Bill for a 5mph prang? £4500
New Jaguar hits 12-year-old Astra. Jaguar costs over 10 times as much to put right.
PFFUUTT! There’s a muffled sound like air escaping a burst paper bag, a split second of befuddlement as the way ahead looks clear, then a sickening realisation. The Astra that was turning right at the Pontblyddyn T-junction, lured forward by a slowing Kia, hasn’t pulled out. And my Jaguar, progressing into the resultant gap to turn left, has discovered – the hard way – that sufficient gap hasn’t in fact materialised.
I stumble out of the XF. Sure enough, a classic rear-end shunt: the Jaguar’s front right bumper has connected with the rear of Steve Robertson’s 56-plate Vauxhall. From a standing start, the contact can’t have exceeded 5mph, but it’s left a squarish divot in the Astra’s bumper. The Jaguar looks messier: scuffed bumper and headlight, its washer cover loose, and the bonnet panel gap has grown, as the wing is slightly displaced. A good morning has turned bad.
A few days later, the amiable Steve sends me a couple of quotations for the repair. One bodyshop in Buckley, Flintshire, can replace and paint the bumper, and renew the cracked light that illuminates the reg plate, for £420. That’s the upside of hitting a hatchback with good-value spare parts: Steve spotted a new bumper for £50 on eBay.
If only the Jag were so cheap to fix. An approved JLR bodyshop estimates the cost. The good news is that the bumper isn’t dented, so it should be repairable. But the other news is truly bad: the headlamp surround is cracked and needs changing, the wing is out of shape and requires replacement, and £660 of paint will be required to spray the bumper and new wing and blend adjacent panels. Parts are £864, but labour – which could take two weeks – is £1989. And the projected total? That’ll be £4547. And 10 pence.
Getting on for five grand for a 5mph fender bender! I guess aluminium panels, beneficial for weight, can easily pop out of shape. And it’s a reminder that items like advanced headlamps, sensors and cameras can ramp up repair costs. I love these mod cons. But Steve is delighted to keep his reliable Astra from being written off, and right now I can understand why.