Definitely hold off doing the repairs until it's clear who is paying what and how much. In my state, both parties insurance companies work together on completing the claim. I would submit the claim to my insurance company and my insurance company would go after their insurance company, I am only dealing with my insurance company. It's my insurance that approves the appraisal. Your insurance agent should be able to walk you through this and advice. It's part of their service as an agent.

I think the other party's insurance company shouldn't have an issue paying what the AM body shop says it will cost. I'd also defer to the body shop on diminished claims and what to do if the insurance company does not want to pay their quote. You're hardly their first customer in this situation.

 

I'm sorry to see that. I think I met you in one of the Rusnak's cars & coffee show in Pasadena. You have a beautiful car. Such a shame , but main thing is that you're ok. I know it's very stressful & dealing with insurance co is never fun, because they will "nickle & dime" you all the possible ways. Like some of suggested, I'd recommend to settle up with insurance before any repairs. I Live & work in Pasadena(repair service shop), if you ever need anything just PM me I'll share my number. There is exotic car repair shop in Burbank,( DC Autocraft) don't take your car there. I had lot of issues with them, when they're repairing my wife's car.
In any case , you can always get another car, like you already thinking about dark red car.
Good Luck.

Avo

 

Did the other driver survive the crash, so you could finish him off yourself?

[sad]

 

 

Yes, it was In Pasadena city hall square. My car has V12 Grill. I'm you didn't go to DC Autocraft.

 

That must be a CA thing. Kind of lame. I'd call the diminished value company. Until you write a check, get as much info as you can. Body shop and dealer should have the most to offer.

Surprised the dealer wasn't like "come check out our new Vantage & DB11 loaners we have for test driving..."

 

This hurts. This really hurts. Especially knowing this was a custom build, which is the same in my case. For what it's worth, if this is your dream car and your custom ordered it, then it CAN BE REPAIRED to its original pre-accident status. Anything that leads you to believe otherwise is stemming from your head. As a point of reference, my car (another custom build) was hit while parked at a gas pump. In my case, I called my insurance company and initiated a claim with my insurance company. I allowed the subro process to take place. Here, I was not even in the car so the question of fault was not at issue. My insurance company waived my deductible and my dealer handled all the back and forth with the Aston Martin Certified body shop.

At the end of the day, the repair came to approximately $10k. The damage was a front quarter. However, the entire front end was painted (and doors). The car was returned to pre-accident condition. Diminished value is not an issue for me because, like you, this is my dream car. Diminished value is only a factor if you intend to sell the car. Do we sell our dream cars? My goal would be to get the car repaired PROPERLY. In your case, this should be your only desire. Diminished value only comes into play it you want to sell the car. For me, I don't intend to sell the car so the repair was all important.

I really hope this works out for you.

 

That's bull****e.....The ins co should not be telling you to handle it. I would throw it back in their face and tell them to give you more meaningful guidance. Protect yourself at all costs. We need to take care of our Aston Bond girls.......First, hook yourself up with the best repair shop available. They will pick up the ball and help guide you through this. Find someone who is highly recommended and do not go based on price. Go with your gut and do not be afraid to walk away. PM me if you want more personalized advice.

 

So this is from my personal experience in getting hit by someone a few years back, at the time I was in a restored 1965 Mustang Fastback (basically the redneck version of my Centenary)

Good that you took it to a shop and are having the work appraised.

You're going to have to do the pushing on the other parties insurance. They'll do everything they can do make it as hard as possible for you to get a payout, including just not calling- you would be amazed how many people just give up based on that alone.

That being said, there's likely no reason to involve a lawyer in most cases. The shop will come back with a price or with a total... then the other parties insurance will fight you on valuation. If you have photos of the car recently before the accident, it helps to establish a base from which to start the tug of war.

If the decision is a total, you're going to have to prove the car is worth X if it wasn't totaled and they'll have to pay. Get a lot of opinions on this, from reputable sources because the other parties insurance will look up AM Vantage on eBay and give you the average price of a `16. If the car was actually part of a limited production group (like the Centenary's), that will help play to the value of X.

If the shop comes back with a number, you'll likely still have to fight to have the work done as long as it's under the total coverage of the other party. In my case, they wouldn't respray the whole care (instead of just the front) because they didn't grasp the idea of fading paint over 20 years (the last time the car had been painted prior to the accident was around 20 years prior). Regardless, just keep a cool and calm head and you'll get past this while having learned a few new things about insurance.

As for the car, I'm sure it was of an emotional value but a loved one could have been in the passenger seat and things could have been much worse. The car in the end, is less important than that.



Keep us updated!

 

Very sorry to see this.

 

get a lawyer... on high end cars like ours damaged repairs is like leprosy... I'd try to get as high a claim as you can and total the car and start from scratch with the color you really want. . you could likely build the case for total based on actual repairs, diminished value and the cost to put you in a comparable car while repairs are being made...

when i had an issue with a BMW I had, I made them put me in a comparable car and it cost them over $3,000 a month for a 5 series BMW... I couldn't imagine what a monthly rental rate is for a car comparable to a late model Aston. .

you do not want that car back

 

It is very possible due to pictures shown that the damage is ONLY to the passenger door. Meaning cosmetic only. Replace those pieces and you may never know. However for sure diminished value should be taken into account. This car is 1 of 100 and that should put it even higher. But she cannot just go replace it either.

I'm torn, I do not like to have a wreck on my carfax either. But, if its perfectly repaired, and the only one she wants, then get some cash back for value and drive on. Might be a plus to this, she could drive the pants off it and not worry about miles. Just some thoughts. Long time before this is a concern, unless damage is quite high and expensive, plus diminished value puts it over the top. Decisions might be made all in itself.

 

 

This is the correct answer. I filed a DV claim when my CTS wagon (non-V, unfortunately) was hit a few years ago. I worked w/ a reputable DV evaluation company (~$300 IIRC) and filed a claim myself w/out an attorney. Everything took me a few hours in total. A couple months later, I received a check for $5k and I still have and love the car today.

My somewhat-educated guess would be your DV case would be worth at least $10-$15k.