Not really. Mine has bondo and it's come undone around the gas filler. Bondo is hygroscopic so it allows moisture to pass through it. Aluminum that's painted but not bonded correctly ends up with white death corrosion powder from electrolysis. It was a real problem with painted boats. Fiberglass resin supposedly isn't hygroscopic so dents are filled with it instead.

I understand some of the basics about the repair but a google search will be more informative.

 

NOOooooooooooooo!!!!!!

 

They will use something for sure. Metal working artists can get it amazingly original but takes a lot of time. They'll brings yours back out 95% and skim coat it before primer and paint.

A place worth visiting for aluminum magic.
All MetalShaping - Powered by vBulletin

 

I went through the process with two well qualified body shops, both assured me they would be able to repair the damage - I had stripped the fender cover and took pics, went back the next day and they said sorry.

The other assured me, I said I've got pics - no need they said, I left 'em a disc with the pics (I'm sure they didn't look at them) - this was a Friday, Tuesday after they stripped the car down they said structural damage, Jag won't sell the parts - so they swallowed a couple of hours labour and wasted my time.

 

I'd want to have a look at it myself in it's stripped down condition.

 

That rear quarter panel is a real bear- even for the folks at Jaguar. If you watch the how-ts-made video of our car you will see that its the thing they spend the most amount of time and only their most skilled guys are allowed to work on it.

Any other panel on this car would be a easy. This has the most complex curves and the sharpest creases.

Be very careful.

 

So the body shop is at an impasse because after the accident, the top stopped working. When I was hit, I saw the warning "top not latched". So I pressed the button to close the top. Nothing happened. I pressed the button to open the top. The rear windows rolled down and stopped. Nothing else happened. Tried to roll them back up and nothing. So when the body shop got the car it had the back windows rolled down and the top not latched warning.


Any ideas as to what needs to be done? I suggested to the body shop to check the fuses located between the rear seats. Any other suggestions?

 

In the owners manual there are instructions to manually lower the top. This puts it in the reset position. There is a good chance it will then start working again once in the reset position. I suspect the impact sent false signals and got the top out of sync.

 

Thanks - I'll let him know!

 

Not sure how your diminished value argument will work in your state. Not well in California but Loss of Use worked quite well for me. In California Loss of Use is pretty open and shut. Find out what it costs to rent a similar car per day X the number of days you are without the car = what they owe you. It does not matter whether you actually rent a car or not. You still have the loss. I maxed out small claims limits on an E Type twice. They are kind of expensive to rent and take a long time to fix.

 

I filed the paperwork. We'll see what they say.

 

Probably won't work, but... did you ask them if they'd consider totalling it?
It's a sweet ride, for sure. And I know you'd rather not do that. But... I also got hit in my first XK (right front, T-boned from the side). My insurance company offered to total it, and the body shop -- go-to high end British shop in San Diego -- told me it was a no-brainer. The shop owner said "look, we'll do the work, and we'll bring it back, but if this was my car, I'd take the total."
I think the more of a PITA you are, and the more aggresively you pursue some of the other compensation others are suggesting (and are you SURE your neck doesn't hurt? At all? Sometimes these things take time to show symptoms...), the more they just want to clear it off the books.

(EDIT) Also wanted to point out the for me the total was a blessing in disguise. I'd driven the XK long enough to know that I really wanted an XKR. Which is where I am now...

 

I said the same thing. And he is already discovering from them not being able to roll up rear windows that this is the first xk they have worked on.

 

Well, I guess I have a few thoughts on this.


First, I don't think the damage was severe, more cosmetic than structural. The car drove fine afterwards. So I think the body shop can fix it right. And not knowing about the window issue doesn't bother me, he is a body guy, not a Jaguar electronics expert.

Second, I searched for over 6 months to find this car in the condition it was in, which was flawless. So I think once repaired it will serve me a long time.

Third, I do not agree with trying to milk the insurance company. It goes against every fiber of my being. Their job is to reasonably mitigate my loss. They are doing that.

Fourth, an XKR would be very nice. Finding one that hadn't been ridden hard and put up wet in my price range was problematic during my search, especially one that is not black on black or silver with black. Plus there is just not that much opportunity to put all that performance to good use in my normal drive. This car is my daily driver. So I think the XK fits my need OK. Of course, I think I will always secretly have XKR envy.

 

I might have missed it but how did you land with your particular body shop and have you taken it for additional estimates?

You want a shop experienced in Aluminum work so Ford certified or Jag certified would be ideal (my opinion). Definitely get more than one estimate.

 

The local Jaguar dealer uses the shop I went to. However, they are not a Jaguar certified shop and therefore cannot get Jaguar parts that are non bolt-on, meaning they can get trunk lids, bumpers and the like, but not quarterpanels and such. The nearest Jag authorized shop is Jackson Mississippi, which is 147 miles away. I was considering going to Houston - glad I didn't - may have lost the car to flooding! I called Ford but they cannot get Jag parts either, and they were not willing to work on it. The shop I took it to felt like they could properly fix it, and at this point it looks like they can. If the damage was more severe, it would have had to go to the Jag certified shop.

 

So, they got the top down - manually. Should go to paint Tuesday. May have it back end of next week! Yay!

 

Awesome. Are you having them take any pics of the in progress stuff?

 

Terrific news. Good luck-- looking forward to seeing it done.

 

So I went to visit my baby in body shop purgatory today. They are making good progress. I am happy with the repair, it looks great, and they have it painted and are reassembling the car. I am guessing they will have it back to me next week.


I even got them to change my battery while it was apart since it was way more easy to access at that point, and I needed a new battery anyway.


Hopefully, when everything is reassembled and reconnected the top will work. That issue has not been vetted yet.


But so far I am pleased.