Technically reviewed by Maximilian Fromm, independent vehicle expert (B.Sc. in Mechatronics). Last updated: September 2026
An independent vehicle expert assesses a vehicle after damage, based on its condition or based on its value. The expert records the findings in a report (Gutachten). This page explains the profession in general, no matter who practices it.
You can read how an inspection works with us on the page Damage report (Unfallgutachten and Schadengutachten). Here we look at the task itself, not at our services.
Maximilian Fromm
Founder and Mechatronics Engineer (B.Sc.)
Four questions are at the center of every inspection. They repeat in every case, no matter the vehicle type or the amount of damage.
These four points belong together. If you state the amount of damage without checking the cause, you cannot judge it reliably. If you only describe the extent without checking plausibility, you do not produce a reliable report.
In practice, what happens at the vehicle follows a fixed pattern. The order can vary, but the individual steps hardly change. The damage inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes for typical damage.
The vehicle expert compares the vehicle registration certificate (Fahrzeugschein), the registration data and the account of the accident that you give. After that, the damage inspection begins.
The expert photographs the whole vehicle, including areas without visible damage. These photos serve as a reference for later questions.
The expert photographs the damage area from fixed angles and as a close-up with a scale. The expert measures the contact marks with the measuring rod.
The expert measures paint thickness and impact height. If hidden damage is suspected, the expert uses the vehicle lift or reads out the stored fault codes.
The expert separates older damage and damage that was already repaired from the current damage pattern. The expert names each of these damages separately.
The expert answers open questions about how the accident happened and about the next steps directly at the vehicle.
An estimate by eye does not support a reliable report. The following tools provide the numbers that appear later in the repair cost calculation.
A report is not a text document with photos attached. Every item has a function. If one item is missing, the other items become weaker.
Around a vehicle there are several roles. They sound similar, but they have different tasks.
A repair shop estimates the costs of the repair that it would do itself. Diminished value, residual value and downtime are left out. The repair shop also has its own interest in getting the order.
A reviewer who works for the insurer mainly checks the calculation of the other party. The reviewer acts in the interest of the person who hired them.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer) appoints a publicly appointed and sworn expert after a separate examination. The findings of this expert have special importance in court. This applies often in disputed cases and court cases.
The vehicle inspection organization under § 29 StVZO, such as TÜV, DEKRA or GTÜ, checks at a fixed date whether a vehicle is safe to drive and meets the legal rules. It does not assess damage there.
Damage extent, amount of damage, cause and plausibility: this is what a vehicle expert determines. The next section shows what the expert explicitly does not do.
The task ends at a clear point. What comes after that belongs in other hands.
In Germany the job title is not protected by law. Anyone can call themselves a vehicle expert without proving any specific training. For this reason the following features are the real standard, not the title itself.
You can find out how to check these features against a specific offer on the page Choosing a vehicle expert.
This page describes the profession in general. How an inspection works with us is explained on the page Damage report. The difference between a repair estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) and a full report is explained on the page Repair estimate or vehicle expert report. The page Report review and expert statement explains how we check an item from a reduction letter (Kürzungsschreiben) from a technical point of view. We work in the whole Nuremberg Metropolitan Region.
The expert documents the damage extent and calculates the repair costs according to manufacturer specifications. If needed, the expert also determines the replacement value, the residual value and the diminished value. The expert also checks whether the damage pattern fits the accident as described. These findings come together in one report. It serves as the technical basis for further handling of the case. Without this check, every cost figure stays an estimate.
A repair shop estimates the costs of the repair that it would do itself, and it has its own interest in that. A vehicle expert assesses separately from the repair. The expert also documents diminished value, residual value and downtime, and separates old damage from new damage. A feature you can check: a calculation without these three items is not a report.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce makes the appointment after a separate technical examination. Courts see their findings as especially reliable. For this reason they are often asked to work on disputed cases or court cases. An independent vehicle expert without this appointment can do work of equal technical quality, but does not have this formal status.
Common tools are a measuring rod or folding ruler for impact heights, a paint thickness gauge that uses the eddy current method and calculation software such as Audatex or DAT for the repair costs. If hidden damage is suspected, a vehicle lift adds a visual check from below. If electronics are involved, a diagnostic device for the fault codes is added.
The periodic inspection at TÜV, DEKRA or GTÜ checks at a fixed date whether a vehicle is safe to drive and meets the legal rules. It does not assess accident damage. The two checks complement each other, but neither replaces the other.
In principle, yes, if labor time units, parts prices and paint times are listed one by one and not only as a final total. A good report also explains why a part was repaired instead of replaced. If questions remain, the next step is to ask the office that wrote the report. Do not simply accept the number.
No. That is a legal question and belongs with a traffic law firm. The expert provides the technical and calculation basis, meaning the amount of damage and the plausibility. Whether a claim arises from this, and how high it is, is decided on the legal level, not in the report itself.
The damage inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes for typical damage. It takes longer if an inspection on the vehicle lift, a detailed paint measurement or a check of the calibration of driver assistance systems is added. The duration is not the deciding point. What matters is whether all items are properly documented at the end.
Four proofs of qualification, seven features you can check in a report and seven signs to look at more closely. Go to page
The most common items in a reduction letter and what can be said about them technically. Go to page
All services at a glance: damage reports, condensed reports (Kurzgutachten), valuation reports (Wertgutachten) and report reviews (Gutachtenprüfung). Go to overview
Erlangen, Nuremberg, Fürth and the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. We usually inspect your vehicle on the same business day or the next one.
CleverCrash is an office of independent vehicle experts, not a law firm. This page gives current technical information and does not replace advice for your individual case. For legal questions, please contact a traffic law firm.
Maximilian Fromm
Independent vehicle expert, B.Sc. in Mechatronics
Maximilian Fromm is an independent vehicle expert and the founder of CleverCrash in Erlangen. He studied mechatronics. Since August 2025, he has written damage reports (Unfallgutachten) for private customers, repair shops and lawyers in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. He supports his customers until the insurer pays out.
