Well guys, I'm on my bus ride commute home and get a call from my better half that she was just hit driving the Jag. She's fine and it seems to be minor damage but she says when she was pulling to the side the car was hard to control and swerving side to side (she got hit on the front left side of the car).

Obviously I'm seriously concerned about resale value (if I could even sell the car now) and being made whole from an insurance perspective.

What steps would you guys do to make sure you don't lose your shirt because of this?!?! Please help!

About the car:
2010 XKR Convertible.
Blue exterior, Blue Top, Tan interior (I believe this color combo is pretty rare).
36,xxx miles.

Thoughts and all assistance is appreciated!

 

see if you have any diminished value clause in your policy first. that is important.

 

Do you own the car outright?

My buddy owns a used car dealership. He'll say to customers, "did you ever break a bone before?" They'll always say yes... "Does it make you less a person?"

Obviously the car needs to be repaired. Do some homework on who locally does the best paint work and works on newer Jags. Once the car is repaired, see how you feel about it.

I could see a 5-10% at max drop in value at most. Get pictures of the damage, and steps of repair. This will help you on a private party sale. Very reassuring to see what was fixed vs. seeing some line on a CarFax. Big car dealerships on a trade don't care beyond the CarFax line in low balling you. They're just going to give a quick shot on their lot for sale and then dump it at auction...

 

Be patient, be calm and collective.

Contact your insurance agent to start a claim. Gather any and all "police reports".

Ask your insurance agent for a thorough review of your insurance policy and what is covered. Discuss the possibility of a "Diminished Value (DV) claim". See what they say. In today's world everyone thinks they can claim DV, they cannot.

There will probably be no way to avoid the damage repair via a Carfax report or AutoCheck report. Something you have to live with in today's world of computers and technology.

Don't jump to any pre-conceived ideas or speculate on any resolve.

Let the insurance company work it out. They are the pro's and your Jaguar is not the only car on planet earth that they insure.

You will get a ton of opinions and comments here. While some advice may be good, be sure to listen only to what the insurance agent & company have to say. They will make the final decision, not a Jaguar Forum member. They are not out to screw you, but to help you get through this issue.

Most of all don't lose any sleep over this issue. In the end, it will all work out.

..

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and quick responses.

I work as an underwriter so I understand the process but just want to make sure I'm made whole.

If the car is repaired professionally, even without a carfax reported accident, would be a tough sell. Now with the accident I feel that I'll really have a tough time if I sell the car.

I just bought it so I owe $35Kish on it so with an accident on the record, I'll definitely be upside down.

 

before you get depressed or come to conclusions...let's better understand the nature of the damage. please report back to us on that.

 

Unless you had major frame damage, everything else can be repaired to as new. You bought the car to enjoy, not to be worried about whether a future sale might be diminished. Take the car to a qualifiied and Jaguar approved facility, have your car restored, and enjoy it. Your car will be as good or better than it was previously. It's not worth worrying. I have both 2010 and 2002 XKRs, I bought them to keep, I drive them, put a lot of mileage on them, and enjoy the heck out of them. Relax.

 

The main thing is that your wife is okay. Be thankful for that. The car will be taken care of.

 

My XK was recently hit in the drivers side rear quarter and wheel. Damage looked minor, and included a bent suspension arm causing the wheel to be way off camber. The accident was very low speed and nobody was hurt. The other driver went through a stop sign and was ticketed when the police arrived on the scene. Thankfully, the other drivers insurance took 100% responsibility and will be footing the bill.

Originally my insurance sent an estimator out, and said it was going to be about $7k. I took the car to a Jaguar authorized aluminum repair shop, and they estimated $12K. I was very surprised that they are replacing the whole rear quarter panel... i was expecting an aluminum artisan to bang out the damage with a British made hammer

In the end, after talking to the shop owner, I expect to get the car back in factory shape... he showed me how they bond and rivet the panels on another jag they were working on. My biggest concern is how well the paint matches.

I highly suggest going to an authorized repair shop to help minimize the potential hit of the car fax : https://www.jaguarcollisionrepairnetwork.com/

I may look into diminished value, but it might require getting a lawyer which I don't really want to deal with.

I was initially upset, but cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed... so I am over it. It should serve as a reminder that while these cars are very affordable after a few years of depreciation... the cost of fixing them doesn't go down.

 

Any structural work will need a "fully qualified" Jag repair facility (apparently there are half qualified repair facilities out there - but can't do structural work) - whooda thunk...

I recently had a fender and headlight replaced and some structural repairs to the fender apron after a guy backed into front side of the car - repair was a little over $10k.

The paint match was really good - I can't see the difference, only thing they didn't do was repaint the bolt heads holding the fender to the apron - they had given me some paint so I just touched them up.

It's sad to see your car looking like this:







Then this......