The Junk Yard Jag May Be Returning To The Junk Yard

I was rear ended today. Pulled out of the high school and came to a stop due to traffic backing up at the light down the street. I was sitting waiting for traffic to move and wham hit from behind. The damage is not that bad looking but I got two estimates today from body shops I have used for more then 30 years and one was $4200 and the other was $4600. The car will probably be evaluated at $5500 or so (looking at NADA).

Price with Options $2,375 Rough trade in. $3,400 Average Trade in. $4,275 Clean trade in. $6,400 Clean Retail.

The real issue is that the entire right rear corner of the car looks to have been bent down. The trunk lid on the left side is about 1/8" lower than the left fender and the door gap on the rear right door is about 1/8" smaller at the bottom than the top (almost closed at the bottom). There is a similar difference on the left side of the car but not quite as bad. I am going to put it on the alignment machine tomorrow and see what we are dealing with. The issue is that these cars adjusting the rear alignment is all but impossible. The only adjustment is with the toe. To adjust anything else you have to unbolt the rear sub-frame and move it around and re secure it. If the rear tub is bent it will be very difficult to ever get it back in proper alignment as moving the sub-frame changes both sides of the car so if you are trying to compensate for something on one side you will put the other side out of alignment. I have done alignments on these before and it is a serious PITA and you can spot a car that has been hit almost instantly.

I am really annoyed

Now for the Insurance Gurus. I don't have FTC on this car. (I am only in to it for about 2K). FTC would cost me about 900/year and I have not had an accident in more then 30 years.

How does demised value work? This will show up on a car fax down the road I assume.

In terms of a total I see equivalent cars selling for around 7K but the NADA value above is significantly less. Will they base the total value on the 5500 or will they look at 7K. At 7K it will not be a total but at 5K it will more than likely be a total. If they declare it a total is that independent of what I will press they pay me? or will they re think totaling the car and then look to fixing it? How does all that work?

What about time off from work? I missed half a day today and I am sure that I will miss more dealing with the insurance and if it gets fixed I miss more for that.

I know this sounds petty but I have to pay to get a copy of the accident report. Will I get reimbursed for that? It is something like $25 but $25 her and $25 there and the next thing you know it adds up to real money.

Can I bill them for the cost of the alignment tomorrow? I will generate a print out to see what is what and if it is really out and will present it to the adjuster to bolster my case about the back being bent down on the car. On teh flip side if it is not out the car becomes a much easier fix.

Last weekend I had trees come down taking out power to my house for 4 days and this caused the power at the poll to cross the wires putting 220 volts through my home toasting a number of appliances. The tree bills are several thousand and those are not covered because they did not actually damage the house (the electricity did) They also don't cover the damage to some large plantings that the trees landed on that are going to be another several thousand dollars to get replaced.

Just a suck week all together.

Wish I could put a $$$$ value to just how much of a PITA this car thing is at this particular moment.

My car:

Them:

Ohya and I forgot. My daughter is friends with there daughter so it is not like these are people that I will not have to deal with again. One more layer of PITA.

I do feel a bit bad for the guy that hit me. They told me that it is there only car. I texted my daughter in school and asked her to offer that my wife can give her friend a ride home as she picks up my daughter anyway. It is really cold out at the moment so walking was not really in the cards. My daughters friend gladly accepted the ride. So may be some good karma will come from that.

Major suckage.

For your car, I'd be tempted to throw a bumper cover on it and drive it into the ground. The pick and pull might even have a silver donor.

Good luck.

don't bother doing anything until insurance makes an offer. don't put any money into it, don't put it on a machine, nothing. if you have that big a bug up your rear about it screenshot some comps that can be printed in case they lowball you.

you don't get reimbursed for the report. it's a $25 waste anyway, your insurance company will order it if they need it. there is no reason you need access to it. the ball is in their court right now.

Man, rough start to 2016 for you. Sorry.

I agree to wait for word from the insurance company.

I came about this () close to getting hit in the Merc today. I was kinda sad actually, i would make more money from it being totaled..

Well a good nights sleep and a calmer me has emerged. Unless the car I totaled by the adjuster I am going to fix it. I will just be a stickler about the alignment at down the road it could cost me in tires.

The only real question I have is diminished value. How does that work? What I mean is there a formula for this? I see people always harping on this when ever anyone said they have been in an accident.

In my case we are dealing with a 12 year old $5,000 car. Is there really any diminished value to it I this situation? Granted there will be some aggravation if I want to sell it. But is the value really hurt. I can see it I it was a couple year old 30k car but this is not that. Also unless I happen on another better car I intend to keep this car. I really like it. About the only other car I see as an alternative would be an AWD Taurus or Sable. I am compleetly sold on having AWD in my cars now.

don't spend time or money till the adj. see's it. they aren't going to give you crap for money ,However you may get it cheep as a Buy Back after they Total it. then get said alignment as close as Poss. and buy tires, but you will lose money on a car of that Value trying to fix it. that's why rebuilders build New cars for resale

So, I'm just going to take a guess that a cell phone was likely the reason the other guy didn't notice the line of cars that was stopped in front of him...

He said the sun was in his eyes but I had no problem. We both pulled out from the highschool. My guess is he got aggressive pulling out trying to get out in front of someone not realizing traffic (me) was stopped just down the road.

Why looking both left and right is important when pulling out taking a right turn. If you boot it out taking a right you had better make sure that no one is stopped just down the street or worse a pedestrian steps in to the cross walk.

I have made that mistake in the past and learned from it. A new set of shorts was the only damage. In his case booting it instead of waiting until you have room, not looking where you are going to end up after you boot it and the morning sun and you get a crash.

