09/29/2026
Why are “estimates” becoming a dying thing in collision repair?
On today’s technologically advanced vehicles, an estimate is often little more than a best guess based on what can be seen at the time.
To actually determine what a vehicle needs for a safe and proper repair, there are several steps we have to take once it arrives at our shop: pre-scanning the vehicle, measuring when necessary, performing required safety checks, researching OEM repair procedures, disassembling damaged areas, identifying one-time-use parts and required calibrations, and ultimately building a complete repair plan.
A lot can be hiding behind a bumper cover or inside a vehicle’s electronic systems that simply cannot be identified by looking at a few photos in a parking lot.
So why do insurance companies still rely so heavily on an initial estimate?
There can be a financial advantage to starting with the lowest visible cost. If the vehicle never gets repaired, there may never be a supplement for the additional operations, parts, procedures, or damage discovered later.
If the vehicle goes to an “in-network” or preferred shop, that shop may also have contractual agreements with the insurer that affect pricing, procedures, or how certain operations are handled.
None of that changes what the vehicle actually requires.
Modern collision repair is complicated. A proper repair can be expensive, and sometimes it takes longer than anyone initially anticipated. That’s why we believe the important number isn’t the first estimate.
It’s the final repair plan developed after the vehicle has been properly inspected, researched, scanned, measured, and disassembled as necessary.
An estimate is a starting point.
A repair plan is how you determine what it actually takes to put the vehicle back on the road safely and properly.
