CSL in accident. What to do question

[wage73]

Hi there

After nearly 3 years and £30,000 my CSL comes out from restoration having had completely new rear panels, respray etc.

Over the weekend someone drove into the back of me (see image). Low speed, no injuries but Im gutted obviously.

All insured and want it repaired in London.

Two questions for you all:

Who in London would you recommend to use for the repair?

Should I demand new panels (as the damaged ones were pretty much as new) or be content with them being banged back into shape etc?

I dont want to have this accident negatively affect the value after its been repaired and want to know the best way forward.

Thoughts appreciated!!!

 

[Stan]

Crying for you brother.

Low speed, no injuries

you mean you didn't hit the other driver??

 

[sfdon]

Cut and replace except for the deck.

 

[Gernstetter]

Hi there

After nearly 3 years and £30,000 my CSL comes out from restoration having had completely new rear panels, respray etc.

Over the weekend someone drove into the back of me (see image). Low speed, no injuries but Im gutted obviously.

All insured and want it repaired in London.

Two questions for you all:

Who in London would you recommend to use for the repair?

Should I demand new panels (as the damaged ones were pretty much as new) or be content with them being banged back into shape etc?

I dont want to have this accident negatively affect the value after its been repaired and want to know the best way forward.

Thoughts appreciated!!!

Ask the folks at Jaymic if they have a recommendation....who did the restoration? Wouldn't they be a place to start?

 

[dang]

I deal with several high-end body shops in my area and if this were a late model car with that damage they would replace all the panels, no question. Part of it is the thinner metals can't be worked with like the old stuff, but most of it is because of the value of the vehicle and what they can justify repairing. That CSL has a lot of value, the work should be done correctly and the panels should be replaced.

...in my opinion.

Another way to look at it... if the car were a plain CS, a little rusty, tired, interior worn, the value of the car is much much lower. If the owner of the car wanted to make sure it gets repaired instead of totaled, he/she may compromise and have them use the sheet metal that's on the car, pound it out, etc., to save enough money to make the numbers work. This is assuming you can find a shop willing to fix it that way.

Dan

 

[E911]

New Metal...

Really no other option than to do it right with this car- as Don said, cut and replace.

Agree on going back to those who did the resto- best chance of ending up back at the same place when done.

 

[Ski coach]

What a shame! I think figuring out the best option for quality repair will be the easy part and should start with the restoration shop. The difficult part will be trying to get coverage for the high end body work that will be required. I hope you have appropriate collector car insurance. I learned the hard way many years ago when a deer hit my rare Porsche.
Best of luck and focus on the fact that no one was injured. But wait, couldn't there be a "whiplash injury" here.

 

[deQuincey]

Low speed, no injuries

you mean you didn't hit the other driver??

good one !

 

[Lotuss7]

IMHO with a CSL it would be better find a really good panel beater and save the existing sheet metal. Really doesn't look that bad.

These things matter as the air around these become more rarified.

 

[m73]

Most Alfa's left the roads under the same circumstances.....I am sure you are aware, but in the UK there is an excellent shop called 'classic heroes.'

They have an early carb CSL in Colorado they have restored (via BMW classic) and it looks superb. They also have a 'perfect' White alpina coupe for sale with 100k euro in resto work.

If there would be any shop I would check with, it would be them. Albeit they are probably as pricy as anyone in town.

Good luck with your project....

MF

 

[starcruiser]

You stated that you had just recently had a restoration with new panels, but in looking at the photo there seems to be a lot of cracked body filler.
I guess I wouldn't use the former restoration shop for the next repair!

 

[Gazz]

Give these people a try. Check their site, they have done several restorations and specialize in E9s.

Munich Legends,
The Ashdown Garage,
Chelwood Gate,
East Sussex.
RH17 7DE.

 

[Mario L.]

I need to agree here with LotusS7.
Document your accident with photographs inside and outside.
Save the original panels. A repair on the corner is far better than a spliced panel or having to disassemble the entire side of the car to replace that entire rear quarter panel.

If I was a buyer in the market for an authentic CSL I would rather find a car that had repairs that are adequately documented versus a car has replaced panels where likely no one will document how well and accurately that work will be done. A car with original panels that had a minor accident is far better than a car that has had an entire panel replaced where no one knows how minor the original damage was.

Also have to agree with the comment that the existing bodywork doesn't really look to be as professional as it should be. Paint thickness and extreme cracking and paint separation from the bent panels makes me question how the previous work was done.
You might also consider contacting the shop that did the this work and find out if they have any leftover paint that matches your car.

As to the repairs and painting, you are fortunate that the color on your car is a basecoat color, clearcoat. With just a little bit of base coat paint and the repairs on the back corner the paint can be blended into the original paint, and the clearcoat applied over the entire panel. This is a very easily done as a common professional practice with new contemporary materials and you should never see the blend or the repair!

I wish you the best of luck in finding the proper shop that can do this repair for you efficiently and correctly.

 

[johanaxelson]

Aww man, so sorry to see that.

Is my fear when I get my car back on the road again, I just *know* something will happen the first week.

 

[rodspock]

There are a few "old school" tradesmen in the Newport Pagnell area. While Aston Martin production may have left the area the tradesmen have not. This results in a few specialist repair shops in that area (about an hour North of London near Milton Keynes).

We lived in Olney (about 5 miles from Newport Pagnell) where an Desmond Smail operates from. He is an Aston Martin specialist who may be able to make a good recommendation for you.

Cheers,

Rod

 

[Christopher]

removed comment

 

[jmackro]

A car with original panels that had a minor accident is far better than a car that has had an entire panel replaced....

Yes, that was my thought too. Sure, with a 2014 Lexus, where panels are made to the nearest .0001 mm, you can substitute new panels and they will fit perfectly. On a low-production, 1970's era car, this is not the case. Each panel was tweaked at the factory - perhaps after parts were tried to see which one came the closest to fitting. Your body shop may need to perform more surgery to get a new panel to fit, as it would to repair the damaged, original part.

Obviously I haven't inspected your car firsthand, and am assuming that the damage is limited to what is shown in the photo. Once you have chosen the bodyshop that will perform the work, it will be interesting to hear their opinion on the "repair vs. replace" issue.

 

[E911]

All I can say is the less mud the better and with those compound curves... there will be mud.

 

[Gernstetter]

All I can say is the less mud the better and with those compound curves... there will be mud.

+ everyone else! save the panel if possible

 

[sfdon]

Get an appraiser for diminished value.