DB9 2005 repair vs claim

[mirandamilly]

A lorry has reversed into the front of our 2005 DB9 Volante. We do not have any CCTV coverage so have to either claim against our own insurance or fix it ourselves. The front wing ,lower bumper and grill need replacing.

I can source the front wing and bumper in the right colour for about £1500 I guess the grill will be another, £350 perhaps?

I have seven cars on my collectors policy, with a £500 access. Given that this is an Aston Martin, I wonder if there are any Aston Martin specific reasons to choose repairing it ourselves versus claiming through the insurance?

Many thanks

[alscar]

Sorry about your car.
I assume you have no details of said lorry ?
Personally I would be claiming off my own insurance as that’s why you buy it !
Even after the excess is deducted by repairing it yourself you’ve just added at least £1,500 to the insurance premium you paid.
I’ve no idea of the market value of yours so you may need to just be wary of any additional repair costs that you find is needed v potential write off etc.

[LTP]

mirandamilly said:

I have seven cars on my collectors policy, with a £500 access. Given that this is an Aston Martin, I wonder if there are any Aston Martin specific reasons to choose repairing it ourselves versus claiming through the insurance?

Many thanks

Sorry to hear about your car. I don't think as far as the car goes how you have the repair done is relevant, assuming the repair is done to the standard expected and uses genuine parts. If you go through insurance most insurers will use new parts which, depending on parts availability, might mean some time off-road.

I think the only consideration is financial - how much your no-claims bonus (if any) is affected and the effect on premiums going forward. You do have the advantage that, assuming the insurance company believes your version of events, it should be a "no fault" claim.

[mirandamilly]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 27 March 2025 at 15:50

[pschlute]

My only concern would be the paint match. AM paints can be trouble to match because they are produced in small quantities (so I was told by a repairer once). If you are replacing the wing it should be less of an issue because of the natural gaps, but something to bear in mind.

[mirandamilly]

My annual premium for my car collection is just under £3000. If there is a 30% uplift in premium for the next few years then I makes sense to do the repairs myself. I have found a wing and bumper but the breaker does not know colour. I do have a photograph which looks very similar to the colour of my car, which is Grigio titaniano.
They have given me the chassis number though which just brings up a link to a Copart auction for a silver car.

Is it possible to find out the original colour of Car from the chassis number?

[alscar]

Assuming a 30% rise in premiums each year over a few years is both pessimistic and unlikely.
No one ( not even your Insurer ) will be able to tell you as of now whether your premium will go up or down or stay similar on renewal but that pain if applicable is still unlikely to last for too long.
If you paying £3k and your repair cost is similar to this that’s hardly a terrible result for the Insurer.
It will also depend on your previous insurance record and how long you have been with them.