By the way this was no accident this was a crash caused by poor driving and was compleetly avoidable.

In my opinion that there are very few real accidents with cars. Driver stupidity does not constitute an accident. It is a crash.

In racing we never have accidents we always have crashes.

I didn't see anything mentioned about it, but you and anyone riding with you need to go to the doctor immediately to be checked out. A year ago I was rear ended and neither car looked as bad as either of the two you posted and I'm still suffering from the whiplash. I never went to a doctor until it was WAY too late (didn't hurt until a week after and I "toughed" it out another few months) and now I have to pay for my own physical therapy and deal with the pain in my neck for years to come. Sorry if i drew that out but I wanted to paint a picture that I was in your situation but less severe (visually) and was permanently injured and my or her insurance won't do E36 M3 about it because I didn't go to the doctor immediately. Cars can be replaced easily, necks and spines cannot.

I don't have any issues. I actually just the other day re adjusted the headrest in my car and I have got in the habit of resting my head back against it when stopped. I find it relaxing and in minor things like this it prevents injury. Another habit left over from racing all those years ago.

It I amazing how many people never adjust there headrests. They are a key part of a cars safety system.

Just checking on you man, I was driving my girlfriends car at the time and she had the seat set wonky, my head had a distance to go before it stopped. I try to suggest everyone recently rear ended to go to the doctor immediately after because I didn't thinking I was fine, I'm most definitely not and am no longer able to do the things I used to be able to, and I'm only 25.

i wish you good luck with your car woes and I'm sorry about the jag, I know you enjoyed it while you had it.

Morning sun can be a real bitch this time of year, coulda been t-boned in an intersection just this morning, guy blew right through a red light, never lifted. And yea, what chiodos said, see a doctor JIC. BTDT.

chiodos wrote: Just checking on you man, I was driving my girlfriends car at the time and she had the seat set wonky, my head had a distance to go before it stopped. I try to suggest everyone recently rear ended to go to the doctor immediately after because I didn't thinking I was fine, I'm most definitely not and am no longer able to do the things I used to be able to, and I'm only 25. i wish you good luck with your car woes and I'm sorry about the jag, I know you enjoyed it while you had it.

Appreciate it!!!

Toyman01 wrote: Major suckage. For your car, I'd be tempted to throw a bumper cover on it and drive it into the ground. The pick and pull might even have a silver donor.

that's what I was thinking but I don't see all the damage on it.

There are alignment issues with the whole back end of the car. Not a lot maybe an 1/8" change at the bottom of the door gaps (basically closed completely) and the trunk lid on the drivers side is about 1/8" lower than the top edge of the rear fender all teh way across. Basically the entire right rear of the car is bent down. Ohya and have you ever priced Jag parts? They make German car parts look cheap!!!!! There are no "Keystone" replacements made for these. Even used they are big $$$$$ compared to used "normal" sheet metal. I was thinking 2K or maybe 3K tops to fix this but both body shops came back shaking there heads at the parts cost.

Datsun310Guy wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: Major suckage. For your car, I'd be tempted to throw a bumper cover on it and drive it into the ground. The pick and pull might even have a silver donor.

that's what I was thinking but I don't see all the damage on it.

It all depends on the alignment numbers at this point. If it is in spec then maybe I would go this rout except I will still have to close / weld up up the hole that was punched in to the trunk and the torn seam in the tub at that corner. It is all up next to the tail light. I did not notice it until the second shop I brought it to pointed it out to me.

Diminished value only comes it if you were to sell or trade the car in now. The insurance company's attitude is if you keep the car, and they repair it, you haven't suffered any diminished value. If they fixed the car, and you drove it 300,000 miles it wouldn't be worth any less, or have a diminished value compared to any other similar 300,000 mile car. I was involved in a situation like this, and the insurance companies will all fight this to keep the precedence off of the legal books.

If the door gaps have changed the car is totaled, even if you have a frame rack and a laser measuring system. The number of hours to fix is beyond the value, plus the chance it will go back on a big bump. The integrity of the monocoque is compromised, the next time it gets hit it may/will not respond in a safe manner. I'd be spending time now collecting comps for proof of value. They hit you, you are the injured party and need to be made whole. Do not accept their first offer (it will be low), you are in the drivers seat.

Tell them your neck hurts and you want to leave medical open! :^)

Makes sense.

I'm in Disneyworld with the family. I'll try to read this tonight and give my $.02

On the one hand I hope it is not totaled and I just get it fixed as it is a 12 year old car that I really do like very much. On the other hand a new to me car (say an AWD E55 AMG Merc or something like that) is always exciting and add in my sizable tax return this year.. .. . . ..

Also the reasons for owning the Jag were for when I was driving in and out of Boston each day and spending at least 2 hours a day in the car so fuel millage (it got close to 30 mpg on the highway) and comfort was a concern. I came to like it because you could close the doors put on some tunes set the temp to 70 deg and it was a wonderful place to be. Handling was ok and performance was adequate for what I was doing with it.

Having just moved my offices to 7 miles down the road those reasons no longer exist and I could see me getting something a lot more fun and a lot less practical. Comfort is still a priority. I would still want AWD but fuel millage is much less of a concern. Get up and go would become a more desirable feature.

Anyway here is hoping that this goes smooth one way or the other.

Klayfish wrote: I'm in Disneyworld with the family. I'll try to read this tonight and give my $.02

I would apreciate your opinion.

If you liked the s-type and it ends up being totaled, this sounds like an excuse to upgrade to an s-type R if you could live without the AWD.