This will be a long post with several sections, so if you just like telling people stuff, skip to the last part. An index has been provided:

Part 1: The Crunch
Part 2: Philosophical Introspection
Part 3: Way Forward


Part 1
My wife and I have recently moved to the UK from the US. I took the opportunity to buy a 2010 XKR.

Today, I asked my wife if she would like to drive. She's got all the necessary paperwork and licensing, but this would be the first time driving on UK roads since arriving and we both agree she needs practice. It would also be her first time driving my XKR.

Almost immediately after leaving the driveway, I advised her that she was getting close to the curb. About a mile further on, I opened my mouth to say it again, but didn't even get the full sentence out when she sideswiped the curb at about 30mph and destroyed both left tires.

Part 2
Financially speaking, I knew when I bought it that a 2010 XKR was going to eventually cost me a lot more than its list price. A curbing is hardly the worst thing that could have happened.

I didn't scream and yell at my wife. In fact, this is kind of my fault because the drive was my idea and I was supervising at the time. This is also the first time she's ever damaged any of my cars in a decade of marriage. Post-crunch, a pub was just a few yards down the street and we pulled in the lot to get the car off the street and then went and had a few drinks while we waited on a tow.

Hours later, here I am letting off the steam to you, Jaguar Forums. Thanks for the cheapo therapy.

The XKR is, yes, kind of a wide car. And from an American perspective, British roads are pretty narrow. When it comes time to buy my wife her own UK-spec car, a narrower one might be a good idea. Anything but a Renault Twizy, though.

Part 3
Here's the damage:

Front tire-

Front tire closeup-

rear tire-

The rear tire holds air and doesn't look bad in the picture, but the sidewall is down to the cords.

My big question here is about the front wheel. I know I'm only posting cell phone pictures on the internet, but any ideas on whether it might be bent? My tire shop is already on notice and agreed to let the tow truck drop the car with them. It would be great if I could get the car rolling again soon and figure out a good time to get the wheels refinished later, instead of sourcing a new wheel and waiting for it to arrive.

I'm also thinking an alignment probably would be a good idea. Any other advice?

 

Hard to tell from the photo if the wheel lip is bent in or not, but they’ll be able to tell when they get the tire off. If bent, it’s probably minor and easily corrected with the right equipment (not a guy with a sledge banging on it).
Probably didn’t hurt the alignment, but might as well check.

 

Stateside a wheel "repair" costs usually between $100 to $150 depending upon severity. I have no idea about UK costs but seems like I recall Wheeler Dealer chaps having several done through the years for not too much.

 

nah, it's probably fine. i've done way worse, and after cosmetic repairs, the wheels and suspension are fine.

 

Hi Equatorial, I’m in the UK and have a XK Dynamic R. Anything sidewall isn’t repairable under UK / EU Law. I would get the wheels looked at and make sure they are not bent, but from the photo does look like it’s just the alloy. So 2 new tyres and a trip to a garage to get a VW Polo, Ford Fiesta or something similar.

 

If it were my situation, I'd invest in getting my wife some solid UK driving lessons, with a pro.

I was in Oz for awhile and as an American it was pretty difficult to get used to. Felt like I was 16 getting my learners permit again. Also, she may have been nervous in a new situation with her husband's favorite "new" car. Combination equals stress plus distraction hence an accident. Also, speaking as one who learned his lesson while teaching my wife to drive a stickshift, it's always better to not be the spouse's driving instructor.

If she has a local driving instructor with a smaller and not-so-valuable car, she might be a lot more confident and relaxed. Let her get a few hundred klicks under her belt and she'll do a lot better. IMHO, I'm not there so only a observation.

And the XK is a funny car when you first use it: it's really not much wider than most, but you know that consciousness of where the edges are of your car as you drive? How you have a spatial sense of the "corner" locations of the car, and parallel parking is easy? The XK is much harder to get that feel of when you're first driving it. For the first few weeks, I was often unsure where the curbs were in relation to the wheels as I parked. I think it's the shape of the nose, curving gently down out of sight on all sides.

 

honestly still feel that way from time to time, or certain corners perhaps, after two years of daily driving it. and i slightly curbed the rear wheel the last time i let myself ignore the sensation! fortunately, for all around, they're not OEM, just some aftermarket wheels that only i like

 

I admire your restraint!

 

My second wife and I were in my 95 Mustang GT and it died (bad stator) so I had to push it to the curb. Wife helped on PAX side. Car was rolling backwards to curb and a tree was close. I said to her "Watch the door, that tree is close" and she didn't. Of course, rolling backwards into a tree with an open door is NOT a good thing. Anyway, she got mad at me because I didn't get mad at her.

 

"[I]t's always better to not be the spouse's driving instructor."

Of all the true statements ever made in the combined histories of spouses, driving, and instructing, this is the truest.

 

An update.

The tire shop didn't say anything to me about the condition of the wheels after putting on the new tires, so I picked up the car and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I think the front wheel is probably bent. There's a slight vibration in it. Slight enough that it took me a few days to notice because I can only feel it at highway speed on very smooth roads. Combined with the need for a refinish, I just decided to get a new wheel. Ebay had a good price.

Additionally, the steering wheel is off-center when going straight. The car doesn't have a pull left or right, but I'm still going to get an alignment.

The wife bought herself a Yaris with lane-assist.