Crashed JLU Rubicon Ocean Blue - advice needed auto body repair

[#1 for me]

My beautiful baby blue got wrecked this weekend by a careless driver without a license who came into my lane in the snow/ice. Supposedly he has insurance (not sure how without a license) but we are going thru my insurance at Geico.

First, the Jeep performed amazing on the impact. it was a hard hit and driver front and side airbags deployed and passenger airbag, thank god or the outcome would have been way different. We walked away with minor bruises basically.
Thank you for that Jeep!

Now the tough part, my jeep is less than a year old. How do I make sure they use OEM parts and the airbags are reinstalled safely etc.? I think they will repair it, I don't think it will be a totaled... I'm so saddened that my brand new jeep is now going to be a mess. The pics don't look that bad, but the front end is pushed in probably about 16" from where it's supposed to be.

Any thoughts about how to make sure they use OEM parts (not after market) etc.? I'm also worried about the color being off after repair etc.

Thanks!

Glad your not injured1st of all . With the air bags deployed they should total your Baby .If I was in your shoes I'd want it totaled the paint will never match and it will never be the same along with a diminished value . Settle with the ins.co. and get a new Baby !

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[302lockedandloaded]

Man I don't understand how those are not totaled. Looks like those would cause FRAMES to become misaligned and a PIT to get everything lined up.

They replaced my entire frame.

 

[Gippeyfish]

Usually the insurance company will total the vehicle if the damage exceeds 80% of cars value. Once the damage approaches 70% of value the insurance company might be willing to total upon your request.
As others have stated make sure you ask for diminished value. There are companies out there that will provide an online diminished value appraisal for a couple of hundred dollars. If the insurance company is not providing you a rental car ask for loss of use. Loss of use could be $25-$30/day that the your vehicle is in the shop.
The repair parts will be recycled OEM (salvage yard) if they exist. Probably not much in the salvage yards for a Rubicon this new, so you will probably be getting new OEM. If used OEM parts are out there you can request new OEM parts, but you will have to pay for the difference between the new and used parts.
Someone in an earlier post mentioned that you should threaten to retain a lawyer. Do not do this unless you are ready to hire a lawyer. Insurance companies are not any easier to deal with if you threaten them with a lawyer.
One final thought. You should thoroughly go over your vehicle once the repairs are made before you accept delivery. Bring a flashlight and crawl under and over your Jeep. Check to make sure that everything is functional, all body gaps are correct, vehicle drives correctly, and all repairs are made to your satisfaction. If you find any issues leave it with the body shop until it is repaired to your satisfaction. It is easier to have it repaired once than to open a new claim at a later time. It is your Jeep and it should look and function exactly as it did before the accident.

 

[Slowpoke]

First, let me say that I am NOT an expert. Not even close. But that looks like a very hard impact. Could be lots of hidden damage. Could be a total. Hope you have gap insurance. Glad you're okay.

 

[PavementWarrior]

First, let me say that I am NOT an expert. Not even close. But that looks like a very hard impact. Could be lots of hidden damage. Could be a total. Hope you have gap insurance. Glad you're okay.

you dont need gap insurance, they total them out these days on accidents like that.

I just had my daughters car towed away this morning, despite the massive hassle, the total out was as much as I could have sold it for if i really worked my arse off and held out for a good price. Let them come up with an offer first and try to find comps (I know its hard on new models)

If you are sore at any level, dont take a quickie check to settle any injuries, often its that money that lands you back from losing money over all.

 

[am1978]

@Rudicon

There is a very good chance that your JLU is totaled. By the looks of it, it is.

These days, you see vehicles with such damage, deemed totaled..

Let us know.

Agree. There is likely some significant damage you can’t see based on what we can see.

 

[SnowDog]

All these discussions about when they will total it or not is really up to the insurance company. So, just because one company does something does not mean another one will do the same. I had an Audi get totaled by Chubb with about 40% of value in cost to repair. In that case, the fault was 100% on the other driver (she went through a stop sign at 35mph while talking on her phone and admitted it.) Anyway, please keep us updated on the estimate, the value, and what Geico decides. The main thing is that nobody was hurt!

