I got hit this morning in downtown Austin by a work truck. The headlight, hood, mirror, axle, frame, suspension, bumper and sensors were all badly damaged. The picture doesn't make it obvious but the frame at the suspension mounting point is punched in.The wheel protrudes quite a bit, there is slack in the steering and a wicked shimmy coming from the right side. The front end shifted the left noticeably. Of course this happened 6 days after getting the JCW tuning kit. This is going to cost a huge amount of money for the other insurance company to fix if the frame isn't beyond repair.

 

You win if you are not hurt! I think this car will ride again.

 

It should buff out... Good to hear you were not hurt.

 

No one was hurt thankfully, so I feel very lucky.

 

So the adjuster is going over to the body shop tomorrow to do an estimate. It is confirmed that there is probably some serious frame damage as well as suspension damage. I am not sure if I should be rooting for the to total or fix it.

This has all been so emotionally draining.

 

Root for the total. Such an easier process - get that check and go car shopping again. Plus, if it's repaired, it'll always be in the back of your mind that you're driving a car with "serious frame damage," not to mention how that'll kill you when you try to trade it in or resell.

 

Thankfully it is a lease, but having already been through all of the OEM parts that are needed (only the things I can see) it needs at least $5k in parts and god knows how much in paint. If the apron is damaged, I shudder to think how much more is going to be needed. There were definite signs that it was deformed and the shop has already told me that the suspension has been damaged.

Here are more pictures.

 

I will say this, if totaled, I will order a new CM, but this time a JCW with a manual. I will recover my brand new JCW exhaust as well.

I am still in shock and deeply saddened.

 

Excellent news, it appears that the unibody is undamaged and that the suspension just needs an alignment, but a full teardown will reveal whether there is more damage. The parts and labor though are steep as the car suffered about $10k in damage with paint and labor. Both driver and passenger side fenders, the hood, bumper, sensors, both headlights, trim, and various other things all need to be replaced. I will be pursuing a diminished value claim and then buying the car out of its lease. I am very happy that at this point I get to keep my car.

 

Update: The cost to repair the car has been revised up to $12k. The car was mm from having frame damage which would have likely pushed the cost way up and totaled the car. I am happy that it is superficial.

 

Hopefully, you'll be on the road within a month.

 

According to the body shop, it will be closer to 1.5 months.

 

Ouch! Poor baby... Glad no one was hurt. Hope you get a fun rental and you get your ride back good as new. Hang in there!

 

I got a well equipped Jeep Compass and I have to say that I don't understand why people buy these things. It is cramped, is a terrible drivers car with poor handling and brakes especially. My wife is gone most of the next month, so I am in her 2018 VW Tiguan R-Line most of that time. Tiguan is a really great car actually.

 

Cool, glad you are getting it fixed, but if you weren't going to get it fixed, I was going to ask if you wanted to sell, Grille, fog lights, horns, ,,,,,,,,

You Know, I have those same Goodyear tires, they look like they are wearing well on your car. Mine are, but they are somewhat noisy.

Maybe one of these days, F60JCW will get tired of his wheels and Michelins and sell me his wheels

Glad you are getting your min fixed,
Have a good one !
Oh yeah 'Compass and Renegade' are NOT real Jeeps. I am staying quiet on Cherokee and Grand Cherokee.

 

Honestly, you wouldn't want anything attached to the front end of the car. The grille was completely shattered on the back and the fogs are non op since they separated from the backing. Besides, the part you would want would be the JCW exhaust, but I would have just moved it over to my next CM if that had been required.

 

Glad it worked out for you and the CM. The real hit is your car now has a negative Carfax history.

 

So I just found out that the insurance has not approved $12k for the repair and there is no timeline for them doing so (it has been almost a week with the quote out to them). I am starting to get a little bit worried, but once it has been approve I will file a diminished value lawsuit to recover the difference. The worst part are the emotions around this. Some may remember last year that my wife and I got this car because we had lost a pregnancy and needed something good in our lives.

I hope this is just a delay and not the beginnings of it being totaled.

 

I dislike insurance companies, They have a license to steal. Hate you have to go through the hassle BTDUBS. Its crap.
Keep us posted, sending prayers for you and your wife .
Best regards

 

So what happened was a dispute between insurance and the body shop about parts and labor cost. The body shop won. I just want my car back.

 

It took me 3 weeks to get the other insurance company to take ownership of mine. Then another 3 weeks to get it all put back together. If the insurance is all straightened out, then hopefully you should be back on the road by the beginning of June.

One other thing I did find out with the tuning kit is once it's assigned to a VIN, you cannot transfer it to another VIN. You have to buy it all over again to get it on a new car.

 

Yeah, I am aware that you have to buy it on that. Personally, I like that it is an actual thing that changes the model slightly.

I am having the body shop order the black headlight rings and grille. I am ordering the black tail light rings myself and having them installed. After that, I will get the black driving lights and some white O.Z. Rally wheels.

 

Still no word on the car other than it moved to $13k for the repair from $12k. I don’t think I am going to see it any time soon.

 

Hopefully it will be repaired quickly and proper. Just make sure everything works when you get it back! Our 2015 Countryman had been in a low speed front end impact at a stop sign by the previous owner on lease and it has been an awesome car! We just love the thing....it’s funny Carfax says no accidents but notes “damage reported”....go figure! I could care less as we bought it to keep anyway! It doesn’t take much of an impact to cause $10k+ in damage! I’m sure your car will be just fine! Enjoy it when you get it back.

 

Good news and better news. Good news is that the black headlight trim and black grille are being covered and installed at no charge. I also ordered the black tail light trim and they are installing that as well. The better news is that the car is mostly put back together and is out of paint. They are waiting for the parts to come in to replace the right front suspension and do the alignment. Barring anything unforeseen, the car will be ready at the end of next week.