dasbulliwagen Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 On my way to work almost 1 month ago, I had a little accident. Everyone is ok. It was a glancing blow. I was going through my green light, when out of nowhere there's a fire Marshall's truck (Ram 1500) going lights and sirens through a red right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and locked them up, but we just caught each other, my right front, and his right rear. I think my light bar I modified saved me a little, but still, another Wagoneer header panel bites the dust. The adjuster for the fire Marshall's truck says they're going to cover me, but I'm worried about how they're going to value it, and if they're going to want to total it. It just hurt the bumper and header panel only, so mechanically it's fine. I looked up classic car values the other day and the values were all over the map. Edmunds has me at just over $2000, while others range from $4000-$20,000 with an average for #3 condition at just under $7000. I won't let them total it. I'll fix it one way or another. I'm probably going to do a '97 up front conversion. I've priced up almost $900 in parts on Amazon to do what I need. Header panel and grille kit, bumper, end caps, headlights and buckets, and new Hella driving lights that got knocked off. Not including labor. I'm not going to let anyone else touch my truck. I'll post again after I start getting her back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 Ouch. Glad you’re ok. Honestly it looks like you can replace the bezel and still run the header panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 that bezel can be repaired enough for a daily driver, it's that corner light that's the real tragedy here. but at least everyone is ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHMJXJ Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 Oh mannn ... that sucks. Good that you're OK, but that's gotta be frustrating. This is a good example of the need to have our trucks appraised and insured for their value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The86manche Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 What everyone has said, glad you are okay. Could have been much worse! If you don't end up wanting the header panel anymore I'd be interested. I need pieces for mine. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coheed Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Man, that's rough. I've always really liked how your truck looked. If it were me I'd try and repair what I could and keep the wagoneer panel. I've got an ok set of those hella lights if you're interested in em pm me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 As for values, Hagerty has a good tool to price Comanche’s that’s based off of comparable sales. If you’re looking for the 97+ header panel swap, the new aftermarket panels are mostly junk. Get a good used grill on eBay or a junk yard if available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUREKA Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I wonder if an insurance estimator would consider the Hagerty Valuation Tool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EUREKA Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 On 6/10/2025 at 5:17 AM, NHMJXJ said: Oh mannn ... that sucks. Good that you're OK, but that's gotta be frustrating. This is a good example of the need to have our trucks appraised and insured for their value. When i was with state farm i went in and asked them about this and they said i was crazy and that's not a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 2 hours ago, EUREKA said: When i was with state farm i went in and asked them about this and they said i was crazy and that's not a thing. You probably have to do this through the classic car insurance companies, Hagerty, Grundy, etc. but they have limitations on usage and storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I believe it's stated value vs agreed value. Hagerty is agreed value, your premium is based on a set value. With regular insurance policies, you say it's $10,000 they charge you a premium on that amount, but there is no agreement and the can later argue that that value is lower. At least that's how I understood it. There are appraisal services out there you can hire to argue their low ball value if it comes to that https://www.theautoappraiser.com/disputed-value Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHMJXJ Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 16 hours ago, EUREKA said: When i was with state farm i went in and asked them about this and they said i was crazy and that's not a thing. Depends on your carrier. I have USAA and they have a division that does it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 9 minutes ago, NHMJXJ said: Depends on your carrier. I have USAA and they have a division that does it. It might even depend on the agent too. My parents had an appraisal that was then the agreed value through State Farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 1 hour ago, NHMJXJ said: Depends on your carrier. I have USAA and they have a division that does it. This is good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 I got an offer last Thursday, $1300, for parts and about 6 hours of labor. If I can get a pick-n-pull header assy, Ill do ok on this. Having worked in dealerships service depts so long, I had no idea how low body shop labor rates actually are. Our small town dealership service dept rate I think is in the $160-$180 range, but avg body shop labor rates are about $60 hr! I guess thats what dealing mostly with insurance companies gets you. Ive looked at a couple U pull yards and there seems to be a few good XJ's within about 1 1/2 hr from me if they still have what I need. It will get fixed one way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 That seems low for a body shop average rate. It should be lower than a mechanic shop or service department and insurance companies will try to make them give a cheaper labor rate. I think the cheapest labor rate after the insurance company negotiated it was $65/hr. The most recent one I saw was $74/hr. Of course, neither of those estimates were nowhere near you geographically, but I still think that they were low. It also doesn't seem like they put paint on that estimate. I think that they ought to be closer to $4,000 on this. I know that's not how much it will actually cost you to do it, but if a body shop were to do it and make it look like the accident never happened, it would probably cost near $4k. After a quick search on eBay, I only found 1 complete Wagoneer header panel. It's $1100, plus shipping for $250 (however it is in Winston-Salem). To get it to you would be $1350 and then you'd need to paint it. Their estimate is already short and we haven't even figured the lights or the front bumper yet. https://www.ebay.com/itm/205224269364?_skw=jeep+xj+wagoneer+header+panel&itmmeta=01JYFCS3V9R2PGXS5WZ0R0JJRH&hash=item2fc851d634:g:bJ8AAOSwxLlnhshr&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA4FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1ex4E1Vy%2Bt0vf6%2BNrFgLf8NUlQFYFKHqhW5tfRZKEU%2BvSuOFl%2BsseFuBJwk0rzS3OAnazoSBwXq4KJsfRjPNvV6jaVLcCnFdUAt%2FzY1sN5u78En1jE0nrP4SYLwSXWyqwLKgsPg1xwxHIGM5sasTL4RBdgsUen4FGaosCYokUQ5sFnx5ZKtdJu4LR7TBS5eVuJFSARBbRIiHk4g5gHQ3pWaThbERIUg8mcgKy7Ig4WRF5tsbK9SXFBsjfqVOOn%2F1Yp1K0vQ%2F0PW4GoRh5JWEyfd|tkp%3ABk9SR_K95OzzZQ I know you said you'd just put a 97+ front end on it, but the insurance company doesn't need to know that. Their job is to provide you with the money to make it look like the accident never happened. Even if they know that you were going to do DIY repairs, their estimate does not cover the cost of parts to get you back to where you were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHMJXJ Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 22 hours ago, dasbulliwagen said: body shop labor rates are about $60 hr! Definitely low, but probably accurate regionally. You can double that figure in New England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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