Sad day here on Friday - my low mileage (40K) 2007 XK suffered a major collision.
Good news: no one was injured.
Due to a car cutting out from the HOV lane unexpectedly (and illegally) a few cars ahead, there was a sudden slow-down and all had to jam on brakes.
I stopped, and my car was rear-ended and then I was shoved into the (stopped) car ahead of me. So the XK is damaged in both front and rear.

However, as it'll be at least a week before the police report gets processed (and I start dealing with the insurance company of the driver who struck me) - I'm trying to get a general sense if I need to start car shopping or if it might be repaired.

I am attaching a few photos - but they don't do a great job of depicting the damage in full.

Are there general rules of thumb for the XK and the repair costs for front end / rear end / trunk?

At impact of ~60MPH is it likely there is structural damage?
(Air bags did NOT deploy - - I got hit hard from rear, but the front impact was less as I and my XK absorbed a lot of the hit)...

Thanks for any guidance / advice.
-John

 

Odd that the front damage looks worse than the rear. The police report might count that against you.

Hard to say from those pics if the insurance company will total it. They generally total a car if the repairs are going to cost more than 2/3rds of the value of the car. There might be a lot of hidden damage on that car.

 

It's hard to tell from the pictures but when there is a close up look it may be repairable. The question is were there any fluids on the ground after the crash. The nose looks like it pushed the bonnet up but if it is bent then that's a problem. Also it looks like the headlights didn't move so maybe the fenders aren't bent. Doesn't look like suspension damage but it needs to be looked at. As for the back the picture is deceiving. Seems like the boot suffered some dents but if is bent then it's a problem. The bumper cover doesn't look to damaged. The big question is what the insurance company says is the value of the car. If they say it's maybe $15K in value my bet is it is totaled. I wish you luck , glad no one was hurt.

 

If, as you say, the rear took the hardest impact it could be quite costly. My 07 suffered a rear impact that didn't set off the bags and looked like there was almost no damage. After the body shop began work they found the inner structure was deformed in various places and had to be replacerd. As with yours the boot lid was bent so it had to be relaced. Long story short, the total came to over $16k total. That insurance co. chose not to total it even though it was greater than 2/3 the cars value. Remember, aluminum rally shouldn't be forced back into position as it tends to create microfractures in the metal.
I'd advise to make sure you take it to a qualified Jaguar/aluminum body repair shop if it is not totalled outright. This a rivited structure so has to be addressed toally differently than steel body cars.

 

Hi, sorry to read of your accident / problem and see those pics of your car, frustrating for sure. Dealing with insurance companies never seems to be easy, at least for me..
We also have a 2007, an ex Californian car in Ontario and I would be preparing to negotiate the value with our ins. co., assuming and hoping that they would be writing it off. Gather ads for similar, document yours, pictures, recent major maintenance and improvements etc...
You really do not want it to be repaired as it will take a huge hit in value; be glad that it is not a lot newer, when it likely would be repaired and the owner would be left with the now difficult to sell car...
Just my opinion..
Good luck
Trevor

 

I think given cost of parts it will be totaled

 

I'm leaning towards agreeing here. In addition the rivet method of manufacturing makes collision repairs that much more complex and expensive if done properly.

 

Working in the accident management field I would tend to think it will total. Because of the year and cost of parts. You would be surprised at some of the “light” hits that total anymore. With all the sensors, adsorption bars, blend doors and cost of headlights it doesn’t take much.

 

Please keep us posted. I have a 2009 XK very Im pristine condition. I’m very interested in your outcome as I would be in the same exact boat if I got into a fender bender. I’ve looked on many auction site and have seen salvaged XKR with minimal damage suck as front bumper cover replacement being totaled.

 

There's nothing cheap on these cars. However as long as the body is straight and the doors open correctly with no oddball gaps I don't see why it couldn't be put back together. There's a ton of dead space on the front end behind the cover that's literally filled with a styrofoam block. Even the radiator core support bolts in place so the hood mechanism shouldn't be a big deal.

 

Thanks for the input, all.
I will keep everyone posted for-sure.
First up: waiting for the Highway Patrol to get the report on-line
Then the "fun" begins.....

Happy Memorial Day - thanks to those who serve and have served to keep our Nation safe.

-John

 

I got rear-ended and it cost $12,000 to repair. No front end damage like you have. I'm guessing it will be totaled, sadly.

 

I too think it will be totaled and would start preparing for this eventuality. Make sure you compile comparable car valuations, otherwise insurance will give you low end of KBB. Keep in mind that initial number from insurance is an offer, if you do not negotiate you will be leaving money on the table.

If you are interested in saving your car, there are some things you could do. First - you can negotiate with insurance to keep your car as a salvage title and repair it on your own. Second, body shops charge premium for Insurance jobs, you can certainly get a better deal if you do some shopping around and willing to accept salvage yard/ebay panels, bumpers, and lights. Third, looking at your California plates and overall shape of the car - the car appears to be drivable, so I would recommend driving it somewhere with cheaper labor rates. Body work is 75% labor and a day's drive can save you a lot in labor costs.

However, before deciding how to proceed, take bumper covers off to inspect structural damage. If something past bumpers is bent... let it go. It will be too hard to fix.

 

Fight for it not to be totaled. Its a scam the ins company pulls. They have a perverse incentive. (should be illegal, but we the public dont have a lobby.)

While there are laws to protect you, they get around them by playing around with valuations- thats where you need to fight the hardest.
Get an good estimate yourself of the repair. This is another area they cheat. By claiming the repair will be astronomical they force a total.
Then get market value of your car in the exact condition. Tell them to put the book in their ****- its not a reliable measure of value.

I have fought and won. Twice.

Also dont forget you should be suing for physical damage to yourself.
And dont deal with your ins company- fight the insurer of the guy that hit you.

 

I fought and won once. I had a bone stock '86 Mustang GT. In 2012, I got T-Boned from some soccer mom on her phone. Her insurance (Geico) wanted to total it because book value was something around $1200! I went to their office with nation wide e-bay and other car sale listings to show similar car sales listings (I could only fine 3 or 4). I also got a letter from the Mustang registry stating a value as well. I told the adjuster I was the original owner, the car was fairly rare (because it was still stock) and in great shape and there is no way I was going to accept a salvage title because of someone else's mistake. He agreed and said he would look into it. I ended up getting the entire amount of my quote to fix it ( I think it was around $4000) with no salvage title.

So it is possible but be prepared to do some legwork and arguing. And yes, deal with their insurance, not yours. At least in the beginning.

Good luck!

 

Most folks dont even know that you dont have to accept anything the insurance company says. They are only insuring themselves and will lie to you. I was one of these people.
My work suv (same as yours) was destroyed by a porsche boxster, yeah go figure. He was totally at fault. His ins co tells me that they will give me $17 a day to rent a car, take it or leave it.
Desperate because I need that SUV for work, I call my attorney brother for advice. He says dont negotiate with them, dont even take their call anymore. Tell them you will be sending them the bill, go rent a Ferrari if you want....

So I tell them that I will be sending them a bill for my rental, they begged me to rent whatever I wanted at any price, just use their account number.
No way was I going to negotiate after being told not to. I knew just one thing, they were not on my side and my brother was my only hope.
I go to Enterprise and rent a Suburban for $140 a day for 4 weeks. They paid that massive bill. Far cry from $17 a day for a bicycle.