I am not kidding. I was backing out of the parking space, there was a pillar on the rear side that I could not see. Although the safety system was beeping, there were cars next to me and the damn thing just beeps for no reason. So... instead of listening to it, I was crawling back wards when I heard a crunch. Now I could not have been backing out more than 2/3 miles per hour speed. Anyhow the body shop says that the way that the damage happened, there is no other way to fix the problem. I am very uninformed about mechanical things and did not want to trust the insurance approved body shop person since I know their loyalties lie with the insurance company. I looked up this certified body shop in my state, did a google review on them and thought I would get a good result.
Was I scammed? probably.

 

Oh I believe you. It certainly won't be the last Defender to get a "Camry Corner". Hopefully they don't all end up with a body shop needing to "rent and ship both ways " a frame jig, evacuate the cooling system, and r&i airbags that didn't pop.

This is such a great story, if you told it at a party and showed a picture, I don't think anyone would believe you.

What is the insurance company doing for you during the gap between this getting totalled and the 6-12 month wait for a new one (I'm guessing nothing because they're handing you a check)?

 

Whoa. $42,000 for repair. Talk about a load of . Seriously, my original comment was based off real world experience I have had with my 4Runner. I had much worse damage than you had on your Defender and all they had to do was remove the panels/bumper, order new ones, paint them and install. I can't believe this $42k number, and 70% of that will be nothing but labor charges and the usual "miscellaneous" shop charges!

They totaled it!!

You know what this tells me right off. Cars in the future truly are nothing but glorified appliances. They aren't made for the long term. They aren't made for keeps. They are nothing but Kitchen-Aid stand mixers that we dispose of when they break. Sorry it had to be this way but it is a good lesson learned. Maybe going forward, consider another manufacturer and SUV altogether.

 

Something isn't right and, for once, I don't think it's JLR. If it is, we won't be able to insure these trucks once they catch on.

 

Im surprised it's totaled, even if it really were $42k...this is a $60k truck, no?

OP....have you considered buying it back and driving as is on a salvage title?

Edit: I did a copart search looking for your car...this is the only Pangea I found. Ouch. https://www.copart.com/lot/31434731/2020-land-rover-defender-110-x-nv-las-vegas

 

No, I gave up on it and used the money to buy a new car.
Another Defender🙂

 

It's very funny to read "The mixed steel / aluminum auto is a very new concept" on a landrover forum.

Just FYI, the original 1948 Series 1 Landrover and the series 2 and 3 and Defenders that followed it were all mixed steel / aluminum vehicles.

So if by new you mean 70+ years.....

 

Well now, the steel lobby won that battle after WWII -- the time of every toy, boat, vehicle, musical instrument, etc. was being built from Aluminum -- including Land Rovers. Once its fatigue characteristics and lack of comparative strength became clear, aluminum began to be limited only to decorative or recyclable or light weight design need applications -- or turned into aviation alloys with Moly, etc.

With the global warming and fuel mileage laws, apparently Aluminum is back -- and its comparative strengths and weaknesses have not changed. Corn-based ethanol and "recycling" of everything has also returned, and the realities of our inability to effectively use either approach has not changed.

If my purchase of the new Defender was based on material use or ecological concerns, I would not have bought it. I purchased it for only one reason -- the 4WD system. I am well on my way to banging up the aluminum body to the point of having a patina after twenty years to rival the original Land Rovers.

An aluminum F-150 or MB -- never for me.

Enjoy !!!

 

Its listed now. No, I bought a new Defender.

 

It is! Wow.

I'm completely blown away that this thing was totaled.