Hole in AC Condenser

So it appears a rock or similar punctured a small hole in the AC condenser and will cost roughly $1,000 to replace as quoted from VW dealer. AC is not blowing any cold air so need to get this fixed. Since the hole is the front, I am being told that VW will not honor any type of warranty repair for this.

Dealer suggested to claim this under my car insurance policy, that seems odd to me, so question is...

Anyone ever claim this type of damage under your car insurance policy before?

I've seen this before and people have put chickenwire/other stuff to protect it as it is exposed.

Insurance will depend on your exact plan but i wouldn't put it through as any claim causes my premiums to soar. Short of totaling my car i almost always pay out of pocket. It's just not worth the long term increased payments. My deductible is also $1000 so theres that LOL.

If you're handy, replace the condensor and accumulator and then have it vacuumed/recharged. Will be less than $1,000 .