We come to your vehicle, in the Pegnitz valley as well as at the A9 interchanges.
* For accidents that were not your fault
Maximilian FrommEngineer (B.Sc. in Mechatronics)Member of the Association of German Engineers (VDI)
Between your first call and the claim settlement (Regulierung) there are four steps. We handle three of them for you.
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.
From your first call until you receive the finished report, one single person handles your case. There is no call center and no change of contact person. After you describe how the accident happened, you learn within a few minutes on the phone whether a report is worthwhile and which documents we need. This assessment does not obligate you to place an order.
As an independent office, we do not belong to any insurer. Instead, we give the technical view of your damage.
Scope of the inspection
Before any repair decision, we only determine the damage. The repair shop does the repair. This separation keeps our judgment independent of any interest in a repair job. Six steps set how far the check goes.
Larger commercial vehicles from local industry need more time for the inspection. Examples are mobile cranes and vehicles from tool and ceramics production. Such vehicles are rarely built the same way, so it takes longer to tell structural damage from body damage. Describe your case to us by phone, and we will tell you whether a report is needed.
Overview of services
Before the appointment, we clarify by phone which service fits your case.
After an accident: the damage report (Schadengutachten) documents everything from the extent of the damage and the right repair method to repair costs, replacement value (Wiederbeschaffungswert), residual value (Restwert), diminished value (merkantile Wertminderung) and downtime (Ausfalldauer). We document it for cars as well as for motorcycles, vans, trucks and trailers. Learn more about this service.
Manageable damage: when damage is clearly manageable, a repair estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) is usually enough. The comparison below shows at what amount of damage a report is worthwhile instead, and where a repair estimate is not enough as proof. Go to the cost comparison.
Securing value: independent of an accident, we determine the market value and the replacement value of Youngtimers (modern classics, 15 to 30 years), Oldtimers (classic cars, 30+ years) and vehicles with special value. We also rate the state of preservation with a condition grade (Zustandsnote) on a scale from 1 to 5. See the service in detail.
After a reduction: if the reduced figures do not match the real damage, we check the calculation and the values again. This is called a report review (Gutachtenprüfung). In an expert statement (Stellungnahme), we write down at which point the reduction cannot be justified. View the service.
Here are three more real cases. Each one comes directly from the report and lists every damage item separately.
On site
Lauf lies in the Pegnitz valley. The old town with its historic center and the island in the river is surrounded by water, so the access roads are narrow. To the north and south are the established residential and commercial areas, as well as the interchanges Lauf and Lauf/Hersbruck to the A9.
On December 31, 2025, Lauf had about 25,750 residents. It is the county seat of the Nuremberg Land district (Landkreis Nürnberger Land), which has about 168,000 residents on almost 800 square kilometers. The district vehicle registration office is right in Lauf, at Waldluststraße 1, 91207 Lauf a.d.Pegnitz. It is responsible for all 27 municipalities of the district.
Sources: Wikipedia articles on Lauf an der Pegnitz and Nuremberg Land, as of December 2025 (population, area, A9 interchanges, economy), district office of Nuremberg Land (address of the vehicle registration office).
Three patterns shape the damage we see in Lauf and in the Pegnitz valley. This is our observation from practice, not an official statistic.
These three patterns are wildlife crossing at the forest edge, tight curves in the valley and commuter traffic jams on the highway. In Lauf, forest, river and highway are very close to each other. This is different from the other cities in the metropolitan region. This matters when we record the damage. What looks like a simple wildlife accident at first sight can also have a second, separate part of the damage. For example, the driver may have made an evasive maneuver in a curve.
Quickly assessed
After parking damage in the old town, you often do not know beforehand whether a report is worthwhile. Instead, send us photos of the damage by WhatsApp. Based on these photos, we assess the case and tell you what comes next. This does not obligate you to anything.
This assessment shows you in advance whether a formal inspection is worth the effort, even though it does not replace a report.
For small, clear damage, a repair estimate is usually enough. Courts do not agree on where exactly the limit between the two lies. It is often somewhere between €750 and €1,000. More important than the exact amount is whether the damage can be clearly and easily assessed.
If the other party is at fault for the accident, their liability insurance usually pays the full costs. After a wildlife accident, your own comprehensive coverage usually pays. For very small damage, a report is often not worth the cost. We discuss this by phone in advance.
It is free of charge and does not obligate you to anything, even if we advise you against a report in the end.
The other party's liability insurance usually needs four to six weeks for the check and the payout. If a wildlife accident goes through comprehensive coverage, it is usually faster, because fault does not need to be clarified. If the claim settlement still takes longer, this is a matter for your lawyer.
Yes, we come to wherever your vehicle is. This includes the old town at the river, the commercial areas and the A9 interchanges.
The appointment is often on the same working day, at the latest on the next one. On site, the inspection takes between 30 and 45 minutes for ordinary damage. The finished report is usually ready one day later.
Important: First secure the accident scene. Before you drive on, inform the police and take photos of the damage. After that, report the incident to your comprehensive coverage insurer. The damage is easiest to inspect while fur and contact marks are still visible.
Important: Have the vehicle repaired only after the inspection, even if a repair shop wants to start the next morning after a wildlife accident. Without the inspection, you cannot show later how big the damage was, or whether a second part of the damage came from an evasive maneuver. Call us before the repair starts. An appointment in the Pegnitz valley is usually available at short notice.
To start, your vehicle registration certificate (Fahrzeugschein) and your contact details are enough. If it was a wildlife accident, please have photos of fur and contact marks ready if possible. Take photos of the marks while you can still see them. If you have a case number from the insurer or the police, please bring it as well.
Not directly. The report goes only to the insurer and the repair shop, and to no one else. You go to the vehicle registration office only when, after a total loss, a vehicle must be deregistered or a replacement vehicle must be registered. This applies whether it was a wildlife accident or other damage.
For an accident that was not your fault, yes. The repair shop and the other party's insurer may make suggestions, but these are not binding. For a claim under your own vehicle insurance, also after a wildlife accident, your own insurer places the order.
Yes, we also inspect vans, trailers and larger commercial vehicles. We come directly to the company site or wherever they are parked.
It is about 17 kilometers. You can get there by the A9 or by the S-Bahn (suburban train), which has run between Lauf and Nuremberg since 1987.
In the very first conversation, as soon as you describe your case, you speak directly with the independent vehicle expert himself, not with a call center. This first conversation costs you nothing and does not obligate you to anything.
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