2003 XK8 Coupe if it makes a difference on what to look for...

No pics at the moment to upload...was rear-ended by a firetruck on Friday night. Yes, one of THOSE...very large pumper-type truck manned by at least five people). Amazingly, the bumper seems to be the worst for the wear with no visible wrinkles on either rear quarter. He claims that someone stopped in front of him in the lane he was in (they were on emergency call) as we were in heavy traffic and he swerved right...and right into me. I was rolling at perhaps 10-15MPH and did not see him swerve before the impact- I just FELT it (which may have helped minimize MY injuries since I wasn't tensed up).

The trunk gaps appear to be slightly uneven though...

Bumper is clearly pushed in and the cover is a good inch closer to the driver's rear wheel than is the passenger side. At a minimum, this suggests to me damage with whatever the struts are that the bumper would have pushed into upon impact.

It was also hard enough to jar the rear-shelf brake light loose from its seal against the rear window.

I have not had a chance yet to test current operation of the bumper-mounted sensors (whatever those back-up sensors are called).

I had just gotten it back from a local shop earlier in the week, with one of the tasks performed having been a four-wheel alignment. Something does seem 'off' with the tracking. My obvious concern is that, despite much apparent body damage, there could be frame issues.

For those who have had the misfortune of dealing with a rear-end collision (or who have had the back end apart for whatever reasons), are there specific things I should be demanding the shops look at when I have the damage appraisals performed this week?

 

Sorry to hear about the accident. Hope there were no injuries.

I'll leave it to US members to comment on potential damage as your vehicle will have the energy absorbing rear bumper which is different from the simpler European design.

Graham

 

Ouch!!! . . . but +1 on Graham's advice . . . and yes, quoting your M,Y & variant does matter as Graham's advice already illustrates.

Can't resist one piece of advice though . . . and you hint at already being aware. Forget the bar and its parking sensors . . . perhaps "forget" is the wrong word . . . because compared to those easy, if costly, replacements which sound necessary, any frame & body crumpling has the potential to be much more critical.

Often, apparently small deformations or displacement can be a car killer. I'm not going to get into your local regulatory or inspection processes - they vary world wide - but you are right to be focused on a full measure to ensure platform integrity and fore & aft geometry, followed by detailed measuring of all panel gaps etc. IMHO, you should insist that car be "racked" in a properly equipped geometry shop to check.

Finally, you should insist on a fully detailed electrical & electronic test (preferably by JTIS at Jaguar dealer) because much of the vehicle's sensitive systems are stowed in boot/trunk area - battery, power distribution, fuses, audio, SatNav, and several peripheral ECMs.

Not being alarmist here, and like Graham, more concerned you got out of this unscathed . . . but if anyone needs a hint as to why so many apparently lightly damaged Jaguars get "parted out" rather than repaired, such an accident can be a typical cause.

Best wishes,

Ken

 

This reminds me of a friend's Nephew who was staying next door to me in the Summer of 2000, (rented duplex), just out of Computer Assisted Design School. Of course he was able to be financed a brand new vehicle at 20.9 years old, and full of Student Debt. He chose a sporty, front wheel drive, sparkly, factory customized 'Go Devil', I am not sure of the model, but I think it was a Pontiac.

~Two months later, during a light cloud burst, he slid slightly on a curve in the road, and bumped the right front wheel into the raised cement guide along the roadside approaching a small bridge. The speed limit is 15 mph, is a local speed trap, and the old narrow bridge, and amount of traffic, do not allow travel over ~10 mph during this time of the day, plus a Police Officer was on the other end of the bridge with his radar gun on people, and witnessed the whole thing. So he bumped the cement at a very low speed, and was braking, so by all accounts a minor occurrence, and one which you would expect to be worried more about the wheel and tire getting bent or scratched.

It was towed from the scene in accordance with his Insurance Policy, to an Inspector to check for damage. Well luckily not a scratch on the car, wheel or tire, however, due to the angle of impact to the wheel the car was immediately totaled due to frame damage. It was damaged beyond repair, and the car was worthless, deemed dangerous, and could never be legally driven again, I believe they had him sign paperwork to that affect; it was towed home and sat there in the driveway in 'showroom condition' for the next several months while he tried to figure out what his options were. According to the loan terms he was still obligated to pay the monthly payment as well as full coverage insurance although the car was 'totaled' while paperwork and claims were addressed.

 

The Security & Locking Control Module (SLCM) is a rarely discussed module that can cause an array of mysterious problems, such as related to starting, door and window operation, dashboard lights, tail lights, locking/unlocking, security alarm.

 

SLCM is located in the trunk fuse box.