My car was hit in by a box truck in a Walmart parking lot and its turned out to be a total loss. I'll provide some pictures to show the damage, but what kills me is that I was parked so far away from every other car in the parking lot. The yahoo pictured decided to squeeze in between my car and the shopping cart return area with his big truck. I was inside the store when it happened and got called on the PA system. What a nightmare...

The damage looks largely cosmetic. The front bumper is destroyed, as well as the front fender. The hood has some scratches in the corner where the fender scraped across it some. Can't tell if its bent yet.. The front grill is damaged as well as the piece that wraps around the headlights. There are some cables dangling from below the damaged bumper, not certain what these are yet. Maybe fog lamp cable and something else. I need to take the bumper off to see.

When I turn the key I get a beep and "ERR" on the radio. Does anyone know what this might mean or how to figure it out?

I just got the figures back from my insurance company, and they're asking only about $480 for me to keep the car. I'm thinking of keeping it, replacing the damaged parts with used/salvage and maybe having it repainted black if I cannot find matching body parts. From the outside I can't see any obvious frame damage. I'll start trying to take the bumper and fender off tomorrow. I read that with Massachusetts law that cars older than 10 years of the crash/loss date are exempt from the salvage title and salvage inspection process. Does anyone know what this means in regard to the state of the title? I'll be looking into it more next week also. Can you think of any major things to look for once the bumper is off? I'm thinking maybe one of the major bumper mounting / buffer points may be bent, but not sure yet. I drove the car home and couldn't feel or hear any problems other than the initial beep and "ERR" message.

 

Salvage means that bringing your car back to pre-accident condition will cost more than 75-80% actual car value of your jag. Having a branded title (salvage) depreciates your vehicle by 30-50% in terms of resale compared to a similar non-salvage car. Many insurance companies will not insure salvage titled cars for full comprehensive policy.

As for the car and the pictured damages...Disassemble damaged area completely - lt fender, bumper, left head lamp assembly, grille. Check the radiator support and the left apron. Get frame/structure measurements and measure out the square of the front end structure. I don't think your frame rail is impacted but the inner structure might be compromised.

 

Sorry about what happened.
I think a radiator fan check might be one of the requirements pre-startup.
Could you verify that the fan is ok [wiring, blades ..etc]?
In addition, since you have wires dangling out, I would start by figuring out the wiring.
(You might have a fan sensor that is not reading back)

 

I don't think I'm going to repair it after taking all the parts off. The sub frame around the radiator is pretty bent up and pushed to one side. The front alignment is noticeable off, as well as other problems. Too bad.

 

Very sorry to see this. Those box trucks are the biggest threat to all of us. Around here, anyone can drive a large box/moving truck without any training or license requirement whatsoever. They are dangerous, mainly because of slack drivers!

Looks to me like the car would run and drive fine if there was no impact at the wheel. However, straightening out the framework and aligning the body panels and lights could be a real bear.

I suppose it comes down to the amount of effort you are willing to put into it. Of course it would be a shame to see it retired because of this. A tough decision. I hope you get a decent settlement anyway.

 

Hard to imagine the doofus managed to misjudge and hit your Jaguar, instead of the railing of the cart return! <frowning, shaking head>

 

Thats sad to see it sitting there looking like that. Was the dog driving at the time maybe?
You're probably like a lot of us that park where it would be less likely that the car door openers against your car stay away.
That is a very strong corner thats been hit and am not surprised that there is more damage than is obvious. if it was mine I wouldn't repair it but for the money you could part it out and move on.

 

I am sorry for you that this have happened.

About the damage, it looks not to bad. Have a good thought about repairing it. Sometimes when this happens, and you are frustrated. Just walk away and come back a day later and examine it.

As I said, it doesn't look really bad. In my opinion I would just try to repair it or at least have a good look at it.

Cheers

 

that is such a shame what was the DOSSO thinking of when he hit your car

 

Too true!

I've driven box trucks, pulled umpteen trailers, etc. The first rule.....and there's no skill involved, just common sense....is that you never intentionally drive the route/path that offers the *least* amount of manuevering room. You take the path that offers the *most* manuevering room.

I'm perfectly willing to accept that accidents happen. Lord knows I've made mistakes in my life. But, the situation in this case is so utterly stupid and senseless that I can only shake my head in disbelief.

The other driver should be required to have a sign on his truck saying "Steer clear. I am a total dumbass"

Cheers
DD

 

By alignment, do you mean wheel alignment or panel alignment? I dont see the tire impacted and the gap between the tire and wherl opnening on the fender seem to be fine Unless the frame rail is pushed, which it doesn't look like the only other source of misaligned front wheels in your case would be shifted strut tower. The strut tower is welded to the apron, which is most likely damaged. The apron and the front structure in general can be rough pulled with a sliding hammer (good heavy kind), but best if pulled by chains even if its just a floor post pull (as opposed to a frame machine). It's not going to be perfect but just enough in line where the panels will mount and even lined up if the pull is done right and measurements fall in line. I don't mean to make it sound easy though. You may approach a shop or an independent body tech to get that done. Once the inner structure is aligned you can pretty much bolt on the replacement parts.

 

If u really liked the jag evaluate the cost of repair vs the cost of a similar jag. Seems these x300, 308 are under 5k in US. U could find one in excellent shape and part out the xjL. Anyways thats what I would do if it happened to me.

 

really how this is possible, i will have been terribly mad...sorry for you

 

I figured out your problem in the first sentence. You went to Walmart. I was in a Walmart once. After observing the type of people there, I left and have never been back.

 

it's sad but this is true. men, he parked so far away, the guy did it on purpose....