I have worked behind a workshop counter and signed repair orders: I know what a job actually involves, what times the manufacturer allows, and where an estimate gets inflated.
Assessing damage is not adding up parts. It is deciding which damage comes from this impact and which was there before, whether the proposed repair returns the vehicle to its earlier state, and whether what is offered covers what that costs.
Cases I take
- Damage valuation after an incident: parts, labour, paint and times.
- Earlier or unrelated damage slipped into the claim.
- Total loss: when repairing stops making sense, and with what figures.
- Non-conforming repairs: what was invoiced against what was actually done.
- Disagreement with the insurer's assessor, and contradictory appraisal.
- Fire, theft, water and hail damage, with the scope of cover defined.
What I need from you
- Accident statement or police report, and the insurer's assessor's report.
- Repair estimate and invoice, itemised line by line.
- Photographs of the damage, before and after repair.
- Technical data sheet, registration document and vehicle history.
- Earlier assessments of the same vehicle, if any.
- Policy terms and the cover taken out.
What the law says
- Insurance Contract Act 50/1980, arts. 18 and 38: payment of the indemnity and contradictory appraisal.
- Art. 1106 of the Civil Code: the extent of compensation.
- Royal Decree 1457/1986 on workshops: estimate, invoice and repair warranty.
- The manufacturer's labour time schedules and repair procedures.
What you get
- A list of the damage attributable to the incident, separated from what is not.
- Repair valuation with parts, times and paint, line by line.
- A comparison with the insurer's offer, with the differences explained.
- Total loss analysis: repair cost against the vehicle's value.
- Photographs, annexes and a declared method, so the calculation can be redone.
- Ratification and defence of the report in the courtroom.
Frequently asked questions
What is a contradictory appraisal, and what does it cost?
It is the procedure in art. 38 of the Insurance Contract Act where there is no agreement with the company's assessor: each side appoints its own and, if they disagree, a third is appointed. Each side pays its own expert, and the third expert's fees are shared, unless the outcome triggers a different rule.
Can I take the money without repairing the car?
Under your own comprehensive cover it depends on the policy; against a liable third party, what is compensated is the loss caused, and that does not necessarily require repairing. The report quantifies the loss, which is what the court needs either way.
What if the car is written off?
Then the argument moves to the vehicle's value before the impact and the value of the salvage. That is where a report valuing both with real comparables pays off, because the gap between the offer and replacement value is usually significant.
Tell me about your case
Free feasibility study and a fixed written quote. I reply within 24-48 working hours.
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