XK/ XKR FRONT-END DAMAGE REPAIR

Many salvageable Jags are going to junk-yards because of the unavailability of autobody parts to rebuild. It appears that 80%-90% of the salvage Jags around the U.S. have sustained front-end damage. While most of the repair/ replacement autobody parts are available from Jaguar, in their infinite wisdom, they either ran out, or discontinued the entire front end (which they call a "BUMPER COVER"), i.e.

• 2001-2004 Jaguar Bumper Cover HJE6468ADXXX

-and-

• 2010-2011 Jaguar Bumper Cover C2P16640XXX

Statistically speaking-- with the attrition rate of older model Jaguars, and Jaguar preferring to sell new Jaguars rather than people fixing-up the older ones, the salvage parts around the U.S. is going to be normal on parts other than low mileage supercharged engines, and front end body components.

Does anyone have any keen insight on a potential (and reliable) source of front-end assemblies and the body parts (the bumper covers) as mentioned above?

Other than calling all the salvage sources, might there be any aftermarket source?

 

Parts availability is going to be tricky on probably most parts XK. The combination of low demand and I would say lower resale values means it would be harder for aftermarket companies to make a return on investment in making these. When the cars are new nobody wants to buy an aftermarket cover and when these cars age they become expensive to repair, so it's likely higher they would become a total loss. You may see Keystone LKQ do some reconditioned bumper covers for these but they would be limited supply.

Put simply- let's say a front end hit takes out the bumper and 1 or two headlights. That kind of damage at MSRP could very possibly total one of these cars because by the time you do R&I, paint and everything else needed it could be approaching total loss $. Would aftermarket parts help? Yes, and you can find (used) parts if you need them however there are so few available when I look that a car sitting at a shop could wait ages for them to arrive in who knows what condition. Some shops have nitrogen plastic welders now that can be used to repair bumpers such as ours but they still aren't super prevalent even though the shops could charge a serious premium on bumpers like these. Front end hits get very expensive quickly, especially if a car has a lot or parts up front that need replacing. Often times it looks like a car may only need a bumper but by the time you write an insurance estimate on it you would be surprised by how much more you find that is damaged or missing. Fasteners that need replacement, radiator, AC condenser etc. All it takes is one bit of damage to stuff like that and it means replacement.

Another issue you will see is the JLR "approved" body shop system. They will only sell structural parts to these shops so some shops will turn these cars away because they might start a repair only to find out Jaguar don't give a ****. For reference in my state there was only Jaguar approved shop until recently, and they are terrible, overpriced and used their certification as a stick that only they know these cars. I would sell my wrecked car before bringing it to them, I would go so far as trailering the car out of state to the next Jag shop 200miles away if I had to. Now there is another shop finally certified that I would go to, but they also would not be willing to use anything aftermarket and would really not like used parts either. So either way, good luck getting your car fixed here if it needs anything serious.

Source: A decade and a half in the collision business

 

I have bought many front bumper covers for the XF and XF sport models from a supplier in China and had them shipped over. Their fit and finish were excellent. They had so many Jag parts available that I am thinking they may have been the OEM supplier. I haven't bought any XK pieces from them yet as I have always had enough supply(and still do) of front end XK bits to do what I needed to do. Let me know if you need anything.

 

I have kept on eye on salvage auction sales and have found wrecked XKs sell for almost
as much as drivable XKs no doubt due to how much they can sell parts for.

 

Jaguar approved body shop rates are high. There is a body shop approved for Aston, Jag, Porsche, Tesla, etc... down the road from my house. The bill rates for Jaguar are higher (from the same shop) than on an Audi or other German marques. The only marque that was higher (and highest) was Aston Martin. The shop says Aston needs to be painted in clean room, blah, blah... That is why so much. Aston dealer does not send their own cars to an Aston approved shop.

If you pay out of pocket, the hourly rate suddenly is a lot lower, so maybe a Jag certified shop could be viable for the job?

 

Aren't all paint booths basically a 'clean room'?
I think the extra cost for a Jag, no matter where you take it will be due to the aluminum frame and body. My concern would be straightening the frame. Even if it doesn't look like it was bent, it probably was, and a lot of times a car never drives the same after that. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that it probably is going to be expensive.