My 2009 XF is injured!

Traveling in the right lane on a two lane road at no more than 15mph, approaching a traffic light 150 feet away.

Car traveling the opposite direction turns left, never looking - directly into my front driver's side bumper, destroyed the bumper, the hood, and probably bent some stuff up inside. Broken parts all over the street.

Ambulance, firetrucks, cops - the whole show. Air bag did not deploy.

I'm home in a fair amount of pain.

Cops charge the other driver, thankfully I believe he's insured.

Now what?

I need advice on a good body shop in the Woodbridge, Newtown, Danbury area of Connecticut who work on Jags and will do the right thing .

All help very much appreciated. I've had the car 4 weeks. Feeling a bit devastated. Heading to Urgent Care for shoulder and neck in a little while.

(Love the car. I'm so angry but glad to be alive.Could be worse. My first accident in any vehicle in 38 years of driving.)

All advice appreciated and anything I didn't think of?

 

Sorry to hear that man..Glad you're okay.

After you get it fixed, are you gonna move on or keep it?

 

DPK,

Thanks for asking. I want to fix it and keep it.

I've driven a lot of vehicles in my time: back hoes, tractor trailers, straight trucks, Porches, BMW's,Benz, an ambulance, Vettes, Vipers, cigarette boats, jet boats, and so forth - but really when I look at the whole picture, my last few months of test driving various Jaguars have always encompassed a level of excitement I didn't feel getting behind the wheel of anything else. And this XF, being lower on the Jaguar food chain, is to me my "starter" Jag, based on more expensive models. As soon as I get one kid through college, I'll go up a rung.

There are less Jags on the road, maybe that's part of the mystique, maybe it's the British thing, maybe it's the design or many things - but no I don't want to give it up.

My brother looked at the photos and says the frame must be bent and the car will be dead on arrival. I pray he's wrong.

Now I need to figure out who should work on it and the battle with the insurance companies begins.

Leaving for the hospital in a few. I need an x-ray and something more powerful than advil.

Thanks for asking.

 

I hate to say it, but your car is at an age that the insurance companies will most likely total it for anything more than a bumper cover!

 

We'll see - wow, I really hope not. The car has a retail value of just under $20,000. I guess it depends on many factors.

More aggravating when I consider that possibility.

 

Even if there is not frame damage, this may very well be a "total." Even worse, I think this will be for a value in the 12 to 15K range if yours is naturally aspirated. You may be able to take the money and make it drivable.

 

Well, good news so far - though I'm old cranky and by my DNA, very skeptical - my body shop guy believes no issue and it is fixable.

This news and painkillers are soothing my soul somewhat.

Insurance gave a $ number which I think will end up being too low.

Just noticed that somehow the Jaguar emblem on the steering wheel is dented, which must be from the accident as I never noticed that. Silly, but I want that fixed also and a couple of guys are saying that's easier said than done as it is connected to the air bag.

 

Good news on the car..Do you have a Jaguar emblem imprint on your chest or forehead..Not making fun, but got me wondering

 

Glad to hear you're making progress. The jag emblem on steering wheel is part of the airbag so can't easily be replaced. But a few people on here have fixed it with a suction cup and pulling out hard, or double sided tape and a hard pill to pop the sent back out

 

Ha! Thanks for the laugh! No emblem, that would have been pretty cool!

I think I hit the wheel hard enough to do it though.

 

Interesting ideas. I may have to just get over it, unfortunately. Thanks!

 

It's fixed, I'm back on the road today!

 

I appreciate the consoling words and preparation for the worst outcome, while the best outcome occurred.

Sometimes, you can get lucky!