Anyone have experience being rear-ended on the freeway? We have a 2023.5 110 X, and came to a near halt on the freeway due to traffic, while the person of questionable driving ability behind us did not - and slammed into us at 40-50 MPH. They probably totaled their 2015 GMC Savana work van... it had to be towed for sure. Meanwhile, our Defender drove away fine, obviously with rear-end damage, but...

In any case, the spare tire cover, spare tire rim (and maybe tire?), rear door, trailer hitch, bumper, muffler, and ... not sure what all else yet because authorized Land Rover shops here in western WA are VERY slow (only 2 in the Seattle area so I'm told by the dealerships) - these are all needing replaced. The entire back swing-out door looks like it just was pushed forward into the rest of the Defender, but where the body panels would meet, they luckily never did touch. (We're just not sure yet until a shop tears it down if the unibody or monocoque frame, whatever it's called, is damaged... meaning probably a total).

The other driver's insurance accepted full responsibility - but they are also extremely questionable ("National General Insurance Company" and/or "Encompass" - subsidiary of Allstate) - we're told by two repair shops, our own insurance (USAA), and a friend who works for Traveler's, that insurance company is terrible. Sure enough, they blew us off instantly after two shops told them that their labor rate they offered was *half* of what the insurance company would pay - so now our own insurance company is going to go after them and make their lives h3ll. (USAA does not lose!)

Any suggestions on this type of damage, anyone in Seattle area know good authorized Land Rover repair shops that might handle this, and ... well, here's some of my own pictures - they don't really show the extent, but it's kind of a testament to the fact we got hit at 40-50 MPH by something weighing probably as much as the Defender (the van was FULL of work stuff - some sort of contractor) - and the Defender drove away just fine. Spare tire cover and rear window are in pieces in the cargo area

Wear your seatbelts on the roads, friends! PS - I know these aren't the best pictures, luckily I was not in the vehicle when it happened because I was just getting over my own health thing and was in the hospital at the time... Again, they really don't show the extent of the damage (and I'm afraid of what a shop will say when they tear it apart) - but we got offered a measly $7k by the other driver's insurance... I expect that to climb a lot and our insurance company to get a lot more from the driver's company.

 

Glad you all walked away from this, shows how well engineered the LR are. Hope you find a repair shop soon

 

Glad you are OK, that is the most important thing. These vehicles are crazy strong. The RAV4 that hit me was probably totaled too.

I had less damage as my muffler, rear door and rear glass were fine. I only needed a new bumper cover, the shock absorbing piece under it, new heat shields plus repaint the tow hooks. My damage added up to $6000. The bottom spare tire mount was pushed in just a little, but I decided to leave it as it's not noticeable and I did not want to repaint the entire rear door.

As for insurance, I had my insurance company do the repair estimate. I took the estimate to a trusted body shop I have used before and they found it acceptable. I had my insurance handle the part of going after the insurance company of the person that hit me for reimbursement.

 

The Defender has taken that impact very well. Hopefully there won't be any damage to the structure underneath the panels.

 

I had two Defenders, a 2020 that got rear ended by a tow truck, and a 2023 that got rear ended by a semi truck. Both got totaled by the insurance company. Glad you are safe and as you mentioned, these vehicles are built like tanks. I had zero scratches with both accidents. Make sure the body shop checks the frame and the underbody of your Defender, and take it to an authorized body shop that specializes in aluminum repairs. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Thanks all for the replies on this - was out of town for a bit and am just now getting to follow up. We got our Defender into what is apparently one of only TWO JLR-certified repair shops in all of Washington state... but they sure do know their stuff. Final cost is some $30k and change (I knew the original adjustor's estimate of $7k was absolutely laughable). That other driver's insurance company is gonna hate life! Parts on order, nothing back-order flagged yet, and hopefully have it back in a couple of weeks like brand new. No frame damage underneath - just lots of small and/or complex pieces and such. (Apparently these tanks are pieced together like some combination of Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and Legos!). If I remember, all fixed and shiny pictures will follow in some time!

 

Glad to hear that there is no damage to the frame. Make sure you ask the insurance company compensation for diminished value on your Defender. They might resist such compensation, but they will pay it eventually if you play nice and mention your attorney if they say no.

 

No damage on the frame..? 30K estimate ?
Try to get that paid from the insurance company directly to you.
Repair it with parts you have to search on the internet and get it fixed by a Indy , could be done under 5K

 

My iPhone pictures do not show the justice of the damage nor what all was damaged underneath the body panels. Not just the surface pieces are damaged - and there are a TON of parts underneath our rear bumpers just alone. Also for example the muffler impact shoved things all the way up into the catalytic converter - so that's all replaced under there. Paint damage was found where the rear body panels meet the front - which means tearing off those doors to get to evenly paint the front all the way up to the front quarter panel gaps (open your 2 doors on the side if you have a 110 - you'll see that the side body panel is ALL one piece - and our repair shop is not just gonna try to blend in with factory Carpathian Grey).

This repair shop definitely knows their JLR products and other high-end manufacturers they are certified in - I saw nothing but $75k+ vehicles in there, up to a Maserati. These repairs are beyond what I can do with a small auto toolkit and my home toolkit, in a condo and I'm not taking it to someone who has "oh yeah we repair SUVs" as their response... our DFNDY was spotless and flawless and I'd like to keep him that way aside from our own trail rash and abuse it gets from exploring WA hehe.

 

Glad that you found a competent shop.
May I ask what shop you used, just to have it for the future (hopefully I will not need it) feel free to PM me if preferred