Our office is in Erlangen. We inspect the damage where your vehicle is, in the city center as well as in Tennenlohe or Bruck.
* For accidents that were not your fault
Maximilian FrommEngineer (B.Sc. in Mechatronics)Member of the Association of German Engineers (VDI)
Five steps from the call to the settlement. You only need to do the first one yourself.
For accidents that were not your fault, you choose the expert yourself. Suggestions from the repair shop or the insurer are only suggestions, not requirements.
We can usually give you an appointment on the same day, because our office and workshop are in Erlangen. For typical damage, the inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes.
Usually on the day after the inspection. If it takes longer, we tell you in advance.
We send the report to everyone involved. We remain your contact person for technical questions.
We explain the technical settlement options. You make the decision.
Maximilian Fromm
Independent vehicle expert for damage and valuation, engineer (B.Sc. in Mechatronics)
Describe your case in five sentences or send three photos of the damage. I will tell you whether a report is worthwhile and what we need.
We come to you: throughout Erlangen and to Herzogenaurach, Baiersdorf, Bubenreuth, Möhrendorf, Uttenreuth, Spardorf and Höchstadt an der Aisch. Available by phone 24/7. Appointments are flexible by arrangement.
You speak with the same person from start to finish. We are an independent office of vehicle experts. We do not work for an insurance company. We work for you, the person whose car was damaged.
Unlike fixed inspection sites, we do not ask you to move the damaged vehicle. We come to your home, to your workplace, to the repair shop or directly to the accident scene.
Call us and describe the case. The assessment takes a few minutes and does not obligate you to anything, even if the result is that you do not need a report at all.
Get free initial help:
Whether the vehicle is at the repair shop, at the towing service or still at the accident scene, we come to it. North of Erlangen, we also work in Forchheim .
In Erlangen, a remarkably large share of traffic accidents involves a bicycle. This shapes the damage patterns we see here.
Of 2,886 traffic accidents in 2024, 304 involved cyclists. That is a little more than one tenth. When a car hits a bicycle, the contact areas are narrow. There are paint scuffs and traces of rubber and plastic, often at heights that two cars never reach. The scope of the repair calculation depends on whether a dent comes from the handlebar or was already there. Important: Do not wash the vehicle before we have inspected it. Call us first.
Erlangen has no streetcar. So one cause of damage is missing that is common in Nuremberg: the grooved rail in the road. When a car crosses it, the car can be pulled to the side and the rim can be damaged. Then it is often unclear on which trip this happened. To see how such damage looks in Nuremberg and what we record there, read the page for the independent vehicle expert in Nuremberg.
Source: Polizeipräsidium Mittelfranken (regional police headquarters of Middle Franconia), published by the City of Erlangen, Statistics and Urban Research, reference year 2024.
For small, clear damage, a repair estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) is usually enough. Courts see the exact limit differently, mostly somewhere between €700 and €1,000. In the end, it matters less how high the amount is. It matters more whether the damage is clearly simple.
A valuation report records what your vehicle is worth on the market. You may need it before you buy or sell a car. It also helps you choose the right insured amount for a classic car. The vehicle value check takes place in our workshop in Erlangen-Frauenaurach or at your location.
After an accident, the accident valuation includes more than the repair costs. We also determine the diminished value and, in a total loss, the replacement value and the residual value. You can read about reasons and process on the page Valuation reports and classic car valuation reports.
How often there are accidents in Erlangen, the "Huguenot city", and what they involve.
Sources: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt Flensburg (Federal Motor Transport Authority, vehicle stock) and Polizeipräsidium Mittelfranken (accident numbers), published by the City of Erlangen, Statistics and Urban Research. Reference year 2024.
For accidents that were not your fault, the other driver's liability insurance usually pays the costs of the report. For claims under your own vehicle insurance, we tell you the price in advance. This means damage covered by your own comprehensive coverage (Teilkasko) or collision and comprehensive coverage (Vollkasko). We also tell you the price in advance for damage you caused yourself.
Below about €750, it is called minor damage (Bagatellschaden). A repair estimate is usually enough there. Between €750 and €1,500, it depends on the case. Above that, a report is the normal choice. If you suspect hidden damage, a total loss or prior damage, a report is worth it whatever the amount.
In Erlangen, we usually give the appointment for the same or the next working day. For typical damage, the inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes. The finished report is usually ready the day after the inspection, a little later for extensive damage.
We come to your vehicle. This can be in the city center, in Bruck, in the Röthelheimpark or in Tennenlohe. It can be at home, at work, at the repair shop or at the towing service. We use the lift in our workshop in Frauenaurach only if we suspect hidden damage on the underbody. We agree on this with you in advance.
Four to six weeks are normal for review and payment. If the claim settlement (Regulierung) takes much longer, or if the insurer reduces the payment, this is a question for your lawyer. For the technical side of the report, we are available by phone to answer your questions.
Yes, for accidents that were not your fault. Repair shops and the other party's insurer often suggest someone. These are suggestions, not requirements. For a claim under your own vehicle insurance, your own insurer hires the expert instead.
For accidents that were not your fault, you hire the expert yourself. If the other party's insurer announces a follow-up inspection, we first check the technical side of it. If you want, we can come to the inspection too. For claims under your own vehicle insurance, the situation is different. There, your own insurer hires the expert.
Better not. Once the damage is repaired, its extent can no longer be proven. Call us before the repair starts.
Tell us about it, even if it was a long time ago. Repaired prior damage and unrepaired old damage are two different things. In the report, we clearly separate both from the current event. Without this separation, you give the insurer a reason to reduce the payment.
Loss-of-use compensation is payment for the days when you could not use your vehicle. You may be entitled to it even if you did not take a rental car. We state the downtime and the vehicle class in the report, so that this item is not overlooked.
Have your vehicle registration certificate (Fahrzeugschein) and your contact details ready. If you already have a case number from the insurer or the police, tell us. We clarify everything else on site.
You reach the expert directly, no call center. In the first call, we tell you without obligation and free of charge how to proceed best.
