the corner of my hood. It left multiple dents, body and paint damage on the hood. I am attaching a picture of this. My car is only 1 month old, Jaguar XF 3.0 :'(

Now I bought the Dent and Ding coverage when I got the car but when going over the details I'm not so sure they cover the paint on those so I might have to go through my insurance.

Anyone here have a strong opinion on how to fix this? Since this is a brand new car, only driven 1500 miles, I want it to be done right! So I want the hood to be painted as a whole, and if the dent/damage repair is costly consider getting a new hood. But I'm no expert myself so any advice would be really appreciated. I plan on taking it to my Gwinnett Jag dealership tomorrow morning.

Also, how easy is it to have the hood painted so it matches the rest of the body? Will it be 100% match? The color is Lunar Grey Metallic.

Thanks for all your help!
Thor.

 

From out of nowhere?...Damn UFOs...

Seriously, that sucks and I am sorry for you, it would make me sick.....IMO, the whole hood will have to be redone or replaced, depending on what the adjuster says..But with today's paint and repair methods, it should come out looking like new again...Was the hood the only damage? or did the right quarter panel on top next to the hood have any hits too.

I wish you luck and a speedy repair.

 

Thanks DPK. Yeah I have no clue where that thing came from, it came in pretty fast from above and hit with a loud bang. Fortunately it didn't hit any other parts of the car. I hope they decide for a hood replacement as I'm concerned about rust issues (underneath paint) later on if they decide not to replace the hood and the fact that it's a brand new car. We'll see.

Thanks for your well wishes! Take care.
Thor.

 

Thor- You are thinking the right way... although rust under the hood is not nearly as likely as on other parts of the car. i would say that paint finish and match several years down the road are a much bigger concern. Any decent paint guy can match colors when he finishes. The right paint from the right manufacturer is much more important 6 or 8 years later. That said, I don't have the answer to the riddle for new Jags. If you are on the south side of Atlanta, I can recommend "Wade's Collision" in Jonesboro. They ain't got much bedside manner, they don't guarantee that they will take whatever the insurance gives them, but boy do they do good work. My wife's XJ8 has been to see them a few times.
Good luck

 

The hood is aluminum. Since aluminum often stretches when dented and cannot be heat shrunk you may need a new hood.

No need to worry about rust though!

 

Sorry to hear about your issues.........a REAL kick in the teeth especially on a nice shiny new car.

Whatever happens, make sure you get it done right and no corners are cut.............you wouldn't live with yourself otherwise

Good luck

 

Since your car is brand new, insurance will most likely replace the hood. At the same time both fenders would have to blended to enure perfect match especially on the metallic paint. A professional shop will not have a problem matching color. Good way to find such a shop is ask the dealer who they refer all their work. This way you have the dealer as another mechanism of control to ensure quality repairs.

 

Thanks for all your help guys! Appreciate your input.

Went to the dealer and body shop today. Body shop is talking about two options..

1. Replace the hood, paint it all, plus fenders on both side.
2. Repair the damage and paint roughly more than half the hood (paint will extend to the left side of center-raise section on the hood) plus they will have to do the right fender. They will then clear coat the WHOLE hood plus fender.

They estimate around $1000 for the repair. (#2). Hood itself is $1200 and its in a local warehouse. Painting on top of that would be around $3-400. So Option #1 is therefore around $1600.. My deductible is $500.

I'm thinking of going through insurance and then also claim the "Diminshed Value" from the insurance, which is honored here in the state of Georgia.

Any feedback would really be appreciated on what you guys think.

Thanks!
Thor.

 

.

 

If you are likely to sell the car while it still matters, you might want to consider the out of pocket vs having Carfax report an accident. Of course, thats what diminished value is supposed to take care of.

 

Thor,

Sorry to hear about the damage ......... especially on a one month old vehicle.

Option #1 is the only way you're going to be happy with the repair.

Graham

 

I thought you told me the right fender wasn't damaged...Now I am confused

 

DPK - Sorry about the confusion The fender is fine, but the guy at the body shop told me they would have to paint the side fender so that things will look good! (Actually they would have to paint both side fenders in case they replace the hood) I'm no paint expert, but I've heard thats a standard practice.

Graham - thanks for your input. Yeah I'm starting to lean to that option. Especially since I'm going through insurance on a new car, I want this to be done right. I might have to fight that with them though. I´ve been with the insurance company for 8 years and never had anything happen during that time.

sparkenzap - I considered that too, but since the insurance companies here in Georgia are mandated to pay out the diminished value, that should cover me there.

Thanks!
Thor.

 

Should be a non chargeable accident covered by your comprehensive coverage. You weren't run into. If any of this is an insurance claim then go for a replacement hood. Fixing aluminum usually means filler paste.

 

FWIW, I had a big ding in my hood from a falling lawn chair in my garage. The ding was very sharp and deep. Took it to a paintless guy that works aluminum. Was amazing to watch him work it out. You cannot...and I mean cannot find that spot if it were not for the tiny ding in the paint. yours looks more like paint damage than profile. If it were just dented I can assure you that the right guy could fix it with no paint.

 

That's really good to know, thanks. I've used these guys several times on my steel cars. I highly recommend the process. Good to know it works on aluminum. No paint matching issues and no way to tell the car has been fixed, they use no filler either.

 

My car is actually in the shop (also in Atlanta) right now getting the hood replaced from vandalism. I have a paintless dent repair guy I've used for years with tremendous success, but decided to file a claim with my insurance and replace the whole hood instead, rather than risking the aforementioned aluminum stretching, etc. Since it was vandalism, it's going under my comprehensive policy with a $500 deductible and no raise of rates. And, since there was no police report filed, I'm hoping it'll stay off of CarFax. And, I'm actually fairly happy to get a new hood, since my last one had some minor nicks in it from a few years of fast interstate driving.

It's hard to tell from the attached phone pictures, but there were 5 dents/dings in my hood, but only one went through the paint.

 

Im sorry to hear that Reaxions. My insurance company did not want to pay for a new hood (Progressive). I even escalated it to a Manager there but she could not be budged. The hood in my case is $1200, but yours is probably more. How were you able to convince your insurance on replacing the hood? Which insurance is it?

The insurance guy estimated the repair as $700 (fix + paint) and so I asked them to close the claim and I dealt with the shop directly since my dectible for comprehensive is 500. Thinking of changing ins company. I got my car back last night - looks really good. I did have to ask the shop to paint it the 2nd time since the 1st try the paint didnt match.

I hope your repair will go well. Best of luck!

 

Damn it...I heard Flo was a Ho..

 

Found the pictures of the damage I had from the chair falling on the hood. You cannot find this damage after the paintless guy had at it. He massaged the aluminum slowly. Look how sharp that dent is and how it is on the crease. Amazing what he did. No point in posting the after as there is nothing to see.