We will give you a glimpse into the daily world of a Collision Repair shop and point out some of the things we deal with on a daily basis that you probably never even thought about.
When writing an estimate it is very important to insure you have accurate information, there could be a many various option packages for the same year / model vehicle, it is for this reason the shop must have the correct VIN or "vehicle identification number", model, year, options etc.
When a vehicle comes to our shop I will get out to look at the vehicle even if we will be waiting for the insurance company to write the estimate.
I will take photos to document any damage that may be on the vehicle that is not related to the loss, scratches, door dings etc. then I will confirm mileage, fuel level, tire size, power accessories, wheel size and so on.
When we do get the insurance estimate it must be mirrored or "re wrote" into our system and every detail must match, labor hours, parts prices, procedures and yes, all the incorrect and inaccurate items must also be put on the estimate.
As I am going over the insurance estimate anything that is incorrect or inaccurate will be highlighted with a Pink highlighter, once the estimates match we then lock the estimate.
Before any parts can be ordered we must create a supplement in the estimating system and go over and correct the inaccurate information that was on the insurance estimate.
Below are some photos to help illustrate.
Stay tuned...more to come.
