No. 2
A collision estimate, line by line
Nobody is ever taught to read one, and almost every argument that happens later is an argument about something that was written on it in the first week. This page is useful whether or not the car ever comes here, which is the only reason it is worth publishing.
What the columns mean
Estimates are written in one of a few estimating systems and they all share a shape: a numbered line, an operation, a part, a part-type code, a labour figure and an amount.
| Column | What it is | What to ask about it |
|---|---|---|
| Line no. | The sequence. Supplements add lines rather than rewriting them. | If a line vanished between versions, ask what replaced it. |
| Operation | Repair, replace, blend, refinish, R&I (remove and install), or overhaul. | “Repair” and “replace” on the same panel are very different repairs and very different prices. |
| Part type | O · A · LKQ · RC | Which letter is on which line, and what the difference costs. See below. |
| Labour | In units of time, usually tenths of an hour, by category: body, frame, mechanical, refinish. | Frame and mechanical bill at different rates from body. The split matters. |
| Refinish | Paint time, including any blend into adjacent panels. | Blend time is not padding. Without it the new panel will not match the old one. |
| Betterment | A deduction where a worn item is replaced with a new one — tyres most often. | It is legitimate, but it should be explained, not just subtracted. |
| Deductible | Your share, subtracted at the end. | A shop that offers to absorb it is recovering it somewhere else in the repair. |
The part-type letter
One character on each parts line says where the part came from. It is the single most consequential thing on the document and the thing least often explained.
None of the four is automatically wrong. A recycled original door shell on a nine-year-old car can be a better repair than a new aftermarket one. What matters is that you were told which you are getting, and that it is written down.
Wisconsin legislated about this in 1991: § 632.38 covers nonoriginal manufacturer replacement parts and § 100.44 covers notice of replacement parts used in motor vehicle repair. We cite but do not quote those two, and the reason why is on that page.
Four letters
- O
- OEM — original equipment. Made by or for the vehicle manufacturer, in the manufacturer’s box. Usually the most expensive and usually what a lease return or a newer car wants.
- A
- Aftermarket. Made by a third party to fit. Quality genuinely varies. On a structural or safety part it is worth a conversation; on a plastic trim clip it is not.
- LKQ
- Recycled — “like kind and quality”. A used original from another vehicle. Often the closest match in fit and metal, and often the fastest.
- RC
- Reconditioned. An original that has been repaired and refinished. Common for alloy wheels and bumper covers.
Ask for the letters to be read to you down the parts list. It takes a minute and it is the one question that changes what you receive.
The supplement is not a bait and switch
This is the single most common reason people believe a shop has behaved badly, and it is almost always the one part of the process working exactly as designed.
- The first estimate is written from the outside. A person looks at a closed, assembled car and writes down what can be seen. That is all it ever was.
- Teardown exposes the rest. Brackets, absorbers, mounts, harness connectors, corrosion, a previous repair nobody disclosed.
- A supplement is written and sent to the insurer. With photographs. It is agreed before the work is done, not billed afterwards.
- The date moves, if parts move it. Lead time on a newly discovered part is the usual culprit, not labour.
A shop that tells you on day one that the number may change after teardown, and explains why, is describing the job accurately. A shop that promises a figure will not move is either not going to look, or is going to have a difficult conversation with you later.
No. 3 Two more things
Rental and total loss
Rental coverage has two limits, a daily one and a total one, and a long repair runs into the second. Ask what both are in the first week, not the third. If a part has a long lead time, there is sometimes a choice between starting now and waiting — and that choice is yours to make with the numbers in front of you.
Total loss is a threshold, not a judgement. When the estimated repair plus likely supplements approaches a set percentage of the car’s value, the insurer settles instead of repairing. Knowing roughly where that line sits stops the decision arriving as a shock.
Diminished value is the loss in resale value a repaired car carries even after a correct repair. It exists, it is rarely mentioned to consumers, and whether you can recover it depends on whose policy is paying. There is a page on both.
Read it to us
If you are holding an estimate right now, telephone and read it out. We will tell you which lines are part-type codes, which are labour categories, what a blend line is doing there and what looks absent.
Whether or not the car comes here. It takes about ten minutes and it is the most useful thing we do.
Before you sign the authorisation
An authorisation to repair is a contract. It is reasonable to read it, to ask what the storage terms are, and to ask what happens if the supplement is refused. Ours is written out in full.
Mon–Fri 7:30 AM–5:30 PM CT