 

[Slowpoke]

you dont need gap insurance, they total them out these days on accidents like that.

I just had my daughters car towed away this morning, despite the massive hassle, the total out was as much as I could have sold it for if i really worked my arse off and held out for a good price. Let them come up with an offer first and try to find comps (I know its hard on new models)

If you are sore at any level, dont take a quickie check to settle any injuries, often its that money that lands you back from losing money over all.

Good advice

 

[TrailTorque]

Sorry to see/hear this brother!

Your insurance will take care of you man and you’ll either be in this one or a brand new one soon enough!

Hang in there bud and glad everyone is okay!!

 

[aml]

Sorry for the accident

 

[klhjeep2018]

My beautiful baby blue got wrecked this weekend by a careless driver without a license who came into my lane in the snow/ice. Supposedly he has insurance (not sure how without a license) but we are going thru my insurance at Geico.

First, the Jeep performed amazing on the impact. it was a hard hit and driver front and side airbags deployed and passenger airbag, thank god or the outcome would have been way different. We walked away with minor bruises basically.
Thank you for that Jeep!

Now the tough part, my jeep is less than a year old. How do I make sure they use OEM parts and the airbags are reinstalled safely etc.? I think they will repair it, I don't think it will be a totaled... I'm so saddened that my brand new jeep is now going to be a mess. The pics don't look that bad, but the front end is pushed in probably about 16" from where it's supposed to be.

Any thoughts about how to make sure they use OEM parts (not after market) etc.? I'm also worried about the color being off after repair etc.

Thanks!

Thank The Good Lord everyone is okay!

 

[Rural Applachia]

There are not many used or generic parts out there for Jeeps. When some one tried to steal our 2005 Rubicon 2 years ago they did interior and electrical damage. It took over 2 months to find the parts. We finally got lucky and found a totaled low mileage Rubicon and used its interior. The electrical was all new from Jeep.

 

[buckinoff]

There is a claim for depreciation of value you should probably file for, but I just heard of it. Check it out

 

[subiescott77]

Insurance laws are State specific. It's up to each insurance company policy but I would make it a point to demand factory parts if they choose to make repairs over totaling. I don't think the insurance company will have much of a choice and have to use factory parts because not many aftermarket parts are available yet. I would also look into making a demand for deminished value because your JL will be worth less compared to one that has a clean CarFax. Looking at the pics and all the air bags deployed you might be totaled? In most States the insurance follows the car not the owner. It is possible the car is insured even though the driver lost their license. That's up to your insurance company to work out with his. Thankfully you and your passenger are safe and are not hurt more then you are. Good luck with this.

You make a good point but I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance companies have connections to get those aftermarket parts. They will absolutely go that route without a doubt, I mean why wouldn't they. An insuree pays a premium every month for years....and may only once need to collect on that for an accident....but nope...aftwrmarket parts it is. Gotta maximize profits. Its why I trust no insurance company despite the cozy stuff they might tell me.

 

[TravisRogers]

That'll totally buff out.

For a while our cars had bulls eyes on them. I went through the OEM parts fight a few times with Progressive and Allstate. Most policies do not guarantee OEM parts and, in fact, spell out in the contract that they require shops to use aftermarket parts when available (including dealership collision shops). I requested OEM parts for our Pathfinder and was told I'd have to pay the difference. I had my wife's Infiniti headlamp assembly replaced twice (condensation) before Progressive agreed to cover an OEM unit. Most insurance providers now forbid the use of used or salvaged parts.

As others have said, there aren't a lot of aftermarket parts for the JL just yet, so most of your repair items will likely be OEM parts.

You're likely not going to win the diminished value fight, either, unless you lawyer up or have specific coverage for that.

My advice is to take your Jeep to a shop owned by an old guy. Bodywork and paint matching are lost art forms. Caliber Collision (a chain) painted my Pathfinder twice and gave up because their machines couldn't get the paint color right. Took it to an old guy downtown who matched by eye and he got it spot on.

I wouldn't sweat it too much. Jeeps are so modular that you could probably fix it yourself in your driveway with enough determination and a week of Asperger-level focus. The body panels don't exactly require laser precision alignment.

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