The Cat took a bite out of a Chrysler 300's nose, and cut her chin open. As you can see by the pics, the impact broke open a crack in the urethane fascia

Also as the fascia was being pushed back, it also forced the headlight bucket back against the bulkhead breaking off a couple of the plastic tabs which fix the glass cover to the bucket assembly.

Everything else looks straight. Fortunately the fender did not buckle, and there is no sheet metal damage to the body proper. Likewise, I cannot find evidence of any internal bulkhead damage. Apparently the bumper support beam and collapsible bumper posts absorbed most of the force. The car tracks straight, headlights are aligned, and everything else is OK.

Should I buy a new (or used) front fascia or have it repaired? I spoke with a couple body shops and they said a break like that could be repaired as good as new. Does anyone have experience with a repair like this?

Also I might need a headlight bucket... Or has anyone repaired broken tabs on the assembly or otherwise found a way to secure the lens cover?

 

Gordo,
Good to see you on the web again, sorry it is under these conditions. What made you strike the Chrysler 300?

You could have it repaired and a good chance that you will never see a blemish of this accident ever again. I guess the better question is what do you want. I know I had my bumper repainted after scuffing it several times and it looks great. Replacement or repair you will need to get it painted and that is what is going to cost you. By the looks of it a little bondo and paint and it will look great. If you paint it be sure that you use the proper primer and paint for the bumper.

 

Hey gordo, good to see ya! My rear bumper was 'punched' and repaired twice now, both times they did an excellent job repairing the damage and repainting the whole bumper, that's the key.

As for the tabs that are broken, a couple are gone on mine, you sure that damage is from the accident?

 

Yeah, the bumper pushed the headlight bucket back and snapped off the tabs. You can see where the bucket has pushed up the top edge of the fender and slid underneath about a half inch or so. I am afraid the lens will fog up if I do not properly secure the lens and clear top inspection plate.

 

Gordo, good to hear from you even under the circumstances!

I have never admitted it to anyone, especially my wife, but a couple years ago, on the first car, I caught the light on the garage door jam while backing out. Broke tabs but didn't do any sheet metal damage. Took the light assembly out for complete inspection and found that the lens is just glued on with what appears to be black silicone adhesive. Something like RTV. It reinstalled solidly and never had any other issues.

If the assembly is firmly fixed into position I do not see why you would have a leak. Of course, you can cut the lens loose and reseal if there is a question.

I have had a bad experience with painting a plastic bumper cover on a Ford. Repair shop did a great job on the metal but did not prepare, prime and paint the plastic properly. That takes a entirely different paint and primer process.

Come back to see us! Your contributions were/are invaluable.

 

Good news about the headlight being sealed. I had forgotten about that.

I am lucky that Daytona is a real car enthusiast town. The paint shops around here all know the process for a flex bumper respray, so I am not worried about the finish, just the fix itself. As to the bumper fix, apparently they grind away finish on the rear and the front; and then apply two different flexible urethane epoxies. One for the front, and a stronger one (with a built up structure) for the backside. Supposedly this repair is stronger than the surrounding material.

I know I've been remiss in not posting. It is just that the Jag has become quite reliable as of late; and have not posted that much recently. For what is worth, I do come here to the forum and lurk in the background to check up on you guys.

 

Check your PM

 

I am going to need a replacement pass side headlight bucket. Please let me know if you have a source for one at a reasonable cost.

After releasing the mounting bolts, the headlight assembly slid back into position. That's the good news; the bad news is a couple of critical plastic pieces, including the inner mounting bracket and an inside part of the reflector housing, fell out. I might still try to repair this, but it would be so much easier to slide in a new bucket and bolt it down.

 

I have had great luck with the several used parts (recycling yards) that are in the internet. They will post your part request to hundreds of yards and the yards will respond directly to you with availability and price. Price varies wildly. I have had price dropped by 75% while on the phone. A part on a shelf or in the car is not worth much. It is worth much more in a box with a shipping label on it.

This is one of several:
http://car-part.com/

There are a couple that ask for a $7 refundable fee. Never found that necessary.

 

Thx Testpoint.

I already got a callback on one.

It looks like the market price will be between $300 and $450.

 

Check your PM. You can call if you want

 

The insurance company sent a check for $2000 ($2500-$500 deductible). Their adjusters could not find a used pass side headlight assembly so they charged out a new one at $1400! The next largest item was the body work to fix the bumper crack which was estimated at $800 in labor. Add in a few additional items like realigning the fender gap (which I already did) and the total came to just over $2500.

Wow, no wonder car insurance rates are so high. After closer examination, I don't think a complete headlight assembly is needed because it looks like only the lens and shroud are damaged. I sourced a new OEM lens cover from JPLV for $170. This part should also fix the broken tab problem. Furthermore, I can save a couple hundred in labor by pulling the bumper cover off myself. I am certain any qualified body shop can patch and paint it for under $500-600.

So the estimate to fix it myself should be substantially less than $1000. Consequently, even if the insurance company adds a surcharge for the accident (10-20% for three years), I will still come out OK.

Finally, since we are reusing the existing bumper cover, I'm thinking about customizing it. I want to shave the round Jaguar badge; and remove, or clean up, the side marker lights. IMO the side markers are an ugly afterthought tacked on what is otherwise a beautifully sculpted nose. Maybe I can blend them inside the fog light curve, or find some more discreet way of presenting them. I guess there's still some leftover 60’s rodder DNA in my modern Jaguar genes.

We'll keep you posted. Gordo

 

You know, the headlight buckets are fairly easy to repair with some epoxy (the tabs especially). And by easy i mean better than spending an arm and or a leg on a replacement I can tell you that baking the headlight at 350 for a few minutes should heat the glue enough to make separation of the headlight easy. From there a new lens shouldn't be an issue at all. As for the marker lenses, have a look at the placement of the new porsche lights, then picture them smoked and installed behind the jag grill. That might get you the look you are shooting for.

 

The mounting tabs have been broken... if it were just a case of holes or cracks I'd use an epoxy. However, these hard points have to been strong and spot-on for a trustworthy alignment. Its worth it to me to spend the money and get the correct repair part for this application.

 

My buddy has an e55 AMG with "plastic welded" tabs that have been going strong for 4 years or so with winds upwards of 150 The hassel however is a whole other story entirely...of course that and listening to me rip on him regularly for driving an 80k car with a ten cent repair